Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Kings 12:29

"And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan." — 1 Kings 12:29 (ASV)

First, Jeroboam considered the convenience of his subjects, who would therefore not have to travel far to reach either sanctuary. Furthermore, he avoided the danger of continually reminding them that they had no ark—a danger that would have been imminent if the two cherubs had been placed together in one shrine.

He selected Bethel (in the south) as one of his places of worship because of its preeminent sanctity (Judges 20:26–28; 1 Samuel 7:16).

The northern part of Palestine did not provide a place with an equally sacred character, but Dan still had, to some extent, the character of a “holy city.”