2 Chronicles 11:22
in 2 Chronicles 11Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, intending to make him king.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, even the prince among his brethren; for he was minded to make him king.
KJV
And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 11
Commentary
6 notes on this verseMade Abijah - the chief - Abijah certainly was not the first-born of Rehoboam; but as he loved Maachah more than any of his wives, so he preferred her son, probably through his mother’s influence. In Deu 21:16, this sort of preference is forbidden; but Rehoboam had a sort of precedent in the preference shown by David to Solomon.
This site's exposition
made Abijah the son of
on 2 Chronicles 11:22-23
Rehoboam makes Abijah the son of Maachah chief among his brothers, intending him for the throne, though Scripture never calls him the firstborn and Deut 21:15-17 protects a firstborn's right regardless of which wife a father loves best. He deals wisely with the rest, dispersing his sons through the fenced cities of Judah and Benjamin with victual in abundance, a precaution against the kind of rivalry that had troubled Solomon's own succession. The chapter's last clause, he desired many wives, closes the reign's family record on the same note it opened, a king following his father's pattern rather than correcting it.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maacah the chief,....
They had formerly sat loose to that family ( 2 Sam. xx. 1, 2 ), and now they quite threw it off, not considering how much it would weaken the common interest and take Israel down from that pitch of glory at which it had arrived in the last reign. But thus the kingdom must be corrected as well as the house of David.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
It is plainly implied that Abijah was not the oldest of the family. In destining a younger son for the kingdom, without a divine warrant, as in Solomon's case, Rehoboam acted in violation of the law (De 21:15).
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Jeush was probably the oldest of Rehoboam’s sons, and should naturally and according to the provisions of the Law Deu 21:15-17 have been his heir. But Rehoboam’s affection for Maachah led him to transgress the Law.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּֽעֲמֵ֨ד | vaiyaamed | and he appointed | H5975 → | 521 times |
| לָרֹ֧אשׁ | larosh | to the chief | H7218 → | 599 times |
| רְחַבְעָ֛ם | rechavam | Rehoboam | H7346 → | 50 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲבִיָּ֥ה | ʾaviyah | Abijah | H29 → | 25 times |
| בֶֽן־ | ven- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| מַעֲכָ֖ה | maakhah | Maacah | H4601 → | 23 times |
| לְנָגִ֣יד | lenagid | to leader | H5057 → | 45 times |
| בְּאֶחָ֑יו | beechav | among brothers his | H251 → | 630 times |
| כִּ֖י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לְהַמְלִיכֽוֹ׃ | lehamlikho | to make king him | H4427 → | 348 times |
וַיַּֽעֲמֵ֨דand he appointed
vaiyaamedH5975 →521 times
לָרֹ֧אשׁto the chief
laroshH7218 →599 times
רְחַבְעָ֛םRehoboam
rechavamH7346 →50 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֲבִיָּ֥הAbijah
ʾaviyahH29 →25 times
בֶֽן־[the] son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
מַעֲכָ֖הMaacah
maakhahH4601 →23 times
לְנָגִ֣ידto leader
lenagidH5057 →45 times
בְּאֶחָ֑יוamong brothers his
beechavH251 →630 times
כִּ֖יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לְהַמְלִיכֽוֹ׃to make king him
lehamlikhoH4427 →348 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Chronicles 29:1Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great because this palace is not for man, but for…
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 22:5
And David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent—famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore I must make preparations for…
- 1 Kings 3:7
And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.
- 2 Chronicles 13:7
Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.
- 1 Chronicles 29:19
And give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and carry out all Your commandments, decrees, and statutes, and to build Your palace for which I have made provision.”
- 1 Kings 8:19–20
Nevertheless, you are not the one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the house for My Name.’
- 1 Chronicles 22:5
About 2 Chronicles
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.