1 Now in the eighteenth H8083 H6240 year H8141 of king H4428 Jeroboam H3379 began Abijah H29 to reign H4427 over Judah. H3063
2 He reigned H4427 three H7969 years H8141 in Jerusalem. H3389 His mother's H517 name H8034 also was Michaiah H4322 the daughter H1323 of Uriel H222 of Gibeah. H1390 And there was war H4421 between Abijah H29 and Jeroboam. H3379
3 And Abijah H29 set H631 the battle H4421 in array H631 with an army H2428 of valiant men H1368 of war, H4421 even four H702 hundred H3967 thousand H505 chosen H977 men: H376 Jeroboam H3379 also set the battle H4421 in array H6186 against him with eight H8083 hundred H3967 thousand H505 chosen H977 men, H376 being mighty men H1368 of valour. H2428
4 And Abijah H29 stood up H6965 upon mount H2022 Zemaraim, H6787 which is in mount H2022 Ephraim, H669 and said, H559 Hear H8085 me, thou Jeroboam, H3379 and all Israel; H3478
5 Ought ye not to know H3045 that the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel H3478 gave H5414 the kingdom H4467 over Israel H3478 to David H1732 for ever, H5769 even to him and to his sons H1121 by a covenant H1285 of salt? H4417
6 Yet Jeroboam H3379 the son H1121 of Nebat, H5028 the servant H5650 of Solomon H8010 the son H1121 of David, H1732 is risen up, H6965 and hath rebelled H4775 against his lord. H113
7 And there are gathered H6908 unto him vain H7386 men, H582 the children H1121 of Belial, H1100 and have strengthened H553 themselves against Rehoboam H7346 the son H1121 of Solomon, H8010 when Rehoboam H7346 was young H5288 and tenderhearted, H7390 H3824 and could not withstand H2388 them. H6440
8 And now ye think H559 to withstand H2388 the kingdom H6440 H4467 of the LORD H3068 in the hand H3027 of the sons H1121 of David; H1732 and ye be a great H7227 multitude, H1995 and there are with you golden H2091 calves, H5695 which Jeroboam H3379 made H6213 you for gods. H430
9 Have ye not cast out H5080 the priests H3548 of the LORD, H3068 the sons H1121 of Aaron, H175 and the Levites, H3881 and have made H6213 you priests H3548 after the manner of the nations H5971 of other lands? H776 so that whosoever cometh H935 to consecrate H4390 H3027 himself with a young H1121 H1241 bullock H6499 and seven H7651 rams, H352 the same may be a priest H3548 of them that are no H3808 gods. H430
10 But as for us, the LORD H3068 is our God, H430 and we have not forsaken H5800 him; and the priests, H3548 which minister H8334 unto the LORD, H3068 are the sons H1121 of Aaron, H175 and the Levites H3881 wait upon their business: H4399
11 And they burn H6999 unto the LORD H3068 every morning H1242 and every evening H6153 burnt sacrifices H5930 and sweet H5561 incense: H7004 the shewbread H3899 H4635 also set they in order upon the pure H2889 table; H7979 and the candlestick H4501 of gold H2091 with the lamps H5216 thereof, to burn H1197 every evening: H6153 for we keep H8104 the charge H4931 of the LORD H3068 our God; H430 but ye have forsaken H5800 him.
12 And, behold, God H430 himself is with us for our captain, H7218 and his priests H3548 with sounding H8643 trumpets H2689 to cry alarm H7321 against you. O children H1121 of Israel, H3478 fight H3898 ye not against the LORD H3068 God H430 of your fathers; H1 for ye shall not prosper. H6743
13 But Jeroboam H3379 caused an ambushment H3993 to come H935 about H5437 behind H310 them: so they were before H6440 Judah, H3063 and the ambushment H3993 was behind H310 them.
14 And when Judah H3063 looked back, H6437 behold, the battle H4421 was before H6440 and behind: H268 and they cried H6817 unto the LORD, H3068 and the priests H3548 sounded H2690 H2690 with the trumpets. H2689
15 Then the men H376 of Judah H3063 gave a shout: H7321 and as the men H376 of Judah H3063 shouted, H7321 it came to pass, that God H430 smote H5062 Jeroboam H3379 and all Israel H3478 before H6440 Abijah H29 and Judah. H3063
16 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 fled H5127 before H6440 Judah: H3063 and God H430 delivered H5414 them into their hand. H3027
17 And Abijah H29 and his people H5971 slew H5221 them with a great H7227 slaughter: H4347 so there fell down H5307 slain H2491 of Israel H3478 five H2568 hundred H3967 thousand H505 chosen H977 men. H376
18 Thus the children H1121 of Israel H3478 were brought H3665 under at that time, H6256 and the children H1121 of Judah H3063 prevailed, H553 because they relied H8172 upon the LORD H3068 God H430 of their fathers. H1
19 And Abijah H29 pursued H7291 after H310 Jeroboam, H3379 and took H3920 cities H5892 from him, Bethel H1008 with the towns H1323 thereof, and Jeshanah H3466 with the towns H1323 thereof, and Ephrain H6085 with the towns H1323 thereof.
