1 And 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.
2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3 Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 Thus 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.
5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
6 He built even Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7 And Bethzur, and Shoco, and Adullam,
8 And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9 And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities.
11 And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine.
12 And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.
13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.
14 For 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:
15 And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.
16 And 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.
17 So 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.
18 And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;
19 Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And 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.)
22 And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.
23 And 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.
1 And when Rehoboam H7346 was come H935 to Jerusalem, H3389 he gathered H6950 of the house H1004 of Judah H3063 and Benjamin H1144 an hundred H3967 and fourscore H8084 thousand H505 chosen H977 men, which were warriors, H6213 H4421 to fight H3898 against Israel, H3478 that he might bring H7725 the kingdom H4467 again H7725 to Rehoboam. H7346
2 But the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came to Shemaiah H8098 the man H376 of God, H430 saying, H559
3 Speak H559 unto Rehoboam H7346 the son H1121 of Solomon, H8010 king H4428 of Judah, H3063 and to all Israel H3478 in Judah H3063 and Benjamin, H1144 saying, H559
4 Thus saith H559 the LORD, H3068 Ye shall not go up, H5927 nor fight H3898 against your brethren: H251 return H7725 every man H376 to his house: H1004 for this thing H1697 is done H1961 of me. And they obeyed H8085 the words H1697 of the LORD, H3068 and returned H7725 from going H3212 against Jeroboam. H3379
5 And Rehoboam H7346 dwelt H3427 in Jerusalem, H3389 and built H1129 cities H5892 for defence H4692 in Judah. H3063
6 He built H1129 even Bethlehem, H1035 and Etam, H5862 and Tekoa, H8620
7 And Bethzur, H1049 and Shoco, H7755 and Adullam, H5725
8 And Gath, H1661 and Mareshah, H4762 and Ziph, H2128
9 And Adoraim, H115 and Lachish, H3923 and Azekah, H5825
10 And Zorah, H6881 and Aijalon, H357 and Hebron, H2275 which are in Judah H3063 and in Benjamin H1144 fenced H4694 cities. H5892
11 And he fortified H2388 the strong holds, H4694 and put H5414 captains H5057 in them, and store H214 of victual, H3978 and of oil H8081 and wine. H3196
12 And in every several city H5892 he put shields H6793 and spears, H7420 and made them exceeding H7235 H3966 strong, H2388 having Judah H3063 and Benjamin H1144 on his side.
13 And the priests H3548 and the Levites H3881 that were in all Israel H3478 resorted H3320 to him out of all their coasts. H1366
14 For the Levites H3881 left H5800 their suburbs H4054 and their possession, H272 and came H3212 to Judah H3063 and Jerusalem: H3389 for Jeroboam H3379 and his sons H1121 had cast them off H2186 from executing the priest's office H3547 unto the LORD: H3068
15 And he ordained H5975 him priests H3548 for the high places, H1116 and for the devils, H8163 and for the calves H5695 which he had made. H6213
16 And after H310 them out of all the tribes H7626 of Israel H3478 such as set H5414 their hearts H3824 to seek H1245 the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel H3478 came H935 to Jerusalem, H3389 to sacrifice H2076 unto the LORD H3068 God H430 of their fathers. H1
17 So they strengthened H2388 the kingdom H4438 of Judah, H3063 and made Rehoboam H7346 the son H1121 of Solomon H8010 strong, H553 three H7969 years: H8141 for three H7969 years H8141 they walked H1980 in the way H1870 of David H1732 and Solomon. H8010
18 And Rehoboam H7346 took H3947 him Mahalath H4258 the daughter H1323 H1121 of Jerimoth H3406 the son H1121 of David H1732 to wife, H802 and Abihail H32 the daughter H1323 of Eliab H446 the son H1121 of Jesse; H3448
19 Which bare H3205 him children; H1121 Jeush, H3266 and Shamariah, H8114 and Zaham. H2093
20 And after H310 her he took H3947 Maachah H4601 the daughter H1323 of Absalom; H53 which bare H3205 him Abijah, H29 and Attai, H6262 and Ziza, H2124 and Shelomith. H8019
21 And Rehoboam H7346 loved H157 Maachah H4601 the daughter H1323 of Absalom H53 above all his wives H802 and his concubines: H6370 (for he took H5375 eighteen H8083 H6240 wives, H802 and threescore H8346 concubines; H6370 and begat H3205 twenty H6242 and eight H8083 sons, H1121 and threescore H8346 daughters.) H1323
22 And Rehoboam H7346 made H5975 Abijah H29 the son H1121 of Maachah H4601 the chief, H7218 to be ruler H5057 among his brethren: H251 for he thought to make him king. H4427
23 And he dealt wisely, H995 and dispersed H6555 of all his children H1121 throughout all the countries H776 of Judah H3063 and Benjamin, H1144 unto every fenced H4694 city: H5892 and he gave H5414 them victual H4202 in abundance. H7230 And he desired H7592 many H1995 wives. H802
