2 Chronicles 12:9

2Ch 12:9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

Ver. 9. So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.] Josephus saith he marched into it, and plundered it. But it is more likely that he compounded with Rehoboam for a great sum, as Sennacherib did with Hezekiah, {2Ki 18:14-15} and upon this account had the treasures and golden shields.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch_12:9-10

Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass.

The downward grade

See how deterioration follows all character that goes down in its religious aspects. This deterioration marks the whole progress of human development. Is it not so with regard to all personal service? How ardent we once were! How devoted to the house of God, how punctual in attendance, how zealous in worship! How we longed for the hour of praise to double itself, that we might have long intercourse with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost! Now how soon we become uneasy, how we long to be released, how patience becomes sensitive, and yields in angry surrender because too much tried! You never bring gold for brass when you leave God. The prodigal never brings any treasure back with him. When men go away intellectually from the Bible they bring back brass for gold. When they leave the Bible morally they bring back brass for gold. When they leave sympathetically they bring back artifice for inspiration, mechanics for vital communion. (J.Parker, D.D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 12:9-10. Shishak took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king’s house — He plundered both the temple and the exchequer, the treasuries of both which Solomon had left full. David and Solomon, who walked in the ways of God, filled the treasuries, one by war, and the other by merchandise; but Rehoboam, who forsook these ways, emptied them. Respecting the taking away of the golden shields, and substituting brazen ones in their place, see notes on 1Ki 14:25-28.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

With Ch2 12:9 the account of the war is taken up again and continued by the repetition of the words, "Then marched Shishak ... against Jerusalem" (Ch2 12:4). Shishak plundered the treasures of the temple and the palace; he had consequently captured Jerusalem. The golden shields also which had been placed in the house of the forest of Lebanon, i.e., the palace built by Solomon in Jerusalem, which Solomon had caused to be made (cf. Ch2 9:16), Shishak took away, and in their place Rehoboam caused brazen shields to be prepared; see on Kg1 14:26-28. - In Ch2 12:12 the author of the Chronicle concludes the account of this event with the didactic remark, "Because he (Rehoboam) humbled himself, the anger of Jahve was turned away from him." להשׁחית ולא, and it was not to extermination utterly (לכלה, properly to destruction, i.e., completely; cf. Eze 13:13). And also in Judah were good things. This is the other motive which caused the Lord to turn away His wrath. Good things are proofs of piety and fear of God, cf. Ch2 19:3.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

12:9-11 The looting of the royal treasuries and of the Temple were the punishment Rehoboam received for his disobedience. The gold shields were ritually carried by the guard accompanying the king when he moved from the palace to the Temple. The royal processionals lost much of their splendor with the bronze shields (cp. 9:15-16), which were safely stored in the huge armory Solomon had built (8:6).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

So Shishak . . . came up against Jerusalem--After the parenthetical clause (Ch2 12:5-8) describing the feelings and state of the beleaguered court, the historian resumes his narrative of the attack upon Jerusalem, and the consequent pillage both of the temple and the palace.

he took all--that is, everything valuable he found. The cost of the targets and shields has been estimated at about £239,000 [NAPIER, Ancient Workers in Metal].

the shields of gold--made by Solomon, were kept in the house of the forest of Lebanon (Ch2 9:16). They seem to have been borne, like maces, by the guards of the palace, when they attended the king to the temple or on other public processions. Those splendid insignia having been plundered by the Egyptian conqueror, others were made of inferior metal and kept in the guard room of the palace, to be ready for use; as, notwithstanding the tarnished glory of the court, the old state etiquette was kept up on public and solemn occasions. An account of this conquest of Judah, with the name of "king of Judah" in the cartouche of the principal captive, according to the interpreters, is carved and written in hieroglyphics on the walls of the great palace of Karnak, where it may be seen at the present day. This sculpture is about twenty-seven hundred years old, and is of peculiar interest as a striking testimony from Egypt to the truth of Scripture history.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 9. Took away the treasures] Such a booty as never had before, nor has since, come into the hand of man.

