John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Chronicles 13:17
And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter ,.... As they fled, pursuing them: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men ; such a slaughter as is not to be met with in any history, as Josephus F19 Antiqu. l. 8. c. 11. sect. 3. observes; though Abarbinel wonders he should say so, and affirms that he had read of larger numbers slain at once; but he is the only man that ever pretended to it; Jerom F20 Trad. Heb. fol. 84. M. makes the... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 13:13-22
We do not find that Jeroboam offered to make any answer at all to Abijah's speech. Though it was much to the purpose, he resolved not to heed it, and therefore he heard it as though he heard it not. He came to fight, not to dispute. The longest sword, he thought, would determine the matter, not the better cause. Let us therefore see the issue, whether right and religion carried the day or no. I. Jeroboam, who trusted to his politics, was beaten. He was so far from fair reasoning that he was... read more