1 And 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.
2 But the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3 Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 Thus 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.
5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.
6 He built Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7 And Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam,
8 and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9 and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.
11 And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of victuals, and oil and wine.
12 And in every city `he put' shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. And Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border.
14 For 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;
15 and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made.
16 And 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.
17 So 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.
18 And 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;
19 and she bare him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And 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.)
22 And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, `even' the prince among his brethren; for `he was minded' to make him king.
23 And 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.
1 And Rehoboam cometh in to Jerusalem, and assembleth the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors, to fight with Israel, to bring back the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 And a word of Jehovah is unto Shemaiah, a man of God, saying,
3 `Speak unto Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, and unto all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 Thus said Jehovah, Ye do not go up nor fight with your brethren, turn back each to his house, for from Me hath this thing been;' and they hear the words of Jehovah, and turn back from going against Jeroboam.
5 And Rehoboam dwelleth in Jerusalem, and buildeth cities for a bulwark in Judah,
6 yea, he buildeth Beth-Lehem and Etam, and Tekoa,
7 and Beth-Zur, and Shocho, and Adullam,
8 and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9 and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, that `are' in Judah and in Benjamin, cities of bulwarks.
11 And he strengtheneth the bulwarks, and putteth in them leaders, and treasures of food, and oil, and wine,
12 and in every city and city targets and spears, and strengtheneth them very greatly; and he hath Judah and Benjamin.
13 And the priests, and the Levites, that `are' in all Israel, have stationed themselves by him, out of all their border,
14 for the Levites have left their suburbs and their possession, and they come to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons have cast them off from acting as priests to Jehovah,
15 and he establisheth to him priests for high places, and for goats, and for calves, that he made --
16 and after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those giving their heart to seek Jehovah, God of Israel, have come in to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Jehovah, God of their father.
17 And they strengthen the kingdom of Judah, and strengthen Rehoboam son of Solomon, for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
18 And Rehoboam taketh to him a wife, Mahalath, child of Jerimoth son of David, `and' Abigail daughter of Eliab, son of Jesse.
19 And she beareth to him sons, Jeush, and Shamaria, and Zaham.
20 And after her he hath taken Maachah daughter of Absalom, and she beareth to him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And Rehoboam loveth Maachah daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines -- for eighteen wives he hath taken, and sixty concubines -- and he begetteth twenty and eight sons, and sixty daughters.
22 And Rehoboam appointeth for head Abijah son of Maachah, for leader among his brethren, for to cause him to reign.
23 And he hath understanding, and spreadeth out of all his sons to all lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all cities of the bulwarks, and giveth to them provision in abundance; and he asketh a multitude of wives.
1 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem; and he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men apt for war, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 Thus saith Jehovah: Go not up, nor fight with your brethren; return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. And they hearkened to the words of Jehovah, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.
6 And he built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7 and Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam,
8 and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9 and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 and Zorah, and Ajalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.
11 And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of victuals, and of oil and wine;
12 and in every several city, targets and spears, and made them exceedingly strong. And Judah and Benjamin were his.
13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their districts;
14 for the Levites left their suburbs and their possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from exercising the priesthood to Jehovah;
15 and he ordained for himself priests for the high places, and for the he-goats and for the calves that he had made.
