2 Chronicles — Chapter 11
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1When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the house of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God:
3“Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin
4that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers. Each of you must return home, for this is My doing.’” So they listened to the words of the LORD and turned back from going against Jeroboam.
5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built up cities for defense in Judah.
6He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,
8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11He strengthened their fortifications and put officers in them, with supplies of food, oil, and wine.
12He also put shields and spears in all the cities and strengthened them greatly. So Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13Moreover, the priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel stood with Rehoboam.
14For the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD.
15And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made.
16Those from every tribe of Israel who had set their hearts to seek the LORD their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
17So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, because they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.
18And Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
19She bore sons to him: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20After her, he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, intending to make him king.
23Rehoboam also acted wisely by dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and sought many wives for them.
1And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.
6He built even Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7And Beth-zur, and Shoco, and Adullam,
8And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities.
11And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine.
12And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.
13And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.
14For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD:
15And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.
16And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.
17So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.
18And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;
19Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.
20And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)
22And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.
23And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city: and he gave them victual in abundance. And he desired many wives.
1And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, that were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2But the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4Thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house; for this thing is of me. So they hearkened unto the words of Jehovah, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.
6He built Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7And Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam,
8and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.
11And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of victuals, and oil and wine.
12And in every city [he put] shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. And Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border.
14For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest`s office unto Jehovah;
15and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made.
16And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
17So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years; for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon.
18And Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, [and of] Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;
19and she bare him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.
20And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines, and begat twenty and eight sons and threescore daughters.)
22And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, [even] the prince among his brethren; for [he was minded] to make him king.
23And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fortified city: and he gave them victuals in abundance. And he sought [for them] many wives.
1When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from Judah and Benjamin to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2But the Lord’s message came to the prophet Shemaiah,
3“Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin,
4‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” They obeyed the Lord and called off the attack against Jeroboam.
5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem; he built up these fortified cities throughout Judah:
6Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11He fortified these cities and placed officers in them, as well as storehouses of food, olive oil, and wine.
12In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13The priests and Levites who lived throughout Israel supported him, no matter where they resided.
14The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests.
15Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made.
16Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their ancestors.
17They supported the kingdom of Judah and were loyal to Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; they followed the edicts of David and Solomon for three years.
18Rehoboam married Mahalath the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
19She bore him sons named Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20He later married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines. He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as the leader over his brothers, for he intended to name him his successor.
23He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin in the various fortified cities. He supplied them with abundant provisions and acquired many wives for them.
1When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2But Yahweh’s word came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4‘Yahweh says, “You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers! Every man return to his house; for this thing is of me.”’” So they listened to Yahweh’s words, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
6He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin.
11He fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil and wine.
12He put shields and spears in every city, and made them exceedingly strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him out of all their territory.
14For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office to Yahweh.
15He himself appointed priests for the high places, for the male goats, and for the calves which he had made.
16After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those who set their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
17So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years; for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon.
18Rehoboam took a wife for himself, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse.
19She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20After her, he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the prince among his brothers; for he intended to make him king.
23He dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city. He gave them food in abundance and he sought many wives for them.
Summary
Rehoboam musters 180,000 warriors from Judah and Benjamin to force Israel back under his rule, but the prophet Shemaiah delivers God's word forbidding the fight, since the division is the LORD's doing, and the king obeys (vv. 1-4). Rehoboam instead fortifies Judah, building up fifteen cities such as Bethlehem, Etam, Hebron, and Lachish, stocking them with supplies, shields, and spears (vv. 5-12). Priests and Levites, and other Israelites who set their hearts to seek the LORD, leave Jeroboam's kingdom and its idolatrous priesthood for Judah and Jerusalem, strengthening Rehoboam's realm for three years while it still walked in the way of David and Solomon (vv. 13-17). The chapter closes with Rehoboam's family details — his wives, especially his favorite Maachah, and his many children — including his choice of Abijah as his intended successor (vv. 18-23).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Parallels 1-2 Kings but focuses exclusively on Judah (the southern kingdom). Jerusalem and the Temple are the theological center throughout.
- Key locations include various battle sites, reform locations, and high places destroyed or rebuilt by successive kings.
- The book ends with exile to Babylon (586 BC) and Cyrus's decree permitting return — the geographic arc moves from Jerusalem to Babylon and back.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- Babylonnear Hillah, IraqOn the Euphrates about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Judah's exiles were marched roughly 900 miles to get here, the long way round the Arabian desert, which is why the journey took months and the return was a genuine undertaking rather than a short trip home. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes that Rehoboam's obedience to Shemaiah shows he was capable of hearing God — making his later apostasy all the more tragic. He emphasizes the Levites' migration as demonstrating that true worship is worth any sacrifice of comfort or property.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 2 Chronicles -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Sometimes Obedience Means Standing Down (v.4) — Rehoboam was ready to go to war to reclaim the northern tribes until God told him through a prophet not to fight his own brothers. Is there a loss in your life you keep trying to force a reversal of, when God may be asking you to simply accept it?
- Choosing Worship Over Comfort (v.14) — The Levites left their homes and land in the north because Jeroboam had shut them out of true worship there. What would you be willing to give up materially to keep your access to genuine worship and faithful community?
- Those Who Truly Seek God Find Their Way To Him (v.16) — People from every tribe who had set their hearts on seeking the Lord made their way to Judah to find Him. Is your own pursuit of God an active, deliberate decision, or something you're leaving to chance?
- External Support Fades Without Personal Conviction (v.17) — Rehoboam's faithfulness lasted only as long as the godly influence of the newcomers strengthened him, then faded. Is your own walk with God rooted in your relationship with Him, or mostly borrowed from the people around you?