20 Neither did Jeroboam H3379 recover H6113 strength H3581 again in the days H3117 of Abijah: H29 and the LORD H3068 struck H5062 him, and he died. H4191
21 But Abijah H29 waxed mighty, H2388 and married H5375 fourteen H702 H6240 wives, H802 and begat H3205 twenty H6242 and two H8147 sons, H1121 and sixteen H8337 H6240 daughters. H1323
22 And the rest H3499 of the acts H1697 of Abijah, H29 and his ways, H1870 and his sayings, H1697 are written H3789 in the story H4097 of the prophet H5030 Iddo. H5714
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 13
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 13 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 13
2Ch 13:1-20. Abijah, Succeeding, Makes War against Jeroboam, and Overcomes Him.
2. His mother's name also was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel—the same as Maachah (see on 1Ki 15:2). She was "the daughter," that is, granddaughter of Absalom (1Ki 15:2; compare 2Sa 14:1-33), mother of Abijah, "mother," that is, grandmother (1Ki 15:10, Margin) of Asa.
of Gibeah—probably implies that Uriel was connected with the house of Saul.
there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam—The occasion of this war is not recorded (see 1Ki 15:6, 7), but it may be inferred from the tenor of Abijah's address that it arose from his youthful ambition to recover the full hereditary dominion of his ancestors. No prophet now forbade a war with Israel (2Ch 11:23) for Jeroboam had forfeited all claim to protection.
3. Abijah set the battle in array—that is, took the field and opened the campaign.
with … four hundred thousand chosen men … Jeroboam with eight hundred thousand—These are, doubtless, large numbers, considering the smallness of the two kingdoms. It must be borne in mind, however, that Oriental armies are mere mobs—vast numbers accompanying the camp in hope of plunder, so that the gross numbers described as going upon an Asiatic expedition are often far from denoting the exact number of fighting men. But in accounting for the large number of soldiers enlisted in the respective armies of Abijah and Jeroboam, there is no need of resorting to this mode of explanation; for we know by the census of David the immense number of the population that was capable of bearing arms (1Ch 21:5; compare 2Ch 14:8; 17:14).
4-12. Abijah stood up upon Mount Zemaraim—He had entered the enemy's territory and was encamped on an eminence near Beth-el (Jos 18:22). Jeroboam's army lay at the foot of the hill, and as a pitched battle was expected, Abijah, according to the singular usage of ancient times, harangued the enemy. The speakers in such circumstances, while always extolling their own merits, poured out torrents of invective and virulent abuse upon the adversary. So did Abijah. He dwelt on the divine right of the house of David to the throne; and sinking all reference to the heaven-condemned offenses of Solomon and the divine appointment of Jeroboam, as well as the divine sanction of the separation, he upbraided Jeroboam as a usurper, and his subjects as rebels, who took advantage of the youth and inexperience of Rehoboam. Then contrasting the religious state of the two kingdoms, he drew a black picture of the impious innovations and gross idolatry introduced by Jeroboam, with his expulsion and impoverishment (2Ch 11:14) of the Levites. He dwelt with reasonable pride on the pure and regular observance of the ancient institutions of Moses in his own dominion [2Ch 13:11] and concluded with this emphatic appeal: "O children of Israel, fight ye not against Jehovah, the God of your fathers, for ye shall not prosper."
13-17. But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them—The oration of Abijah, however animating an effect it might have produced on his own troops, was unheeded by the party to whom it was addressed; for while he was wasting time in useless words, Jeroboam had ordered a detachment of his men to move quietly round the base of the hill, so that when Abijah stopped speaking, he and his followers found themselves surprised in the rear, while the main body of the Israelitish forces remained in front. A panic might have ensued, had not the leaders "cried unto the Lord," and the priests "sounded with the trumpets"—the pledge of victory (Nu 10:9; 31:6). Reassured by the well-known signal, the men of Judah responded with a war shout, which, echoed by the whole army, was followed by an impetuous rush against the foe. The shock was resistless. The ranks of the Israelites were broken, for "God smote Jeroboam and all Israel." They took to flight, and the merciless slaughter that ensued can be accounted for only by tracing it to the rancorous passions enkindled by a civil war.
19. Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him—This sanguinary action widened the breach between the people of the two kingdoms. Abijah abandoned his original design of attempting the subjugation of the ten tribes, contenting himself with the recovery of a few border towns, which, though lying within Judah or Benjamin, had been alienated to the new or northern kingdom. Among these was Beth-el, which, with its sacred associations, he might be strongly desirous to wrest from profanation.
20. Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah—The disastrous action at Zemaraim, which caused the loss of the flower and chivalry of his army, broke his spirits and crippled his power.
the Lord struck him, and he died—that is, Jeroboam. He lived, indeed, two years after the death of Abijah (1Ki 14:20; 15:9). But he had been threatened with great calamities upon himself and his house, and it is apparently to the execution of these threatenings, which issued in his death, that an anticipatory reference is here made.