16 -- And after them, those out of all the tribes of Israel that set their heart to seek Jehovah the God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to Jehovah the God of their fathers.
17 And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong three years; for during three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.
18 And Rehoboam took Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David as wife, [and of] Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse.
19 And she bore him children: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines; for he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 And Rehoboam established Abijah the son of Maachah at the head, to be ruler among his brethren; for [he thought] to make him king.
23 And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities; and he gave them food in abundance. And he desired [for them] a multitude of wives.
1 When Rehoboam was 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.
2 But the word of Yahweh 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 Thus says Yahweh, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers: return every man to his house; for this thing is of me. So they listened to the words of Yahweh, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
6 He built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7 Beth Zur, and Soco, and Adullam,
8 and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9 and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.
11 He fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, and oil and wine.
12 In every city [he put] shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13 The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border.
14 For 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;
15 and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the male goats, and for the calves which he had made.
16 After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
17 So 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.
18 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;
19 and she bore him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Rehoboam 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.)
22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, [even] the prince among his brothers; for [he was minded] to make him king.
23 He dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city: and he gave them food in abundance. He sought [for them] many wives.
1 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and got together the men of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand of his best fighting-men, to make war against Israel and get the kingdom back for Rehoboam.
2 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying,
3 Say to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,
4 The Lord has said, You are not to go to war against your brothers: let every man go back to his house, for this thing is my purpose. So they gave ear to the words of the Lord and were turned back from fighting against Jeroboam.
5 Now Rehoboam kept in Jerusalem, building walled towns in Judah.
6 He was the builder of Beth-lehem and Etam and Tekoa
7 And Beth-zur and Soco and Adullam
8 And Gath and Mareshah and Ziph
9 And Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah
10 And Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron, walled towns in Judah and Benjamin.
11 And he made the walled towns strong, and he put captains in them and stores of food, oil, and wine.
12 And in every town he put stores of body-covers and spears, and made them very strong. And Judah and Benjamin were his.
13 And the priests and Levites who were in all Israel came together to him from every part of their country.
14 For the Levites gave up their living-places and their property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons had sent them away, not letting them be priests to the Lord;
15 And he himself made priests for the high places, and for the images of he-goats and oxen which he had made.
16 And after them, from all the tribes of Israel, all those whose hearts were fixed and true to the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to make offerings to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
17 So they went on increasing the power of the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, strong for three years; and for three years they went in the ways of David and Solomon.
18 And Rehoboam took as his wife Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse;
19 And she had sons by him, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maacah, the daughter of Absalom; and she had Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith by him.
21 Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, was dearer to Rehoboam than all his wives and his servant-wives: (for he had eighteen wives and sixty servant-wives, and was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.)
22 Rehoboam made Abijah, the son of Maacah, chief and ruler among his brothers, for it was his purpose to make him king.
23 And in his wisdom he had his sons stationed in every walled town through all the lands of Judah and Benjamin; and he gave them a great store of food, and took wives for them.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 11
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 11 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Rehoboam's Reign - 2 Chronicles 11-12
When the ten tribes had renounced their allegiance to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, and had made Jeroboam their king (1 Kings 12:20), Rehoboam wished to compel them by force of arms again to submit to him, and made for this purpose a levy of all the men capable of bearing arms in Judah and Benjamin. But the prophet Shemaiah commanded him, in the name of the Lord, to desist from making war upon the Israelites, they being brethren, and Rehoboam abandoned his purpose (2 Chronicles 11:1-4, cf. 1 Kings 12:21-24), and began to establish his dominion over Judah and Benjamin. His kingdom, moreover, was increased in power by the immigration of the priests and Levites, whom Jeroboam had expelled from the priesthood, and also of many God-fearing Israelites out of the ten tribes, to Judah (2 Chronicles 11:13-17). Rehoboam also set his family affairs in order, by nominating from among his many sons, whom his wives had borne to him, Abijah to be his successor on the throne, and making provision for the others in different parts of the country (2 Chronicles 11:18-23). But when he had established his royal authority, he forsook the law of Jahve, and was punished for it by the inroad of the Egyptian king Shishak, who marched through his land with a numerous host, took Jerusalem, and plundered the palace and the temple (2 Chronicles 12:1-11), but without wholly ruining Judah; and Rehoboam was king until his death, and his son succeeded him on the throne (2 Chronicles 11:12-16).
