This chapter is not only in sense the same, but is expressed almost in the selfsame words as First Kings chapter twelve, verses one through nineteen, so there needs not anything to be added to the notes there, which the reader is referred to.
[Editor's Note: For your convenience, the notes from Chapter 12 appear
below.]
Rehoboam and his people forsaking the law of the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt
is allowed by God to invade his land, and take his fenced cities, 2
Chronicles 12:1, upon which a prophet of the Lord was sent to him and his
princes, to show them the reason of it; whereupon they humbled themselves, and
the Lord was pleased not to allow the enemy utterly to destroy them, yet to
reduce them to servitude, and take away their riches, 2
Chronicles 12:5, and the chapter is closed with an account of the reign and
death of Rehoboam, 2
Chronicles 12:13.
Chapter 12, Verse 1.And it came to pass,
when Rehoboam had established the kingdom,.... Or when the kingdom of
Rehoboam was established; the tribes of Judah and Benjamin being firmly attached
to him, and great numbers from the other tribes coming over to him, and things
going on peaceably and prosperously during the three years that he and his
people abode by the pure worship of God:
and had strengthened himself; built fortified
cities for the defence of himself and kingdom, 2
Chronicles 11:5, he forsook the law of the Lord; after he had reigned three
years, and was become strong, and thought himself safe and secure on the throne,
trusting to his strength:
and all Israel with him; the greater part of them
following the example of their king; of this defection, and the sins they fell
into, see 1 Kings
14:22.
Chapter 12, Verse 2.And it came to pass in
the fifth year of Rehoboam,.... In the fourth year, the apostasy of him
and his people began; and, in the year following, what is next related happened,
as a punishment of it:
Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; of
whom see 1 Kings
11:40,
because they transgressed against the Lord;
transgressed the law of the Lord by falling into idolatry and other abominable
evils; the Targum is, "against the Word of the Lord."
Chapter 12, Verse 3.With twelve hundred
chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen; and the people were without number,....
The foot soldiers; their number, according to Josephus {h} was 400,000:
that came with him out of Egypt; the above numerous
army came from thence with him, which was famous for horses and chariots of war,
see Exodus 14:7,
what follow seem to have joined him after he came out of Egypt, or whom he
subdued in his way; the Lubim or Lybians, inhabitants of Libya, a country near
Egypt the same with the Lehabim; of whom see Genesis 10:13,
the Sukkiims; who were either the Scenite Arabs,
who dwelt in tents, as this word signifies; or the Troglodytes, according to the
Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, who dwelt in dens and caves, in which
sense the word "Succah" is sometimes used, Job
38:40 and in their country was a town called Suchae, mentioned by Pliny {i};
they inhabited near the Red sea; and if Shishak is the same with Sesostris, as
is thought, these people were subdued by him, as Herodotus {k} and Strabo {l}
testify:
and the Ethiopians; some think these were the
Cushite Arabs, and that Sesostris came into Arabia is testified by the above
writers; though rather the proper Ethiopians are meant, since they are joined
with the Lubim or Africans; and since, as Herodotus {m} says, he ruled over
Ethiopia; and Diodorus Siculus {n} says he fought with them, and obliged them to
pay him tribute.
{h} Antiqu. l. 8. c. 10. sect. 2. {i} Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 29. {k} Euterpe, sive,
l. 2. c. 102. {l} Geograph. l. 16. p. 529. {m} Ut supra, (Euterpe, sive, l. 2.)
c. 110. {n} Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 50.
Chapter 12, Verse 4.And he took the fenced
cities which pertained to Judah,.... Which Rehoboam had lately built, and
placed his sons in them, 2
Chronicles 11:5, these he took without any opposition:
and came to Jerusalem; there being no army to
oppose him; and so Sesostris took many countries without fighting, and among the
rest Phoenicia, as Manetho {o} relates, in which Judea may be included.
{o} Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 15.
Chapter 12, Verse 5.Then came Shemaiah the
prophet to Rehoboam,.... The same as in 2
Chronicles 11:2, there called the man of God:
and to the princes of Judah that were gathered together to
Jerusalem because of Shishak; through fear of him, and for safety and
protection from him, and to consult what was to be done at this critical
juncture, whether to fight him, or make peace with him on the best terms they
could:
and said unto them, thus saith the Lord, ye have forsaken
me; his law, his word, worship, and ordinances, 2
Chronicles 12:1,
and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak;
suffered him to invade their land, take their fenced cities, and come up to
Jerusalem without any opposition, as a punishment of their apostasy; and to
explain this providence to them, and call them to repentance, was the prophet
sent.
Chapter 12, Verse 6.Whereupon the princes
of Israel and the king humbled themselves,.... Both by words
acknowledging their sins, and the justice of God, and by deeds, perhaps putting
on sackcloth, as was usual on such occasions, and betaking themselves to fasting
and prayer:
and they said, the Lord is righteous; in giving
them up into the hand of their enemies, seeing they had forsaken him, and sinned
against him.
