2 Chronicles 13:2 - Exposition

Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah . As before noted ( 2 Chronicles 11:20 ), and as in the parallel ( 1 Kings 15:2 ), this name is one with "Maachah, daughter of Absalom'' (parallel, Abishalom ). The different alphabetic characters may be attributed to error, and that error the error of transcription merely. As in our note ( 2 Chronicles 11:20 ), the word "daughter," as in many similar cases, stands for granddaughter. Thus the father of Maachah was Uriel of Gibeah, and her mother Tamar, daughter of Absalom. Josephus ('Ant.,' 8.10. § 1) proffers us this connecting link of explanation. On the other hand, Rabbi Joseph's Targum on Chronicles says that Uriel means Absalom, but was a name used to avoid the use of Absalom. We have no clue as to which out of many Gibeahs is here intended. The Hebrew word ( גִבְעָח ) signifies a hill with round top, and hence would easily give name to many places. The following are the chief places of the name (as classified by Dr. Smith's 'Bible Dictionary,' 1.689-691):

1 . Gibeah in the mountain district of Judah ( Joshua 15:57 ; 1 Chronicles 2:49 ).

2 . Gibeath among the towns of Benjamin ( Joshua 18:28 ).

3 . The Gibeah ( 1 Samuel 7:1 ; 2 Samuel 6:3 , 2 Samuel 6:4 ).

4 . Gibeah of Benjamin ( 19:1-30 ; 20:1-48 .), between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. This should strictly be quoted either as "Gibeah belonging to Benjamin," or "Geba ( גֶּבַע ) of Benjamin" (see also 1 Samuel 13:1-23 ; 1 Samuel 14:1-52 .; 2 Samuel 23:29 ; 1 Chronicles 11:31 ; Hosea 5:8 ; Hosea 9:9 ; Hosea 10:9 ).

5 . Gibeah of Saul ( 1 Samuel 10:26 ; 1 Samuel 15:34 ; 2 Samuel 21:6 ). Josephus ('Bell, Jud.,' 5.2. § 1) states what helps to the identifying of the place as the modern Tuleil-el-ful, about thirty stadia from Jerusalem (see also Isaiah 10:28-32 ). The Gibeah of 1 Samuel 22:6 ; 1 Samuel 23:19 ; 1 Samuel 26:1 , is this Gibeah of Saul.

6 . Gibeah in the field ( 20:31 ). Lastly, our Authorized Version gives us seven other Gibeahs, only translating this word, e g. " The hill of the foreskins" ( Joshua 5:3 ); "The hill of Phinehas" ( Joshua 24:33 ); " The hill of Moreh" ( 7:1 ); " The hill of God" ( 1 Samuel 10:5 ); " The hill of Haehilah" ( 1 Samuel 23:19 ; 1 Samuel 26:1 ); " The hill of Ammah" ( 2 Samuel 2:24 ); " The hill Gareb" ( Jeremiah 31:39 ).