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 F15 Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 15. relates, in which Judea may be included. read more
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,... read more
A model instance of Divine goodness and opportunity prolonged to one who annulled all, and vitiated every highest privilege vouchsafed to him, by the one fact of his own infidelity of heart. We are strikingly taught, and we vividly recall from the contents of this chapter, the following lessons and facts. I. HOW VERY PRONE FORGETFULNESS OF OUR PAST SINS IS TO FOLLOW WITH SWIFT RAPIDITY ON PRESENT RESPITE FROM FEAR , RELIEF FROM SUFFERING , ... read more
Shishak's invasion. I. THE INVADER . Shishak King of Egypt, the Sesonchis of Manetho, the Shashanq I. of the monuments. Originally the son of an Assyrian king named Nimrod, "who had met his death in Egypt and been buried at Abydos," Shashanq I. of the twenty-second dynasty established his seat of royalty at Bubastis, in Lower Egypt. His mother's name was Tentespeh, his wife's Tahpenes ( 1 Kings 11:19 ). One of his wife's sisters married Hadad the Edomite; another became the wife of... read more
Penalty, penitence, and forgiveness. It was not many months before Rehoboam found out the heinousness of his offence, the magnitude of his mistake; for in the path of sin comes penalty, and behind penalty steals shame. Happily for him there was mercy behind that. We look at this succession— I. AS EXPERIENCED BY THE KING OF JUDAH . First of all, following fast on his transgression, came: 1 . Divine displeasure and humiliating defeat. There came in to his palace-gates... read more
Shemaiah (see Exposition, 2 Chronicles 11:2 ). The princes . These seem to have been a fruit of some original organization with Solomon, as they are not found with David ( 1 Kings 4:2-6 ). Ye have forsaken me … therefore have I also left you . The same Hebrew verb is employed in both members of this sentence, and the rendering should follow in like manner (see 2 Chronicles 7:19-22 ). read more
Two messages from Jehovah. I. A MESSAGE OF WARNING . ( 2 Chronicles 12:5 , 2 Chronicles 12:6 .) 1 . By whom sent. Shemaiah the prophet, or man of God ( 2 Chronicles 11:2 ). When Jehovah has a message for any age, people, or individual, he can always find a messenger to bear it—a Moses to go to Pharaoh, a Samuel to speak to Saul, a Nathan to send to David, an Elijah or a Micaiah to warn Ahab, a John the Baptist to preach to Israel and testify against Herod. The hour... read more
See 1 the Kings 14:25 note. read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 12:1-12
Israel was very much disgraced and weakened by being divided into two kingdoms; yet the kingdom of Judah, having both the temple and the royal city, both the house of David and the house of Aaron, might have done very well if they had continued in the way of their duty; but here we have all out of order there. I. Rehoboam and his people left God: He forsook the law of the Lord, and so in effect forsook God, and all Israel with him, 2 Chron. 12:1. He had his happy triennium, when he walked in... read more