Chapter 12, Verse 7.And when the Lord saw
that they humbled themselves,.... Though but externally; the Lord takes
notice of external humiliation, as he did of Ahab's, 1
Kings 21:29,
the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, they have
humbled themselves, therefore I will not destroy them; not now, at least
not altogether, 2
Chronicles 12:12,
but I will grant them some deliverance; yet not a
complete one, for they were brought into servitude by Shishak, 2
Chronicles 12:8, or only for a short time:
and my wrath shall not be poured out against Jerusalem by
the hand of Shishak; that is, to the uttermost; that was reserved to
another time, and to be done by another hand, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Chapter 12, Verse 8.Nevertheless, they
shall be his servants,.... tributaries to the king of Egypt:
that they may know my service, and the service of the
kingdoms of the countries; the difference between them, how easy the one,
which they might perform without taxes and tributes, and how hard and heavy the
other, through the exactions and exorbitant demands of those to whom they became
subjects.
Chapter 12, Verses 9-11.So
Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,.... The Vulgate Latin
version is, "departed from Jerusalem," as he did, having taken it, and
spoiled it of its riches, and settled a yearly tax on the inhabitants of the
land; of this, and the two following verses, See Gill on "1Ki 14:26".
Chapter 12, Verse 12.And when he humbled
himself,.... That is, Rehoboam; or broke his heart, as the Targum, was of
a contrite spirit seemingly, for it was merely external:
the wrath of the Lord turned from him; which
appeared by the departure of Shishak's army:
that he would not destroy him altogether; or make
an utter destruction of him and his people:
and also in Judah things went well; prospered and
succeeded after this affair of Shishak was over: or "in Judah there were
good things" {p}; there were some good men, priests, Levites, and many of
the common people, that did good things, kept up and abode by the pure worship
and service of God; and which was another reason why the Lord would not destroy
them altogether now, see Genesis
18:31.
{p} Mybwj Myrbd "opera bona," V. L. "res
bonae," Tigurine version, Vatablus, Rambachius.
Chapter 12, Verse 13.So
Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem,.... Fortified that yet more
for the defence of himself, after Shishak departed:
and reigned; twelve years more, for he reigned in
all seventeen, and this was in his fifth year; of what follows in this verse,
See Gill on "1Ki 14:21".
Chapter 12, Verse 14.And he did evil,....
Committed idolatry, relapsed into that, his humiliation not being hearty and
sincere:
because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord;
by prayer and supplication, and by an attendance on the service and worship of
God; for though he did these things outwardly, yet not sincerely and heartily;
he did not engage in them seriously and in good earnest, with affection and
fervour.
Chapter 12, Verses 15, 16.Now the acts of
Rehoboam,.... Of these two verses, See Gill on "1Ki 14:29-31."
2 Chronicles 10 Bible Commentary
John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible
[Editor's Note: For your convenience, the notes from Chapter 12 appear below.]
Rehoboam and his people forsaking the law of the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt is allowed by God to invade his land, and take his fenced cities, 2 Chronicles 12:1, upon which a prophet of the Lord was sent to him and his princes, to show them the reason of it; whereupon they humbled themselves, and the Lord was pleased not to allow the enemy utterly to destroy them, yet to reduce them to servitude, and take away their riches, 2 Chronicles 12:5, and the chapter is closed with an account of the reign and death of Rehoboam, 2 Chronicles 12:13.
Chapter 12, Verse 1. And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom,.... Or when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established; the tribes of Judah and Benjamin being firmly attached to him, and great numbers from the other tribes coming over to him, and things going on peaceably and prosperously during the three years that he and his people abode by the pure worship of God:
and had strengthened himself; built fortified cities for the defence of himself and kingdom, 2 Chronicles 11:5, he forsook the law of the Lord; after he had reigned three years, and was become strong, and thought himself safe and secure on the throne, trusting to his strength:
and all Israel with him; the greater part of them following the example of their king; of this defection, and the sins they fell into, see 1 Kings 14:22.
Chapter 12, Verse 2. And it came to pass in the fifth year of Rehoboam,.... In the fourth year, the apostasy of him and his people began; and, in the year following, what is next related happened, as a punishment of it:
Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; of whom see 1 Kings 11:40,
because they transgressed against the Lord; transgressed the law of the Lord by falling into idolatry and other abominable evils; the Targum is, "against the Word of the Lord."