The order in which these events are narrated is not chronological; they are rather grouped together according to their similarities. As Rehoboam began even in the third year of his reign to forsake the law of God, and King Shishak made war upon Judah as early as in his fifth year, the building of the fortresses may have been begun in the first three or four years, but cannot have been ended then; still less can the sons of Rehoboam have been provided for in the time before Shishak's inroad.
Rehoboam's attitude to the ten rebel tribes . Cf. 1 Kings 12:21-24. - Rehoboam's purpose, to subdue these tribes by force of arms, and bring them again under his dominion, and the abandonment of this purpose in consequence of the command of the prophet Shemaiah, belong in a certain measure to the history of the revolt of the ten tribes from the house of David; for the revolt only became an accomplished fact when the prophet Shemaiah proclaimed in the name of the Lord that the matter was from the Lord. 2 Chronicles 11:3. Of Jahve was the thing done; He had ordained the revolt as a chastisement of the seed of David for walking no more in His ways. Solomon had, by allowing himself to be seduced by his many foreign wives into departing from the Lord, exposed himself to the divine displeasure, and his successor Rehoboam increased the guilt by his impolitic treatment of the tribes dissatisfied with Solomon's rule, and had, if not brought about the revolt, yet hastened it; but yet the conduct of these tribes was not thereby justified. Their demand that the burdens laid upon them by Solomon should be lightened, flowed from impure and godless motives, and at bottom had its root in discontent with the theocratic rule of the house of David (see on 1 Kings 12:21.). The expression, “to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,” is deeper than “the whole house of Judah and Benjamin and the remnant of the people,” i.e., those belonging to the other tribes who were dwelling in the tribal domains of Judah and Benjamin (1 Kings 12:23); for it characterizes all who had remained true to the house of David as Israel, i.e., those who walked in the footsteps of their progenitor Israel (Jacob).
Rehoboam's measures for the fortifying of his kingdom . - To defend his kingdom against hostile attacks, Rehoboam built cities for defence in Judah. The sing. למצור is used, because the building of cities served for the defence of the kingdom. Judah is the name of the kingdom, for the fifteen fenced cities enumerated in the following verses were situated in the tribal domains of both Benjamin and Judah.
2 Chronicles 11:6
In Judah lay Bethlehem, a small city mentioned as early as in Jacob's time (Genesis 35:19), two hours south of Jerusalem, the birthplace of David and of Christ (Micah 5:1; Matthew 2:5, Matthew 2:11), now Beit-Lahm; see on Joshua 15:59. Etam is not the place bearing the same name which is spoken of in 1 Chronicles 4:32 and Judges 15:8, and mentioned in the Talmud as the place where, near Solomon's Pools, the aqueduct which supplied Jerusalem with water commenced (cf. Robins. Pal. sub voce; Tobler, Topogr. v. Jerus. ii. S. 84ff., 855ff.);
(Note: For further information as to the commencement of this aqueduct, see the masterly dissertation of Dr. Herm. Zschokke, “ Die versiegelte Quelle Salomo ' s, ” in the Tübingen Theol. Quartalschr . 1867, H. 3, S. 426ff.)
nor is it to be looked for, as Robins. loc. cit ., and New Bibl. Researches , maintains, in the present village Urtâs (Artâs), for it has been identified by Tobl., dritte Wand. S. 89, with Ain Attân, a valley south-west from Artâs. Not only does the name Attân correspond more than Artâs with Etam, but from it the water is conducted to Jerusalem, while according to Tobler's thorough conviction it could not have been brought from Artâs. Tekoa, now Tekua, on the summit of a hill covered with ancient ruins, two hours south of Bethlehem; see on Joshua 15:59.
