Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign (2 Chronicles 12:13), so the young men who grew up with him were not beginners. They might have been royal princes, sons of Solomon’s other wives. It was natural for them to have a role in Rehoboam’s government, as shown by his promotion of his son Abijah (2 Chronicles 11:22). Calling these princes "young" might have been a comment on the value of their advice, because people did not consider the young to be wise (see Job 12:12).