The shields of gold] These shields were the mark of the king's body-guard: it was in imitation of this Eastern magnificence that Alexander constituted his Argyraspides, adorned with the spoils taken from Darius. See Quintus Curtius, lib. viii., c. 5, et alibi.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(9) So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.—The narrative is resumed after the parenthesis relating to Shemaiah by repeating the statement of 2Ch_12:2.

And took away the treasures of the house of the Lord.—See 1Ki_14:26, with which the rest of this verse is identical.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. he took all: he carried away also] R.V. he took all away: he took also. Shishak was bought off with a heavy present from attacking Jerusalem; cp. the case of Sennacherib (2Ki_18:13-16).

shields] Rather, targets, i.e. small shields; cp. note on 2Ch_9:15.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,.... The Vulgate Latin version is,"departed from Jerusalem,''as he did, having taken it, and spoiled it of its riches, and settled a yearly tax on the inhabitants of the land; of this, and the two following verses; see Gill on Kg1 14:26. Kg1 14:27. Kg1 14:28.

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2 Chronicles 12:12

ch2 12:12

ch2 12:12

ch2 12:12And when he humbled himself,.... That is, Rehoboam; or broke his heart, as the Targum, was of a contrite spirit seemingly, for it was merely external:

the wrath of the Lord turned from him; which appeared by the departure of Shishak's army:

that he would not destroy him altogether; or make an utter destruction of him and his people:

and also in Judah things went well; prospered and succeeded after this affair of Shishak was over: or "in Judah there were good things" (p); there were some good men, priests, Levites, and many of the common people, that did good things, kept up and abode by the pure worship and service of God; and which was another reason why the Lord would not destroy them altogether now, see Gen 18:31.

(p) "opera bona", V. L. "res bonae", Tigurine version, Vatablus, Rambachius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Upon which condition, and Rehoboam’s submission to him, he delivered up to him the fenced cities of Judah, which he had taken, 2Ch 12:4. But of this and the two next verses, See Poole "1Ki 14:26", &c.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Words do not tell in this verse the "humbled service" of Rehoboam and the princes; but the position speaks, speaks volumes of itself. Where did Rehoboam hide himself, where would he not have been glad to hide himself, while the treasures of the house of the Lord, and those of his own house, were coolly taken by the foreign soldiery, none forbidding them, nor resisting, nor even making afraid?

The first sacking of Jerusalem.

I ITS HISTORIC CERTAINTY. That Shishak gradually drew his lines closer round the capital, and in the end stormed its citadel, has received confirmation from the monuments.

1. In the temple of Karnak, at Thebes, on the walls of which Soti I and Rameses II had by means of pictorial representations and hieroglyphic inscriptions preserved a record of their victories, Sheshonq, on returning from Palestine, caused a bas-relief to be executed in commemoration of his expedition.

2. On the south wall, behind the picture of the victories of Rameses II, to the east of the hall of the Bubastids, appears a colossal image of the Egyptian sovereign, arrayed in warlike costume and dealing heavy blows with a club or iron mace upon his captives, who are Jews or, at least, Asiatics, whom he grasps.by the hair of their heads.

3. In another representation he is depicted as leading captive a hundred andthirty-three cities or tribes, each one of which is personated by the figure of a chief whose name is written on an embattled shield, and whose physiognomy has been supposed (Lenormant) to declare them Jews, though this is probably imagination.

4. In the lists of names occur those of

(1) cities of Judah proper, as e.g. Adoraim (Adurma), Aijalon (Ajulon), Shoco (Shauke), Gibeon (Qebeana), etc;

(2) Levitical cities of Israel, as e.g. Taanach (Taankau), Rehob (Rehabau), Mahanaim (Mahanema), etc.; and

(3) Canaanitish cities, as e.g. Bethshan (Beithshanlan), Megiddo (Makethu).

1. Among the names is one styled Judah-Malek; not "the King of Judah" (Stanley), but "the kingly Judah" (Ebers), or "Judah a kingdom" (Rawlinson), which is supposed to point to Jerusalem.

