2 Chronicles 13:1-9

Abijah Reigns in Judah

1 ¹In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, ²Abijah began to reign over Judah.

2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was ³Micaiah^[a] the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. ⁴Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3 Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam ⁵drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.

4 Then Abijah stood up on Mount ⁶Zemaraim that is in ⁷the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!

5 Ought you not to know that the LORD God of Israel ⁸gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by ⁹a covenant of salt?

6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up ¹⁰and rebelled against his lord,

7 and certain ¹¹worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was ¹²young and irresolute^[b] and could not withstand them.

8 "And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you ¹³the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods.

9 ¹⁴Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes ¹⁵for ordination^[c] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are ¹⁶no gods.

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2 Chronicles 13:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 13

This chapter begins with the reign of Abijah, 2Ch 13:1,2, gives an account of a battle between him and Jeroboam, previous to which Abijah made a speech to Jeroboam and his army, to vindicate his own cause, encourage his own soldiers, and intimidate the enemy, and dissuade them from fighting, 2Ch 13:3-12 and in the mean while Jeroboam laid an ambush for him, which greatly distressed him, 2Ch 13:13,14, nevertheless he obtained a complete victory over him, 2Ch 13:15-20, and the chapter is concluded with some account of his family and reign, 2Ch 13:21,22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 16

1. 1 Kings 15:1, 2
2. [See 2 Chronicles 12:16 above]
3. [2 Chronicles 11:20]
4. 1 Kings 15:7
5. 2 Chronicles 14:10; Judges 20:22; 1 Samuel 17:2
6. Joshua 18:22
7. See Joshua 24:33
8. 2 Sam. 7:12, 13, 16
9. Numbers 18:19
10. 1 Kings 11:26; 1 Kings 12:19, 20
11. See Judges 9:4
12. [2 Chronicles 12:13; 1 Kings 14:21]
13. See 1 Kings 12:28
14. 2 Chronicles 11:14, 15
15. 2 Chronicles 29:31
16. Jeremiah 5:7

Footnotes 3

[a]. Spelled Maacah in 1 Kings 15:2
[b]. Hebrew soft of heart
[c]. Hebrew to fill his hand

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.