2 Chronicleschapter 10

A.Old men counsel kindness, young men counsel scorpionsvv. 1-11

1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel came to Rehoboam and said, 4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people departed. 6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked. 7 They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.” 8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him. 9 He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” 10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”

B.To your tents, O Israel: the kingdom torn in twovv. 12-19

12 After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13 And the king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders 14 and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16 When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So all the Israelites went home, 17 but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.

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Chapter summary

The kingdom splits in one conversation.

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The kingdom splits in one conversation. Rehoboam goes to Shechem, and Jeroboam returns from Egypt with the assembly's request: lighten the grievous yoke and we will serve thee. The old men who had stood before Solomon counsel him to speak good words and be their servant for ever; the young men he grew up with give him a boast instead: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins… my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.' Israel answers, 'What portion have we in David?' and goes to its tents. Hadoram the taskmaster is stoned; Rehoboam flees to Jerusalem in his chariot. The Chronicler notes that the turn of affairs was brought about of God.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

History · Ezra — 2 Chronicles overview

A. 1–11 Old men counsel kindness, young men counsel scorpions
B. 12–19 To your tents, O Israel: the kingdom torn in two

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

1 Kings 127 verses
- 1 Kings 12:2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since.
- 1 Kings 12:3So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said,
- 1 Kings 12:4“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
- 1 Kings 12:5Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.
- 1 Kings 12:7They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
- 1 Kings 12:12After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.”
- Read 1 Kings 12: 1 more there →
1 Kings 114 verses
- 1 Kings 11:28Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.
- 1 Kings 11:29During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.
- 1 Kings 11:36I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.
- 1 Kings 11:40Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until the death of Solomon.
- Read 1 Kings 11 →
2 Chronicles 104 verses
- 2 Chronicles 10:5Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people departed.
- 2 Chronicles 10:6Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.
- 2 Chronicles 10:16When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So all the Israelites went home,
- 2 Chronicles 10:19So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.
- Read 2 Chronicles 10 →
2 Samuel 173 verses
- 2 Samuel 17:5Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.”
- 2 Samuel 17:7Hushai replied, “This time the advice of Ahithophel is not sound.”
- 2 Samuel 17:14Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
- Read 2 Samuel 17 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Genesis 371 verse
- Genesis 37:12Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.
- Read Genesis 37 →
1 Chronicles 121 verse
- 1 Chronicles 12:38All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.
- Read 1 Chronicles 12 →
Genesis 121 verse
- Genesis 12:6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.
- Read Genesis 12 →
Exodus 21 verse
- Exodus 2:23After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.
- Read Exodus 2 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.