2. The conquered nations are designated as the of a distant land,"and the Fenekh or the Phoenicians. The former expression, answers exactly to the Hebrew word for "people," and may have been intended to denote the Jews (Brugsch, "Egypt under the Pharaohs," 2:215-219; Rawliuson, "Egypt and Babylon," 334-339; Ebers, in Riehm, art. "Sisak").

II ITS ACTUAL EXTENT. Whether Shishak ravaged the city is doubtful. The plundering reported suggests that he did (Bertheau, Keil), but, "like Hezekiah on the occasion of Sennacherib"s invasion, (2Ki_18:13-16) Rehoboam may have surrendered his treasures (1Ki_14:26) "to save his city from the horrors of capture" (Rawlinson). In any case, Shishak carried off valuable spoil.

1. The treasures of the temple, or house of the Lord, the sacred utensils employed in worship, which were then material, and the loss of which greatly hindered the observance of religion a calamity which cannot now befall the Church of God in gospel times, since in Christian worship the outward ritual is nothing, but the inward spirit everything.

2. The treasures of the palace, or king"s house in the city of David, i.e. the regalia or crown jewels, which are always more or less an object of desire to victorious generals and armies a smaller calamity than the former, as the destruction of a nation"s wealth is a lesser evil than the extinction or suppression of its religion.

3. The golden shields in the house of the forest of Lebanon, (2Ch_9:16) which Solomon had made, the LXX (1Ki_14:26) adding that he likewise carried off the golden armour David had taken as spoil from the King of Zobah (1Ch_18:7) the least calamity of the three, the shields being luxuries of which king or nation might be deprived without hurt, and the armour spoil of which either might be deprived without wrong.

III ITS SPEEDY REPARATION.

1. The nations loss concealed. Rehoboam covered up as far as he could the damage wrought, especially in his palace, by constructing shields of brass to take the place of those of gold which had been abstracted (see next homily).

2. The kings vanity soothed. He also endeavoured to heal his own wounded vanity, by causing these brazen shields to be borne before him in state procession every time he entered the temple. Just as they had done before with the golden shields, the guards fetched out their spurious substitutes with solemn pomp on every ceremonial day, and when the show was concluded replaced them in the guard-chamber, the spectators probably not being aware of the imposition.

LESSONS.

1. The instability of earthly things. A greater king than Shishak will one day plunder kings and common men alike of their material possessions.

2. The facility with which men impose upon themselves, the efforts theymake, and the stratagems they resort to, to prop up their fallen greatness or restore their faded glory. Solomon"s weak and vain son not the only man who has made brass shields do duty for golden ones.

3. The historic credibility of Scripture. The Shishak invasion is not the only instance in which the monuments have surprisingly corroborated Bible history. W.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Shishak, king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem

"Shishak, king of Egypt" here is a metonym for Shishak along with the Egyptian army. See how you translated this in 2 Chronicles 12:2. AT: "Shishak, king of Egypt, and his army with him, came up against Jerusalem" (See: Metonymy)

came up against

This is an idiom that means marched against or attacked. See how you translated this in 2 Chronicles 12:2. AT: "came to attack" (See: Idiom)

the house of Yahweh

Here the word "house" represents the temple. AT: "the temple of Yahweh" (See: Metonymy)

the shields of gold that Solomon had made

It might be best to translate so that the reader understands that other people helped Solomon make these shields. AT: "the shields of gold that Solomon had his craftsmen make" (See: Metonymy)

King Rehoboam made shields of bronze

It might be best to translate so that the reader understands that other people helped Rehoboam make these shields. AT: "King Rehoboam had his craftsmen make shields of bronze" (See: Metonymy)

in their place

"in place of the shields of gold"

entrusted them into the hands of the commanders

Here the word "hands" represents care or responsibility. AT: "made them the responsibility of the commanders" (See: Metonymy)

who guarded the doors to the king's house

Here the word "doors" represents the entrance. AT: "who guarded the entrance to the king's house" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

house of God

shield

gold

Solomon

bronze

commander

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.