Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 12:31-32

"And he made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, that were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar; so did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places that he had made." — 1 Kings 12:31-32 (ASV)

Of the lowest of the people. —This is universally recognized as a mistranslation, though a natural one, of the original, “the ends of the people.” The sense is “from the whole mass of the people,” without care for Levitical descent—the Levites having (see 2 Chronicles 11:13–14) generally returned to the kingdom of Judah on the establishment of this idolatry. It is hardly likely that the king would have lacked, because an unauthorized Levitical priesthood was (as has been said) available at Dan.