2 Chronicles 12:9 Komentář

This chapter gives us a more full account of the reign of Rehoboam than we had before in Kings and it is a very melancholy account. Methinks we are in the book of Judges again; for, I. Rehoboam and his people did evil in the sight of the Lord (Ch2 12:1). II. God thereupon sold them into the hands of Shishak, king of Egypt, who greatly oppressed them (Ch2 12:2-4) III. God sent a prophet to them, to expound to them the judgment and to call them to repentance (Ch2 12:5). IV. They thereupon humbled themselves (Ch2 12:6). V. God, upon their repentance, turned from his anger (Ch2 12:7, Ch2 12:12) and yet left them under the marks of his displeasure (Ch2 12:8-11). Lastly, Here is a general character of Rehoboam and his reign, with the conclusion of it (Ch2 12:13-16).

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, Ch2 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 pleased not to allow the enemy utterly to destroy them, yet to reduce them to servitude, and take away their riches, Ch2 12:5, and the chapter is closed with an account of the reign and death of Rehoboam, Ch2 12:13.

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 Gill on Kg1 14:26. Kg1 14:27. Kg1 14:28. . 2 Chronicles 12:12 ch2 12:12 ch2 12:12 ch2 12:12And when he humbled himself,.... That is, Rehoboam; or broke his heart, as the Targum, was of a contrite spirit seemingly, for it was merely external: the wrath of the Lord turned from him; which appeared by the departure of Shishak's army: that he would not destroy him altogether; or make an utter destruction of him and his people: and also in Judah things went well; prospered and succeeded after this affair of Shishak was over: or "in Judah there were good things" (p); there were some good men, priests, Levites, and many of the common people, that did good things, kept up and abode by the pure worship and service of God; and which was another reason why the Lord would not destroy them altogether now, see Gen 18:31. (p) "opera bona", V. L. "res bonae", Tigurine version, Vatablus, Rambachius.

Rehoboam and his subjects, forsaking the Lord, are delivered into the hands of Shishak, king of Egypt, Ch2 12:1-4. Shemaiah the prophet remonstrates with them, and they humble themselves, and Jerusalem is not destroyed; but Shishak takes away all the treasures, and the golden shields, instead of which Rehoboam makes shields of brass, Ch2 12:5-12. He reigns badly seventeen years, dies, and is succeeded by his son Abijah, Ch2 12:13-16.

Took away the treasures - Such a booty as never had before, nor has since, come into the hand of man. The shields of gold - These shields were the mark of the king's body-guard: it was in imitation of this Eastern magnificence that Alexander constituted his Argyraspides, adorned with the spoils taken from Darius. See Quintus Curtius, lib. viii., c. 5, et alibi.

REHOBOAM, FORSAKING GOD, IS PUNISHED BY SHISHAK. (Ch2 12:1-12) when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself--(See on Ch2 11:17). During the first three years of his reign his royal influence was exerted in the encouragement of the true religion. Security and ease led to religious decline, which, in the fourth year, ended in open apostasy. The example of the court was speedily followed by his subjects, for "all Israel was with him," that is, the people in his own kingdom. The very next year, the fifth of his reign, punishment was inflicted by the invasion of Shishak.

So Shishak . . . came up against Jerusalem--After the parenthetical clause (Ch2 12:5-8) describing the feelings and state of the beleaguered court, the historian resumes his narrative of the attack upon Jerusalem, and the consequent pillage both of the temple and the palace. he took all--that is, everything valuable he found. The cost of the targets and shields has been estimated at about £239,000 [NAPIER, Ancient Workers in Metal]. the shields of gold--made by Solomon, were kept in the house of the forest of Lebanon (Ch2 9:16). They seem to have been borne, like maces, by the guards of the palace, when they attended the king to the temple or on other public processions. Those splendid insignia having been plundered by the Egyptian conqueror, others were made of inferior metal and kept in the guard room of the palace, to be ready for use; as, notwithstanding the tarnished glory of the court, the old state etiquette was kept up on public and solemn occasions. An account of this conquest of Judah, with the name of "king of Judah" in the cartouche of the principal captive, according to the interpreters, is carved and written in hieroglyphics on the walls of the great palace of Karnak, where it may be seen at the present day. This sculpture is about twenty-seven hundred years old, and is of peculiar interest as a striking testimony from Egypt to the truth of Scripture history.

With Ch2 12:9 the account of the war is taken up again and continued by the repetition of the words, "Then marched Shishak ... against Jerusalem" (Ch2 12:4). Shishak plundered the treasures of the temple and the palace; he had consequently captured Jerusalem. The golden shields also which had been placed in the house of the forest of Lebanon, i.e., the palace built by Solomon in Jerusalem, which Solomon had caused to be made (cf. Ch2 9:16), Shishak took away, and in their place Rehoboam caused brazen shields to be prepared; see on Kg1 14:26-28. - In Ch2 12:12 the author of the Chronicle concludes the account of this event with the didactic remark, "Because he (Rehoboam) humbled himself, the anger of Jahve was turned away from him." להשׁחית ולא, and it was not to extermination utterly (לכלה, properly to destruction, i.e., completely; cf. Eze 13:13). And also in Judah were good things. This is the other motive which caused the Lord to turn away His wrath. Good things are proofs of piety and fear of God, cf. Ch2 19:3.