2 Chronicles 11:7
Beth-zur was situated where the ruin Beth-Sur now stands, midway between Urtâs and Hebron; see on Joshua 15:58. Shoko, the present Shuweike in Wady Sumt, 3 1/2 hours south-west from Jerusalem; see on Joshua 15:35. Adullam, in Joshua 15:35 included among the cities of the hill country, reckoned part of the lowland ( Shephelah ), i.e., the slope of the hills, has not yet been discovered. Tobler, dritte Wand. S. 151, conjectures that it is identical with the present Dula, about eight miles to the east of Beit-Jibrin; but this can hardly be correct (see against it, Arnold in Herzog's Realenc. xiv. S. 723. It is much more probable that its site was that of the present Deir Dubban, two hours to the north of Beit-Jibrin; see on Joshua 12:15.
2 Chronicles 11:8
Gath, a royal city of the Philistines, which was first made subject to the Israelites by David (1 Chronicles 18:1), and was under Solomon the seat of its own king, who was subject to the Israelite king (1 Kings 2:39), has not yet been certainly discovered; see on Joshua 13:3.
(Note: C. Schick, Reise in das Philisterland (in “ Ausland ” 1867, Nr. 7, S. 162), identifies Gath with the present Tel Safieh, “ an isolated conical hill in the plain, like a sentinel of a watchtower or fortress, and on that account there was so much struggling for its possession. ” On the other hand, Konr. Furrer, Wanderungen durch Palästina , Zürich 1865, thinks, S. 133, that he has found the true situation of Gath in the Wady el Gat, northward of the ruins of Askalon.)
Mareshah, the city Marissa, on the road from Hebron to the land of the Philistines, was at a later time very important, and is not represented by the ruin Marash, twenty-four minutes to the south of Beit-Jibrin (Eleutheropolis); see on Joshua 15:44, and Tobl. dritte Wand. S. 129, 142f. Ziph is probably the Ziph mentioned in Joshua 15:55, in the hill country of Judah, of which ruins yet remain on the hill Ziph, about an hour and a quarter south-east of Hebron; see on Joshua 15:55. C. v. Raumer thinks, on the contrary, Pal. S. 222, Anm. 249, that our Ziph, as it is mentioned along with Mareshah and other cities of the lowland, cannot be identified with either of the Ziphs mentioned in Joshua 15:24 and Joshua 15:55, but is probably Achzib in the lowland mentioned along with Mareshah, Joshua 15:44; but this is very improbable.
2 Chronicles 11:9
Adoraim ( Ἂδωραΐ́μ in Joseph. Antt. viii. 10. 1), met with in 1 Macc. 13:20 as an Idumean city, Ἄδωρα , and so also frequently in Josephus, was taken by Hyrcanus, and rebuilt by Gabinius (Jos. Antt. xiii. 15. 4, and xiv. 5. 3) under the name Δῶρα , and often spoken of along with Marissa (s. Reland, Palaest. p. 547). Robinson ( Pal. sub voce ) has identified it with the present Dûra, a village about 7 1/2 miles to the westward of Hebron. Lachish, situated in the lowland of Judah, as we learn from Joshua 15:39, is probably the present Um Lakis, on the road from Gaza to Beit-Jibrin and Hebron, to the left hand, seven hours to the west of Beit-Jibrin, on a circular height covered with ancient walls and marble fragments, and overgrown with thistles and bushes; see on Joshua 10:3, and Pressel in Herz.'s Realenc. viii. S. 157f. Azekah, situated in the neighbourhood of Shoco (2 Chronicles 11:7), and, according to 1 Samuel 17:1, in an oblique direction near Ephes-dammim, i.e., Damûm, one hour east to the south of Beit-Nettif,
(Note: Compare the interesting note of Breytenbach ( Reybb. des heil. Landes, i. 134) in Tobler, dritte Wand. S. 463: “ Thence (from Azekah) three miles is the city Zochot-Jude, not far from Nobah, where David slew Goliath. ” )
has not been re-discovered; see on Joshua 10:10.
