= 2 Chronicles 11 * Please see [[nsv:license|License]] for Copyright notice and Licensing information. * [ [[2_Chronicles_10|Previous]] | [[2_Chronicles_12|Next]] ] == 2 Chronicles 11 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. == Notes == Cross Reference == Concordance == Commentary == Rashi ==== Verse 1 and he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin who were together on the border. Jerusalem belonged to both of them, and the Temple was built on their common border. In the section dealing with boundaries in Joshua, it explains how their border was shared. Our Rabbis also said (Yoma 12a, Meg. 26a, Zeb. 53b): A strip protruded from the territory of Benjamin and entered the territory of Judah, upon which the altar was built. Therefore, they were inseparable, and they are also mentioned close to one another. ==== Verse 4 with your brothers Are they not your brothers, the sons of one man? ==== Verse 5 and he built cities for fortification - Heb. לְמָצוֹר. He built small cities and surrounded them with water for strength, and this is [called] מָצוֹר as it is written in Isaiah (37:25): “I dug and drank water, and I dried up with the soles of my feet all rivers of fortification (מַָצוֹר).” And this was now necessary because Israel rebelled against him. ==== Verse 11 leaders chiefs and officers to guard the towns and the large cities. and storehouses of food, oil, and wine in order to have food prepared for them should the house of Israel march upon them to besiege them. ==== Verse 14 For the Levites had abandoned their open land that was in the entire land of the ten tribes. because Jeroboam...had coerced them to abandon He coerced them to abandon serving and ministering to the Lord. ==== Verse 15 priests for the high places i.e., Why did Jeroboam coerce them to abandon [their positions]? Because he stationed pagan priests for the satyrs. ==== Verse 16 And after them [i.e., after] the Levites and the priests. ==== Verse 18 Abihail the daughter of Eliab Like: and Abihail, similar to (Jer. 11:19): “And I was like a lamb and a bull (כְּכֶבֶשׂ אַלּוּף).” The following was the reason that Samuel the seer erred when Jesse passed Eliab before Samuel, and he [Samuel] said, (I Sam. 16:6): “Surely before the Lord is His anointed.” This is the one about whom the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to say, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” But Samuel erred about him, for he saw Eliab’s daughter as Rehoboam’s wife, the queen, and because of the following matter, Samuel was punished: When Saul asked him, (ibid. 9: 18) “Which is the house of the seer?” Samuel replied, “I am the seer,” in which case he did not answer him with humility, saying, “What do you wish.” [Therefore,] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “By your life, you are destined to see, and you will not know what you see,” for he erred concerning Eliab and his daughter the queen. ==== Verse 22 as a leader among his brothers in order to make him king. ==== Verse 23 and he dispersed He scattered his sons to all the lands of Judah. A similar expression is (I Chron. 4:38): “And their fathers’ houses spread (פָּרְצוּ) exceedingly.”