1-3 Abijah succeeding makes war against Jeroboam 4-12 he declares the right of his cause 13-20 Trusting in God, he overcomes Jeroboam 21,22 The wives and children of Abijah

A.M. 3046-3049 B.C. 958-955
in the eighteenth 2Ch 12:16 1Ki 15:1

2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

Michaiah 2Ch 11:20

Maachah the daughter of Absalom 1Ki 15:2

Abishalom
Gibeah Jos 18:28

Gibeath Jud 19:14,16 1Sa 10:26

A.M. 3047 B.C. 957
And there was 1Ki 15:6,7

3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valor.

set [heb] bound together 1Sa 17:1-3

four hundred 2Ch 11:1 14:8 17:14-18 26:12,13 1Ch 21:5

eight hundred 2Ch 14:9

4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

Zemaraim Zemaraim could not be, as some have supposed, the same as the hill of Samaria, so called from Shemer, in the days of Omri; near Zemaraim, a city of Benjamin, near Bethel. Ge 10:18 Jos 18:22

Hear me 2Ch 15:2 Jud 9:7

5 Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

Ought you not Ne 5:9 Pr 1:29 2Pe 3:5

the Lord Jud 11:21-24 Jer 27:5-7 Da 4:25-32 5:18

to David 1Sa 16:1,12 2Sa 7:12-16 1Ki 8:20 1Ch 17:11,14 28:4,5 Ps 89:19-37 Jer 33:21,22,26 Lu 1:31-33

a covenant of salt Le 2:13 Nu 18:19 Eze 43:24 Mr 9:49,50

6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

rebelled 2Ch 10:19 1Ki 11:26 12:20,27

7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.

vain men Jud 9:4 11:3 1Sa 22:2 Job 30:8 Ps 26:4 Pr 12:11 28:19 Ac 17:5 Tit 1:10

the children of Belial De 13:13 1Ki 21:10,13

young 2Ch 10:16 12:13 Ec 10:16 Isa 3:4 1Co 14:20 Heb 5:12

could not 2Ch 11:1-4

8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with your golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

the kingdom 2Ch 9:8 Ps 2:1-6 Isa 7:6,7 9:6,7 Lu 19:14,27

a great multitude 2Ch 14:9-11 20:6,12 Ps 33:16

with you golden 2Ch 11:15 1Ki 12:28 14:9 Ho 8:5,6

9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.

cast out 2Ch 11:14,15

made you priests 1Ki 12:31-33 13:33

consecrated himself [heb] fill his hand Ex 32:29 Le 16:32 1Ch 29:5

young Ex 29:1,35 Le 8:2

no gods De 32:17 2Ki 19:18 Jer 2:11 Ho 8:6 Ac 19:26 Ga 4:8

10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:

the Lord We have not abandoned the Lord; and we still serve him according to His own law. But what Abijah urged concerning the state of religion in Judah was not strictly just; and, as spoken by him, it favoured ostentation. Abijah himself was but an indifferent character; and idolatry was evidently connived at in his days. Yet it was true, that the men of Judah had priests, ordinances, and worship of Jehovah among them; that there were numbers of pious worshippers in the land; that theirs was the more righteous cause; that Jehovah was on their side as their Captain, while Israel fought against him; and that the presence of the priests with the sacred trumpets was a token of His presence and favour. 2Ch 11:16,17 Ex 19:5,6 Zec 13:9

the priests Ex 29:1 Nu 16:40 18:1-7

11 And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.

they burn 2Ch 2:4 Ex 29:38

sweet incense Ex 30:1-10 Le 2:1-3 Nu 16:6,46 Lu 1:9 Re 8:3,4

shewbread Ex 25:30 Le 24:5-9

the candlestick Ex 25:31-39 27:20,21 Le 24:2-4

we keep Ge 26:5 Nu 9:19 Eze 44:8,15 48:11

12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.

God Nu 23:21 1Sa 4:5-7 Isa 8:10 Zec 10:5 Ro 8:31

for our captain De 20:4 Jos 5:13-15 Ps 20:7 Heb 2:10

his priests Nu 10:8,9 31:6 Jos 6:13-20

fight ye Job 15:25,26 40:9 Isa 45:9 Jer 50:24 Ac 5:39 9:4,5

ye shall not 2Ch 24:20 Nu 14:41 De 28:29 Job 9:4 Isa 54:17 Jer 2:37 Eze 17:9

13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.

an ambushment 2Ch 20:22 Jos 8:4 Pr 21:30 Jer 4:22

14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.

looked back Ex 14:10 Jos 8:20 Jud 20:33-43 2Sa 10:8-14

cried 2Ch 14:11 18:31 Ps 50:15 91:5

the priests 2Ch 13:12

15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

as the men 2Ch 20:21 Jos 6:16,20 Jud 7:18-22 Ps 47:1,5

God smote 2Ch 14:12 Nu 32:4 Jos 11:8 Jud 4:15 2Ki 5:1 Ps 118:4-7 Isa 37:36

16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.

God delivered Ge 14:20 De 2:36 3:3 Jos 10:12 21:44 Jud 1:4 11:21 1Sa 23:7

17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

five hundred 2Ch 13:3,12 28:6 Isa 10:16-19 37:36 Na 1:5 1Co 10:22

18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.

relied 2Ch 16:8,9 20:20 2Ki 18:5 1Ch 5:20 Ps 22:4,5 146:5 Da 3:28 Na 1:7 Eph 1:12

19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephraim with the towns thereof.

took cities Jos 10:19,39 11:12 1Sa 31:7

Jeshanah Jeshanah, according to the Talmud, was not far from Sephoris. Perhaps it is the Migdal-Senna of Eusebius, eight miles north of Jericho.

Ephrain Ephrain, or Ephron, a city of Benjamin, is placed by Eusebius, eight mills south of Jerusalem, near Bethel. Josephus calls Ephrain and Bethel two little cities; and places the former in the tribe of Benjamin, near the wilderness of Judea, in the way to Jericho. 2Ch 15:8 Jos 15:9

Ephron Joh 11:54

20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.

did Ps 18:37,39

Lord 1Sa 25:38 26:10 Eze 24:16 Ac 12:23

he died 1Ki 14:20 15:9

21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

waxed 2Sa 5:12,13

fourteen wives 2Ch 11:21

begat Jud 8:30,31 9:5 10:4

22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

story. or, commentary
Iddo 2Ch 9:29 12:15