Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
Now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father and his heavy yoke lighter There are Now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke ... lighter. There are strong reasons for believing that the exactions of Solomon from his own people were heavy and severe, not only in regard to their contributions in produce (1 Kings 4:27), but to the compulsory levies of the able-bodied, married as well as unmarried, that were drafted periodically to work on the mountains, or in the subterranean quarries, at the public buildings and diversified undertakings, which fully justified the complaint made to his son. It was the voice of 'all Israel; but considering the remarkable fertility of Shechem and the whole surrounding region, the industrious inhabitants of that central district must have felt the government imposts as peculiarly burdensome. In that view, their language and demeanour in the statement of their grievances, and the demand for a diminution of the public burdens, is wonderfully moderate, demonstrating the presence and influence of those superior classes who were compelled, for the enjoyment of its religious advantages, to migrate to the kingdom of Judah (cf. Michaelis 'Commentary on the Laws of Moses,' 1:, p. 284-287). The splendour of Solomon's court and the magnitude of his undertakings being such that neither the tribute of dependent states, nor the presents of foreign princes, nor the profits of his commercial enterprises, were adequate to carry them on, he had been obliged, for obtaining the necessary revenue, to begin a system of heavy taxation. The people looked only to the burdens, not to the benefits they derived from Solomon's peaceful and prosperous reign; and the evils from which they demanded deliverance were civil oppressions, not idolatry to which they appear to have been indifferent, or approved of it.