2 Chronicles 11

Chapter context

What is happening in 2 Chronicles 11?

templereformprayerjudgment

2 Chronicles 11 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the kings of Judah. Second Chronicles recounts Solomon’s temple, the Judahite kings, reform movements, the fall of Jerusalem, and Cyrus’s decree of return. Read this chapter with the wider themes of temple, reform, and prayer in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

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 defence 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.

Study helps

Glossary

Benjamin Person v. 1, 3, 10, 12, 23: Son of my right hand. (1. ) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel ( Gen. 35:18 ). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place.
Jerusalem Place v. 1, 5, 14, 16: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Rehoboam Person v. 1, 3, 5, 17-18, 21-22: He enlarges the people, the successor of Solomon on the throne, and apparently his only son. He was the son of Naamah “the Ammonitess,” some well-known Ammonitish princess ( 1 Kings 14:21 ; 2 Chr. 12:13 ).
Shemaiah Person v. 2: Whom Jehovah heard. (1. ) A prophet in the reign of Rehoboam ( 1 Kings 12:22-24 ). (2. ) Neh. 3:29 . (3. ) A Simeonite ( 1 Chr. 4:37 ). (4. ) A priest ( Neh. 12:42 ). (5. ) A Levite ( 1 Chr. 9:16 ). (6. ) 1 Chr. 9:14 ; Neh. 11:15 .
Jeroboam Person v. 4, 14: Increase of the people. (1. ) The son of Nebat ( 1 Kings 11:26-39 ), “an Ephrathite,” the first king of the ten tribes, over whom he reigned twenty-two years (B. C. 976-945).
Bethlehem Place v. 6: House of bread. (1. ) A city in the “hill country” of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath ( Gen. 35:16 , 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11 ). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah ( Micah 5:2 ), Beth-lehem-judah. Modern identification: Bethlehem.
Etam Place v. 6: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet el Khokh.
Tekoa Place v. 6: Pitching of tents; fastening down, a town of Judah, about 12 miles south of Jerusalem, and visible from the city. Modern identification: Khirbet Teku’a.
Adullam Place v. 7: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet esh Sheikh Madhkur.
Beth-zur Place v. 7: House of rock, a town in the mountains of Judah ( Josh. 15:58 ), about 4 miles to the north of Hebron. It was built by Rehoboam for the defence of his kingdom ( 2 Chr. 11:7 ). It stood near the modern ed-Dirweh. Modern identification: Khirbet et Tubeiqa.
Socoh Place v. 7: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Socho.
Gath Place v. 8: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Safi.
Mareshah Place v. 8: Possession, a city in the plain of Judah ( John. 15:44 ). Here Asa defeated Zerah the Ethiopian ( 2 Chr. 14:9 , 10). It is identified with the ruin el-Mer’ash, about 1 1/2 mile south of Beit Jibrin. Modern identification: Tel Maresha.
Ziph Place v. 8: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Zif.
Adoraim Place v. 9: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Dura.
Azekah Place v. 9: Dug over, a town in the Shephelah or low hills of Judah ( Josh. 15:35 ), where the five confederated Amoritish kings were defeated by Joshua and their army destroyed by a hailstrom (10:10, 11). Modern identification: Tel Azekah.
Lachish Place v. 9: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell ed Duweir.
Aijalon Place v. 10: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Yalo.
Hebron Place v. 10: A community; alliance. (1. ) A city in the south end of the valley of Eshcol, about midway between Jerusalem and Beersheba, from which it is distant about 20 miles in a straight line. Modern identification: Tel Rumeida.
Zorah Place v. 10: Place of wasps, a town in the low country of Judah, afterwards given to Dan ( Josh. 19:41 ; Judg. 18:2 ), probably the same as Zoreah ( Josh. 15:33 ). This was Samson’s birthplace. Modern identification: Tel Tzora.
City People v. 12, 23: The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
David Person v. 17-18: Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25 .
Abihail Person v. 18: Father of might. (1. ) Num. 3:35 . (2. ) 1 Chr. 2:29 . (3. ) 1 Chr. 5:14 . (4. ) The second wife of King Rehoboam ( 2 Chr. 11:18 ), a descendant of Eliab, David’s eldest brother.
Eliab Tribe v. 18: To whom God is father. (1. ) A Reubenite, son of Pallu ( Num. 16:1 , 12; 26:8, 9; Deut. 11:6 ). (2. ) A son of Helon, and chief of the tribe of Zebulun at the time of the census in the wilderness ( Num. 1:9 ; 2:7 ).
Jerimoth Person v. 18: Heights. (1. ) One of the sons of Bela ( 1 Chr. 7:7 ). (2. ) 1 Chr. 24:30 , a Merarite Levite. (3. ) A Benjamite slinger who joined David at Ziklag ( 1 Chr. 12:5 ). (4. ) A Levitical musician under Heman his father.
Jesse Person v. 18: Firm, or a gift, a son of Obed, the son of Boaz and Ruth ( Ruth 4:17 , 22; Matt. 1:5 , 6; Luke 3:32 ). He was the father of eight sons, the youngest of whom was David ( 1 Sam. 17:12 ).
Jeush Person v. 19: Assembler. (1. ) The oldest of Esau’s three sons by Aholibamah ( Gen. 36:5 , 14, 18). (2. ) A son of Bilhan, grandson of Benjamin ( 1 Chr. 7:10 ). (3. ) A Levite, one of the sons of Shimei ( 1 Chr. 23:10 , 11).
Abijah Person v. 20, 22: Father (i. e., “possessor or worshipper”) of Jehovah. (1. ) 1 Chr. 7:8 . (2. ) 1 Chr. 2:24 . (3. ) The second son of Samuel ( 1 Sam. 8:2 ; 1 Chr. 6:28 ).
Absalom Person v. 20-21: Father of peace; i. e., “peaceful” David’s son by Maacah ( 2 Sam. 3:3 ; comp. 1 Kings 1:6 ). He was noted for his personal beauty and for the extra-ordinary profusion of the hair of his head ( 2 Sam. 14:25 ,26).
Ziza Person v. 20: Splendour; abundance. (1. ) A Simeonite prince ( 1 Chr. 4:37-43 ). (2. ) A son of Rehoboam ( 2 Chr. 11:20 ).