852 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he ordained him priests for the high places,.... Of such who were not of the tribe of Levi, and family of Aaron; see 1 Kings 12:31 and for the devils; demons in the shape of goats, as this word signifies, in which form many of the Heathen deities were worshipped; idols of whatsoever kind are so called; for whosoever worships them worships not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And after them out of all the tribes of Israel,.... Besides the priests and Levites, and after their example, many of the common people, out of all the ten tribes: such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel; to seek his face and favour, where he was to be found; to worship him according to his revealed will, and to receive doctrine or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah,.... Made it more numerous, and in a better condition to defend itself: and made Rehoboam son of Solomon strong three years; established him on the throne, strengthened the government in his hands, and were the means of preserving him in the pure worship of God for the space of time mentioned, the reason...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Rehoboam took him Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David, to wife,.... Of which son of David we nowhere else read; perhaps he might be the son of one of his concubines, or he might have two names: and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse; who was David's eldest brother. 1 Samuel 17:13. She must be a granddaughter or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Which bare him children,.... Or, "and she bore him" (d); for it is said only of one of them, the other perhaps died without children; this may refer to the last mentioned, Abihail, whose children were Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham; who perhaps all died in their father's lifetime, since the firstborn of a later wife succeeded him. (d) ותלד...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And after he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom,.... Thought by some to be Absalom the son of David, his father's brother, and his uncle, and so married his cousin; but Absalom seems to have had but one daughter, whose name was Tamar, 2 Samuel 14:27, and the name of this man is different from his; he is called Abishalom, 1 Kings 15:2 and Uriel of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines, c] Who is called Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel, 2 Chronicles 13:2, for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines led thereunto by the example of his father Solomon, contrary to the command of God, Deuteronomy 17:17 and begat twenty eight sons and sixty...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maacah the chief,.... The chief of all his sons, head over them, being the son of his most beloved wife, and her firstborn however, and perhaps might be of a greater capacity than the rest of his children: to be ruler among his brethren; or over them; gave him greater authority, and intrusted him with more...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he dealt wisely,.... Acted a prudent part, in order to execute his scheme, and particularly by disposing of his other sons in different parts of his kingdom, as follows: or "he made him his son Abijah to understand" (e); he taught and instructed him in the art of government, took a particular care of his education, that he might be fitted for...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 12 Rehoboam and his people forsaking the law of the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt is allowed by God to invade his land, and take his fenced cities, 2 Chronicles 12:1, upon which a prophet of the Lord was sent to him and his princes, to show them the reason of it; whereupon they humbled themselves, and the Lord was...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom,.... Or when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established; the tribes of Judah and Benjamin being firmly attached to him, and great numbers from the other tribes coming over to him, and things going on peaceably and prosperously during the three years that he and his people abode by the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass in the fifth year of Rehoboam,.... In the fourth year, the apostasy of him and his people began; and, in the year following, what is next related happened, as a punishment of it: Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; of whom see 1 Kings 11:40, because they transgressed against the Lord; transgressed the law of the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen; and the people were without number,.... The foot soldiers; their number, according to Josephus (h) was 400,000: that came with him out of Egypt; the above numerous army came from thence with him, which was famous for horses and chariots of war, see Exodus 14:7, what follow seem to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 (o) relates, in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves,.... Both by words acknowledging their sins, and the justice of God, and by deeds, perhaps putting on sackcloth, as was usual on such occasions, and betaking themselves to fasting and prayer: and they said, the Lord is righteous; in giving them up into the hand of their enemies,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves,.... Though but externally; the Lord takes notice of external humiliation, as he did of Ahab's, 1 Kings 21:29, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, they have humbled themselves, therefore I will not destroy them; not now, at least not altogether, 2 Chronicles 12:12, but I will grant them...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Nevertheless, they shall be his servants,.... tributaries to the king of Egypt: that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries; the difference between them, how easy the one, which they might perform without taxes and tributes, and how hard and heavy the other, through the exactions and exorbitant demands of those...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ver. 9-11. So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,.... The Vulgate Latin version is, "departed from Jerusalem,'' as he did, having taken it, and spoiled it of its riches, and settled a yearly tax on the inhabitants of the land; of this, and the two following verses, [See comments on 1 Kings 14:26]. [See comments on 1 Kings 14:27]. [See...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[See comments on 2 Chronicles 12:9].