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2 Chronicles 10 KJV

The Kingdom Divided

Historical Narrative 4 min 19 verses 560 words Ezra king ร—11 saying ร—9 rehoboam ร—8 israel ร—8 yoke ร—7

2 Chronicles Chapter 10: The Kingdom Divided

The assembly at Shechem deliberately echoes Joshua's covenant renewal ceremony there (Josh 24), framing Rehoboam's failure as the unraveling of that earlier national unity at the precise site where tribal loyalty was once pledged to Yahweh.

A1๐Ÿ”—nd Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king.

2๐Ÿ”— And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.

3๐Ÿ”— And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying,

4๐Ÿ”— Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.

5๐Ÿ”— And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.

6๐Ÿ”— And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?

7๐Ÿ”— And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever.

8๐Ÿ”— But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.

9๐Ÿ”— And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us?

10๐Ÿ”— And the young men that were brought up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my fatherโ€™s loins.

11๐Ÿ”— For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

12๐Ÿ”— So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day.

13๐Ÿ”— And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,

14๐Ÿ”— And answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

15๐Ÿ”— So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16๐Ÿ”— And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents.

17๐Ÿ”— But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18๐Ÿ”— Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

19๐Ÿ”— And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain Rehoboam went to Shechem โ€” (See on 1Ki 12:1). This chapter is, with a few verbal alterations, the same as in 1Ki 12:1-19.

Classic verse-by-verse commentary on 2 Chronicles 10 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Rehoboam refusing the old men's good counsel.

1
Rehoboam went to Shechem โ€” (See on 1Ki 12:1). This chapter is, with a few verbal alterations, the same as in 1Ki 12:1-19.
3
And they sent โ€” rather, "for they had sent," &c. This is stated as the reason of Jeroboam's return from Egypt.
Read all 4 notes on 2 Chronicles 10 โ†’
Continue Reading 2 Chronicles 11 Rehoboam Fortifies Judah

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Chapter Context

Did You Know?

1

The assembly at Shechem deliberately echoes Joshua's covenant renewal ceremony there (Josh 24), framing Rehoboam's failure as the unraveling of that earlier national unity at the precise site where tribal loyalty was once pledged to Yahweh.

2

Rehoboam's consultation with both 'old men' and 'young men' mirrors the two-advisor structure found in Egyptian and Mesopotamian court narratives, underscoring how foreign political models supplanted the Mosaic ideal of elders dispensing wisdom.

3

Verse 15's explicit attribution of the schism to 'the cause of the LORD' is the Chronicler's unique theological insertion absent from the parallel in 1 Kings 12, transforming a political blunder into the outworking of Ahijah's earlier prophecy.

4

The stoning of Hadoram (Adoniram) highlights the continuity of Solomon's forced-labor apparatus, since the same official had already served David and Solomon, making his death a direct repudiation of three successive regimes' economic oppression.

5

The rebels' cry 'to your tents, O Israel' (v. 16) repurposes the exact phrase used during Sheba's earlier revolt (2 Sam 20:1), signaling that the northern tribes are consciously reviving the language of secession rather than inventing new rhetoric.