Chapter 12, Verse 3. With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen; and the people were without number,.... The foot soldiers; their number, according to Josephus {h} was 400,000:
that came with him out of Egypt; the above numerous army came from thence with him, which was famous for horses and chariots of war, see Exodus 14:7, what follow seem to have joined him after he came out of Egypt, or whom he subdued in his way; the Lubim or Lybians, inhabitants of Libya, a country near Egypt the same with the Lehabim; of whom see
Genesis 10:13,
the Sukkiims; who were either the Scenite Arabs, who dwelt in tents, as this word signifies; or the Troglodytes, according to the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, who dwelt in dens and caves, in which sense the word "Succah" is sometimes used, Job 38:40 and in their country was a town called Suchae, mentioned by Pliny {i}; they inhabited near the Red sea; and if Shishak is the same with Sesostris, as is thought, these people were subdued by him, as Herodotus {k} and Strabo {l} testify:
and the Ethiopians; some think these were the Cushite Arabs, and that Sesostris came into Arabia is testified by the above writers; though rather the proper Ethiopians are meant, since they are joined with the Lubim or Africans; and since, as Herodotus {m} says, he ruled over Ethiopia; and Diodorus Siculus {n} says he fought with them, and obliged them to pay him tribute.
{h} Antiqu. l. 8. c. 10. sect. 2. {i} Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 29. {k} Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 102. {l} Geograph. l. 16. p. 529. {m} Ut supra, (Euterpe, sive, l. 2.) c. 110. {n} Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 50.
Chapter 12, Verse 4. And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah,.... Which Rehoboam had lately built, and placed his sons in them, 2 Chronicles 11:5, these he took without any opposition:
and came to Jerusalem; there being no army to oppose him; and so Sesostris took many countries without fighting, and among the rest Phoenicia, as Manetho {o} relates, in which Judea may be included.
{o} Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 15.
Chapter 12, Verse 5. Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam,.... The same as in 2 Chronicles 11:2, there called the man of God:
and to the princes of Judah that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak; through fear of him, and for safety and protection from him, and to consult what was to be done at this critical juncture, whether to fight him, or make peace with him on the best terms they could:
and said unto them, thus saith the Lord, ye have forsaken me; his law, his word, worship, and ordinances, 2 Chronicles 12:1,
and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak; suffered him to invade their land, take their fenced cities, and come up to Jerusalem without any opposition, as a punishment of their apostasy; and to explain this providence to them, and call them to repentance, was the prophet sent.
Chapter 12, Verse 6. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves,.... Both by words acknowledging their sins, and the justice of God, and by deeds, perhaps putting on sackcloth, as was usual on such occasions, and betaking themselves to fasting and prayer:
and they said, the Lord is righteous; in giving them up into the hand of their enemies, seeing they had forsaken him, and sinned against him.
Chapter 12, Verse 7. And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves,.... Though but externally; the Lord takes notice of external humiliation, as he did of Ahab's, 1 Kings 21:29,
the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, they have humbled themselves, therefore I will not destroy them; not now, at least not altogether, 2 Chronicles 12:12,
but I will grant them some deliverance; yet not a complete one, for they were brought into servitude by Shishak, 2 Chronicles 12:8, or only for a short time:
and my wrath shall not be poured out against Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak; that is, to the uttermost; that was reserved to another time, and to be done by another hand, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Chapter 12, Verse 8. Nevertheless, they shall be his servants,.... tributaries to the king of Egypt:
that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries; the difference between them, how easy the one, which they might perform without taxes and tributes, and how hard and heavy the other, through the exactions and exorbitant demands of those to whom they became subjects.
Chapter 12, Verses 9-11. So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,.... The Vulgate Latin version is, "departed from Jerusalem," as he did, having taken it, and spoiled it of its riches, and settled a yearly tax on the inhabitants of the land; of this, and the two following verses, See Gill on "1Ki 14:26".
Chapter 12, Verse 12. And when he humbled himself,.... That is, Rehoboam; or broke his heart, as the Targum, was of a contrite spirit seemingly, for it was merely external:
the wrath of the Lord turned from him; which appeared by the departure of Shishak's army:
that he would not destroy him altogether; or make an utter destruction of him and his people:
and also in Judah things went well; prospered and succeeded after this affair of Shishak was over: or "in Judah there were good things" {p}; there were some good men, priests, Levites, and many of the common people, that did good things, kept up and abode by the pure worship and service of God; and which was another reason why the Lord would not destroy them altogether now, see Genesis 18:31.
{p} Mybwj Myrbd "opera bona," V. L. "res bonae," Tigurine version, Vatablus, Rambachius.
Chapter 12, Verse 13. So Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem,.... Fortified that yet more for the defence of himself, after Shishak departed:
and reigned; twelve years more, for he reigned in all seventeen, and this was in his fifth year; of what follows in this verse,
See Gill on "1Ki 14:21".
Chapter 12, Verse 14. And he did evil,.... Committed idolatry, relapsed into that, his humiliation not being hearty and sincere:
because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord; by prayer and supplication, and by an attendance on the service and worship of God; for though he did these things outwardly, yet not sincerely and heartily; he did not engage in them seriously and in good earnest, with affection and fervour.
Chapter 12, Verses 15, 16. Now the acts of Rehoboam,.... Of these two verses, See Gill on "1Ki 14:29-31."