2 Chronicles 10 Study Notes

10:1 Throughout the rest of 2 Chronicles some of the kings have similar names. Some of these kings appear under different names in 1 and 2 Kings. So whenever a king is mentioned for the first time from this point on, we will give a quick summary of his identity.

Rehoboam: First king of Judah; son of Solomon; the king under whom the united kingdom split into the north (Israel) and the south (Judah). Initially there seemed to be little doubt in anyone’s mind that Rehoboam should become the next king. He was the son of Solomon, and everyone knew that the descendants of David should occupy the throne. There seemed to be little question about Rehoboam’s readiness for the kingship at forty-one years old, so all Israel went to Shechem for his coronation.

10:2 Jeroboam: First king of Israel (where Israel refers only to the northern kingdom); leader in the revolt of the ten northern tribes against Rehoboam; instituted official idol worship in the north. Jeroboam, from the tribe of Ephraim, at one time had been the leader of Solomon’s labor force in Jerusalem (1Kg 11:26-40). One day when he was outside the city walls, the prophet Ahijah approached him and told him that he would be king over the ten northern tribes (1Kg 11:29). Realizing that he had been officially designated as a future traitor and that Solomon could execute him, Jeroboam fled to Egypt and remained there for the rest of Solomon’s reign. As soon as Jeroboam heard about the impending coronation of Rehoboam, he made his way back from exile in Egypt to join the assembly.

10:3-4 Jeroboam’s talent for leadership was known to the people, who immediately appointed him to be their spokesman and to convey to Rehoboam their desire for a reduction in forced labor.

10:5-7 King Solomon had been known for his wisdom and his ability to decide difficult questions (1Kg 3:28). His son, however, was unable to decide how to respond to this simple request. First he went to the older counselors, those who had served alongside Solomon, and asked them what he should do. They replied with the obvious answer: when you are confronted with an ultimatum from the populace and your entire kingdom is at stake, and you have it in your power to give in to the ultimatum with little difficulty, give the people what they request.

10:8-10 Rehoboam did not like the advice of the elders, so he consulted his peers, who are identified as young men (a comparative term, since they were roughly the same age as Rehoboam; see note at v. 1). They were in their forties, and they had been forced to wait for a long time to have any influence in the kingdom. These younger men saw the opportunity to assert themselves, and they suggested to Rehoboam that he speak sharply to the people. They coached their befuddled ruler into repeating an absurd saying that would have alienated even a person who had meant to support Rehoboam.

10:11 The CSB correctly translates the word that is literally “scorpions” as barbed whips—a common instrument of discipline in the ancient Near East.

10:12-14 The king made the exact abusive speech that his younger advisers had programmed him to give (vv. 10-11).

10:15 The Chronicler makes it clear to his readers that in the final analysis Rehoboam was only carrying out what God had already prophesied through the prophet Ahijah—that Rehoboam would lose almost all of his kingdom. Thus, even though Rehoboam was responsible for his actions, he was fulfilling what God had planned as punishment for Solomon’s and Israel’s unfaithfulness (1Kg 11:33).

10:16 When the people (all Israel) realized that Rehoboam was not willing to listen to their reasonable request, they turned their backs on him and went home (to their tents, see note at 8:17-18).

10:17 Rehoboam did not lose all his territory, but his kingdom was restricted to the tribe of Judah. Technically, this region also encompassed the area of Simeon, but this tribe had been assimilated into Judah over the centuries (though not entirely, see 1Ch 4:41). The tribe of Benjamin, once the fiercest opponent of the house of David, was now also fully integrated into Judah.

10:18-19 Still at Shechem, Rehoboam thought he could force the rebellious people to submit to him. He assigned Hadoram, his minister of labor, to call the Israelites back to their duty. The people of the northern tribes expressed their dissatisfaction with rocks and killed their would-be supervisor. Rehoboam managed to escape, but the kingdom was split for good.