2 Chronicles 11

1 When Rehoboam [the son of Solomon] arrived in Jerusalem [the city of peace], he mobilized [gathered, assembled] the house [family, tribe] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] and Benjamin [the youngest son of Jacob]—180,000 [a hundred and eighty thousand, a large army] chosen [select, elite] warriors [men of war, fighters]—to fight [to battle, to make war] against Israel [the descendants of Jacob, the nation] and restore [to bring back, to return] the kingdom [the dominion, the rule] to Rehoboam [the king of Judah]. word study 2 But the word [message from God, divine expression] of the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] came to Shemaiah [heard by God, a prophet] the man [a male person, human] of God [Elohim, the supreme Deity]: word study 3 “Tell Rehoboam [successor of David] son of Solomon [king of peace] king [ruler, monarch] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] and all [every, the whole] the Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] in Judah [the region of Judah] and Benjamin [son of the right hand, the youngest son of Jacob] word study 4 that this is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] says: ‘You are not [absent, negated] to go up [ascend, rise] and fight [engage in battle, contend] against your brothers [male siblings, close relatives]. Each of you must return [turn back, come back] home [to your house, dwelling place], for this word [thing, matter] is from Me [myself, my own initiative].’” So they listened [hearkened, obeyed] to the words [things, matters] of the LORD and turned back [returned, came back] from going [walking, proceeding] against Jeroboam [the king of the northern kingdom]. word study 5 Rehoboam [the son of Solomon, a king of Judah] continued to live [to dwell, to remain] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Judah], and he built up [established, fortified] cities [towns, fortified places] for defense [siege, stronghold, a place of protection] in Judah [the region of the tribe of Judah]. word study 6 He built up [established, fortified] Bethlehem [house of bread, a place of abundance], Etam [a fortified town, lair of wild beasts], Tekoa [a town in the hill country of Judah, rebuilt by King Rehoboam], word study 7 Beth-zur [house of the rock], Soco [in the lowlands], Adullam [a notable town in Palestine], word study 8 Gath [a major Philistine city, winepress], Mareshah [in the lowlands of Judah], Ziph [a Judahite city, battlement], word study 9 Adoraim [a place of double glory], Lachish [a city in southern Palestine], Azekah [dug over, possibly a fortified town], word study 10 Zorah [a place of growth], Aijalon [field of deer], and Hebron [a place of fellowship], the fortified [strongly protected, walled] cities [excitement, settlements] in Judah [praise, a tribe of Israel] and Benjamin [son of the right hand, a tribe of Israel]. word study 11 He strengthened [to seize or conquer, made secure] their fortresses [strongholds, protected cities] and put officers [leaders, commanders] in them, with supplies [stores, treasures] of food [provisions, sustenance], oil [olive oil], and wine [fermented wine, intoxicating drink]. word study 12 He also put shields [protective devices, bucklers] and spears [lances, javelins] in all [every single] the cities [towns, settlements] and strengthened [made strong, fortified] them greatly [exceedingly, very much]. So Judah [the tribe descended from Judah] and Benjamin [son of the right hand] belonged to him [were under his rule, on his side]. word study 13 Moreover, the priests [spiritual leaders, mediators] and Levites [descendants of Levi, temple servants] from all [every part of] their districts throughout Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, God’s chosen people] stood [to stand, place oneself firmly, present oneself] with Rehoboam [in support, in loyalty]. word study 14 For the Levites [descendants of Levi, the priestly tribe] left their pasturelands [open fields, grazing areas] and their possessions [inherited properties, wealth] and went to Judah [the southern kingdom, the tribe of Judah] and Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital], because Jeroboam [the first king of Israel, the one who contended with God] and his sons had rejected [cast off, refused to allow] them as priests [ministers, spiritual leaders] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 15 And Jeroboam appointed [ordained, established] his own priests [to serve at the cultic platforms] for the high places [elevations, mountain shrines] and for the [hairy, goat-like] goat demons [satyrs, mythical creatures] and calf idols [young male calves, images of false gods] he had made [created, fashioned]. word study 16 Those from every tribe [all the clans, the whole nation] of Israel who had set their hearts [their mind, will, and emotions] to seek [to search for, to inquire of] the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] their God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler] followed the Levites to Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Israel] to sacrifice [to offer, to make atonement] to the LORD, the God [Elohim, the one true God] of their fathers [their ancestors, their heritage]. word study 17 So they strengthened [established, made firm] the kingdom [royal power, dominion] of Judah [the tribe, the region] and supported [made strong, upheld] Rehoboam [the son of Solomon, a king of Judah] son of Solomon [a king of Israel, successor of David] for three [a period of, thrice] years, because they walked [conducted their lives, followed] for three years in the way [path, manner of life] of David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] and Solomon [a king of Israel, known for wisdom]. word study 18 And Rehoboam [the king of Judah] married Mahalath [the daughter of a royal lineage], who was the daughter [a female child] of David’s son [a descendant of the king] Jerimoth and of Abihail [a woman of noble birth], the daughter [a child] of Jesse’s son [a member of the tribe of Judah] Eliab [a brother of David]. word study 19 She bore [gave birth to, became the mother of] sons [male descendants, children] to him: Jeush [a son of Rehoboam], Shemariah [kept by Jehovah, a name meaning divine protection], and Zaham [a son of Rehoboam, meaning loathing]. word study 20 After her, he married Maacah [granddaughter of King David] daughter of Absalom, and she bore [gave birth to, beget] to him Abijah [a king of Judah, father of Asa], Attai [a man from the tribe of Judah], Ziza [shining, splendor], and Shelomith [peaceful, peaceful one]. word study 21 Rehoboam [the son of Solomon, a king of Judah] loved Maacah [a daughter of Absalom, meaning oppression] daughter of Absalom more than all his wives [women in a marital relationship] and concubines [female companions, not wives]. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines [women who lived with him, but were not married], and he was the father of twenty-eight sons [male children, descendants] and sixty daughters [female children, descendants]. word study 22 Rehoboam [the king of Judah, son of Solomon] appointed Abijah [a leader, crown prince] son of Maacah [a woman of influence, oppression] as chief [head, ruler] prince among his brothers [male siblings, relatives], intending [with the purpose, for he thought] to make him king [to reign, rule as monarch]. word study 23 Rehoboam also acted wisely [with understanding, discernment] by dispersing some of his sons [children, descendants] throughout the districts [lands, countries] of Judah [the tribe of Judah] and Benjamin [son of the right hand], and to all the fortified [strong, walled] cities [towns, settlements]. He gave them abundant [plenty, rich] provisions [food, sustenance] and sought [asked, inquired] many wives [women] for them. word study