2 Chronicles 11:10
Zorah, Samson's birthplace, is represented by the ruin Sura, at the south-west end of the ridge, which encloses the Wady es Surar on the north; see on Joshua 15:33. To the north of that again lay Ajalon, now the village Jâlo, on the verge of the plain Merj ibn Omeir , four leagues to the west of Gibeon; see on Joshua 10:12 and Joshua 19:42. Finally, Hebron, the ancient city of the patriarchs, now called el Khalil (The friend of God, i.e., Abraham); see on Genesis 23:2. All these fenced cities lay in the tribal domain of Judah, with the exception of Zorah and Ajalon, which were assigned to the tribe of Dan (Joshua 19:41.). These two were probably afterwards, in the time of the judges, when a part of the Danites emigrated from Zorah and Eshtaol to the north of Palestine (Judges 18:1), taken possession of by Benjamites, and were afterwards reckoned to the land of Benjamin, and are here named as cities which Rehoboam fortified in Benjamin. If we glance for a moment at the geographical position of the whole fifteen cities, we see that they lay partly to the south of Jerusalem, on the road which went by Hebron to Beersheba and Egypt, partly on the western slopes of the hill country of Judah, on the road by Beit-Jibrin to Gaza, while only a few lay to the north of this road towards the Philistine plain, and there were none to the north to defend the kingdom against invasions from that side. “Rehoboam seems, therefore, to have had much more apprehension of an attack from the south and west, i.e., from the Egyptians, than of a war with the northern kingdom” (Berth.). Hence we may conclude that Rehoboam fortified these cities only after the inroad of the Egyptian king Shishak.
2 Chronicles 11:11-12
“And he made strong the fortresses, and put captains in them,” etc.; i.e., he increased their strength by placing them in a thoroughly efficient condition to defend themselves against attacks, appointing commandants ( נגידים ), provisioning them, and (2 Chronicles 11:12) laying up stores of all kinds of arms. In this way he made them exceedingly strong. The last clause, 2 Chronicles 11:12, “And there were to him Judah and Benjamin,” corresponds to the statement, 2 Chronicles 10:19, that Israel revolted from the house of David, and forms the conclusion of the account (vv. 1-17 a ) of that which Rehoboam did to establish his power and consolidate his kingdom. There follows hereupon, in
2 Chronicles 11:13-17, the account of the internal spiritual strengthening of the kingdom of Judah by the migration of the priests and Levites, and many pious worshippers of Jahve out of all the tribes, to the kingdom of Judah .
2 Chronicles 11:13-14
The priests and Levites in all Israel went over to him out of their whole domain. על התיצּב , to present oneself before any one, to await his commands, cf. Zechariah 6:5; Job 1:6; Job 2:1; here in the signification to place oneself at another's disposal, i.e., to go over to one. The suffix in גּבוּלם refers to “all Israel.” For - this was the motive of their migration, 2 Chronicles 11:14 -the Levites (in the wider signification of the word, including the priests) forsook their territory and their possessions, i.e., the cities assigned to them, with the pasture lands for their cattle (Numbers 35:1-8), scil. in the domain of the ten tribes; “for Jeroboam and his sons had driven them out from the priesthood of Jahve.” To prevent his subjects from visiting the temple at Jerusalem, which he feared might ultimately cause the people to return to the house of David, Jeroboam had erected his own places of worship for his kingdom in Bethel and Dan, where Jahve was worshipped in the ox images (the golden calves), and had appointed, not the Levites, but men from the body of the people, to be priests in these so-called sanctuaries (1 Kings 12:26-31), consecrated by himself. By these innovations not only the priests and Levites, who would not recognise this unlawful image-worship, were compelled to migrate to Judah and Jerusalem, but also the pious worshippers of the Lord, who would not renounce the temple worship which had been consecrated by God Himself. All Jeroboam's successors held firmly by this calf-worship introduced by him, and consequently the driving out of the priests and Levites is here said to have been the act of Jeroboam and his sons. By his sons are meant Jeroboam's successors on the throne, without respect to the fact that of Jeroboam's own sons only Nadab reached the throne, and that his dynasty terminated with him; for in this matter all the kings of Israel walked in the footsteps of Jeroboam.
