But Abijah waxed mighty ,.... In his kingdom, increasing in riches and numbers, power and authority, and in his family: and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons and sixteen daughters ; not after the above battle, nor since he began to reign; for he reigned but three years; but he, no doubt, married wives and had children before he came to the throne, as he might have others after. read more
Married fourteen wives - Probably he made alliances with the neighboring powers, by taking their daughters to him for wives. read more
A royal and manly manifesto in the rights of godly truth. The narrative of Abijah's short reign of three years is distinguished by one clear account, at any rate, of the wars that had arisen and were prevailing between the two parts of the recently rended and bleeding kingdom, of which a very brief statement only had been made, at the close of the history of Rehoboam's reign, whether here or in the parallel. It is also, and most chiefly, distinguished by the graphic description of the very... read more
The successor of Rehoboam. I. HIS NAME . Abijah, "whose father is Jehovah" ( 1 Kings 14:1 ); Abijam, "father of the sea," i.e. a maritime man ( 1 Kings 14:31 ; 1 Kings 15:1 ); or Abia ( LXX .). If Abijam be not a clerical mistake, then the hypothesis is at least interesting that the Chronicler adopted the form Abijah because he did not intend to describe this king's reign as wicked, while the writer of the Kings, having this intention, frequently selected the form... read more
Waxed mighty . For this our Authorized Version reads, "waxed fat and wanton" (Hebrew, יִתְחַזֵּק ), and grew too like his father Rehoboam and his grandfather Solomon, forgetting the "Law" ( Deuteronomy 17:17 ). read more
Abijah: the lessons of his life. These concluding verses, which dispose of the latter end of the life of Abijah, may bring before us the lessons which are to be gathered from his career. I. THE SLIGHTNESS AND VALUELESSNESS OF HUMAN FAME . He was a descendant of David, and a king reigning at Jerusalem, and he gained a somewhat brilliant victory over his rival at Mount Ephraim—"the rest of his acts and his ways and sayings are written in the story of the Prophet Iddo;" but... read more
2 Chronicles 13:21. Abijah married fourteen wives Not now after this victory, for he died soon after it; but in the whole time of his life, before he was king, and afterward. read more
10:1-36:23 THE KINGS OF JUDAHDivision and its consequences (10:1-13:22)The Chronicler records the division of the kingdom (10:1-11:4; see notes on 1 Kings 12:1-24), but omits the statement in 1 Kings 12:20 that Jeroboam was made king of the northern tribes. He does not even mention Jeroboam’s reign (1 Kings 12:25-14:20). He considers that because the northerners broke away from the dynasty of David and from the true worship of God, they had no right to be called a kingdom, and certainly not the... read more
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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