Zeruah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Zeruah appears in the King James Bible only once, in 1 Kings 11:26, and is identified there as the mother of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. The verse introduces Jeroboam as “an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant,” and notes that “his mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman.” This single reference places Zeruah within the reign of King Solomon, during the later years of his rule when the kingdom, though outwardly prosperous, was beginning to fracture under the weight of Solomon’s policies and the LORD’s declared judgment.
Though Zeruah is mentioned by name only in passing, her identification as a widow is significant to the narrative. Her son Jeroboam rose from being a servant of Solomon to lifting up his hand against the king—an act of rebellion that Scripture records plainly. The text does not describe Zeruah’s own actions, words, or character; she is named solely as Jeroboam’s mother, a widow woman of Zereda. The biblical writer includes her name to anchor Jeroboam’s lineage and social standing, not to develop her as a character in the story.
What Scripture says of Zeruah, then, is limited but precise: she was the mother of the man who would become the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel, and she was a widow. Her son’s rebellion against Solomon and his later role in the divided kingdom are the events that give her brief mention its weight. She herself remains in the background, known to God and recorded in His Word, even though the narrative gives her no further voice or deed.
The Name
The name Zeruah (Hebrew צְרוּעָה, Tseru’ah) is generally understood to derive from a root meaning “leprous” or “stricken,” related to the Hebrew word for leprosy (tsara’ath). Some scholars connect it to the idea of being “full of leprosy” or “afflicted.” This meaning is reasonably well established from the Hebrew root, though the precise nuance in this personal name is debated. It is worth noting that the name carries a somber connotation, and Scripture does not comment on why she bore it or what it signified in her life. The text simply preserves the name as it was given.
A Closing Thought
Zeruah is one of many figures in Scripture who appear in a single verse and then pass from the page. She is remembered not for great deeds or words, but simply as a widow who raised a son who would shake a kingdom. Her brief mention reminds us that God sees the quiet and the overlooked. A widow in ancient Israel often stood among the most vulnerable, yet her name is preserved in the eternal Word. Whatever our own obscurity, we are not hidden from the LORD, and the lives we quietly shape may carry consequences far beyond what we can see.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Kings 11:26 — And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.