2 Chronicles 11:15
And had ordained him priests for the high places. ויּעמד־לו is a continuation of הזניחם כּי , 2 Chronicles 11:14. בּמות are the places of worship which were erected by Jeroboam for the image-worship, called in 1 Kings 12:31 בּמות בּית ; see on that passage. The gods worshipped in these houses in high places the author of the Chronicle calls שׂעירים from their nature, and עגלים from their form. The word שׂעירים is taken from Leviticus 17:7, and signifies demons, so named from the Egyptian idolatry, in which the worship of goats, of Pan (Mendes), who was always represented in the form of a goat, occupied a prominent place; see on Leviticus 17:7. For further details as to the עגלים , see on 1 Kings 12:28.
2 Chronicles 11:16
אחריהם , after them, i.e., following after the priests and Levites. With את־לבבם הנּתנים , who turned their hearts thereto, cf. 1 Chronicles 22:19. They went to Jerusalem to sacrifice there; i.e., as we learn from the context, not merely to offer sacrifices, but also to remain in the kingdom of Judah.
2 Chronicles 11:17
These immigrants - priests, Levites, and pious worshippers of Jahve-made the kingdom of Judah strong, by strengthening the religious foundation on which the kingdom was founded, and made Rehoboam strong three years, so that they (king and people) walked in the way of David and Solomon. The strengthening lasted only three years-only while the opposition to Jeroboam's action in the matter of religion was kept alive by the emigration of the pious people from the ten tribes. What occurred after these three years is narrated only in 2 Chron 12. - Here there follows, in
2 Chronicles 11:18-23, information as to Rehoboam's family relationships . - 2 Chronicles 11:18. Instead of בּן we must read, with the Keri , many MSS, lxx, and Vulg., בּת : Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David. Among the sons of David (1 Chronicles 3:1-8) no Jerimoth is found. If this name be not another form of יתרעם , 1 Chronicles 3:3, Jerimoth must have been a son of one of David's concubines. Before the name אביחיל , ו must have been dropped out, and is to be supplied; so that Mahalath's father and mother are both named: the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, i.e., David's eldest brother (1 Chronicles 2:13; 1 Samuel 17:13). For Abihail cannot be held to be a second wife of Rehoboam, because 2 Chronicles 11:19, “and she bore,” and 2 Chronicles 11:20, “and after her,” show that in 2 Chronicles 11:18 only one wife is named. She bare him three sons, whose names occur only here (2 Chronicles 11:19).
Maachah the daughter, i.e., the granddaughter, of Absalom; for she cannot have been Absalom's daughter, because Absalom, according to 2 Samuel 14:27, had only one daughter, Tamar by name, who must have been fifty years old at Solomon's death. According to 2 Samuel 18:18, Absalom left no son; Maachah therefore can only be a daughter of Tamar, who, according to 2 Chronicles 13:2, was married to Uriel of Gibeah: see on 1 Kings 15:2. Abijah, the oldest son of Maachah, whom his father nominated his successor (2 Chronicles 11:22 and 2 Chronicles 12:16), is called in the book of Kings constantly Abijam, the original form of the name, which was afterwards weakened into Abijah.
Only these wives with their children are mentioned by name, though besides these Rehoboam had a number of wives, 18 wives and 60 (according to Josephus, 30) concubines, who bore him twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. Rehoboam trod in his father's footsteps in this not quite praise-worthy point. The eldest son of Maachah he made head ( לראשׁ ), i.e., prince, among his brethren; להמליכו כּי , for to make him king, scil. was his intention. The infin. with ל is here used in the swiftness of speech in loose connection to state with what further purpose he had appointed him נגיד ; cf. Ew. §351, c , at the end.
And he did wisely, and dispersed of all his sons in all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, i.e., dispersed all his sons so, that they were placed in all parts of Judah and Benjamin in the fenced cities, and he gave them victual in abundance, and he sought (for them) a multitude of wives. שׁאל , to ask for, for the father brought about the marriage of his sons. He therefore took care that his sons, by being thus scattered in the fenced cities of the country as their governors, were separated from each other, but also that they received the necessary means for living in a way befitting their princely rank, in the shape of an abundant maintenance and a considerable number of wives. They were thus kept in a state of contentment, so that they might not make any attempt to gain the crown, which he had reserved for Abijah; and in this lay the wisdom of his conduct.