2 Chronicles 13:19

2Ch 13:19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.

Ver. 19. And took cities from him, Bethel.] Where stood one of the golden calves, secured, haply, by the inhabitants before the enemy came, as idolaters’ main care is for their idols.

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 13:19. Abijah took cities from him, Beth-el, &c. — Which, however, Jeroboam recovered afterward, as appears by the course of the history. What became of the golden calf at Beth-el, when that place came thus into the hands of the king of Judah, we are not told. Probably when Jeroboam’s host was discomfited, and he expected that Abijah would pursue his victory, he removed the golden calf from thence to some safer place. And Ephraim — A city so called, possibly the same which is mentioned Joh 11:54; or that which is called Ophra, Jdg 8:27.

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

13:19 The Lord granted the kingdom of Judah a miraculous victory. Abijah took the territories surrounding Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron from Israel (13:19). Together with Zemaraim (13:4), these towns in the hill country on the northern border of Judah formed a geographical unit (see Josh 18:22-23). The subsequent history of this territorial gain is not known; by the time of Amos (about 760 BC), Bethel was a major pagan shrine in Israel.

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

Hebrew, daughters.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him--This sanguinary action widened the breach between the people of the two kingdoms. Abijah abandoned his original design of attempting the subjugation of the ten tribes, contenting himself with the recovery of a few border towns, which, though lying within Judah or Benjamin, had been alienated to the new or northern kingdom. Among these was Beth-el, which, with its sacred associations, he might be strongly desirous to wrest from profanation.

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 19. Beth-el] "Beth-lehem." - Targum.

Jeshanah] We know not where these towns lay.

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

(19) Took cities from him.—The three cities and their districts were only temporarily annexed to Judah. According to 1Ki_15:17-21, Baasha, King of Israel, attempted in the next reign to fortify Ramah, which was only about five miles north of Jerusalem. He had probably recovered these towns before doing so (Bertheau).

Bethel.—Beitin. (Gen_12:8; Jos_7:2.)

Jeshanah.—Not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament. Probably identical with Ἰσάνας of Josephus (Ant. xiv. 15, § 12); site unknown. Syriac, Shâlâ; Arabic, Sâiâ.

Ephrain.—So the Heb. margin; Heb. text, Ephron; and so LXX., Vulg., Syriac, Arabic. Mount Ephron (Jos_15:9) was situated too far to the south to be intended here. Perhaps Ophrah, near Bethel (Jdg_6:11), or the town called Ephraim (Joh_6:54)—especially if Ephrain be the right reading—which also was near Bethel, according to Josephus (Bell. Jud. iv. 9, §9), is to be understood. Ophrah and Ephraim may be identical.

The Arabic adds: “And Zâghâr with the towns thereof.”

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

19. Beth-el] Beth-el was apparently subsequently recovered by the Northern Kingdom; cp. 2Ki_10:29. Nothing is said, be it noted, of the capture of the golden calf. It may have been removed for safety before the city was taken.

Jeshanah] Nothing is certainly known of this place, which is mentioned here only. It has been identified with Ain Sînia, a little to the north of Beth-el.

Ephrain] R.V. Ephron (following the C’thîb, whereas A.V. agrees with the K’rî). Ephrain is a later form of the name Ephron, as Shamrain (Ezr_4:10; Ezr_4:17) is of Shomron (Samaria). The place has been identified with eṭ-Ṭaiyebeh, a place S.E. of Ain Sînia and N.E. of Beitin (Beth-el). It was probably the city called Ephraim, to which our Lord retired after the raising of Lazarus (Joh_11:54).

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.

Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah,.... So as to bring an army into the field against him, and fight him:

and the Lord struck him; by some Jewish writers (a), this is interpreted of Abijah; and the reason of his being stricken, they say, was because he did not destroy the calf when he took Bethel; but it is best to understand it of Jeroboam, since Abijah is afterwards said to wax mighty:

and he died; not immediately, for he lived two years after Abijah, Kg1 14:20, but continued under a lingering disease he was smitten with, and which issued in his death.

(a) Bereshit Rabba, sect. 65. fol. 58. 8. Seder Olam Rabba, c. 16.

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

Jeshanah is probably identical with the “Isanas” of Josephus, where a battle took place in the war between Antigonus and Herod; but its situation cannot be fixed. For Ephrain, see Jos 18:23 note.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Bethel, the head of the calf worship; though Abulensis thinks it was another city, otherwise it would not have been spared. The calf continued there till the reign of Jehu, 4 Kings x. 29. (Menochius) --- Jesana; perhaps Senna, (Numbers xxxiv. 4.; Calmet) seven miles north of Jericho. (Eusebius) --- The versions read differently. --- Ephron. The Masorets have Ephraim. (Calmet) --- Protestants, "Ephraim, with the towns thereof." (Haydock) --- Josue (xv. 9.) places Mount Ephron between Juda and Ephraim; and we find a town of the name, (1 Machabees v. 46.) but on the other side of the Jordan.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Beth-el; which Jeroboam recovered afterwards, as appears by the course of the history, though it be not particularly mentioned, which is the case of many other considerable things. And in the mean time it is very probable, that when Jeroboam’s host was discomfited, and he expected that Abijah would pursue his victory, he removed the golden calf from Beth-el, which lay near Abijah’s kingdom, to some safer place.

Ephrain; a city so called, possibly the same which is mentioned Joh 11:54, or that which is called Ophrah, Jdg 8:27.

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

19. Beth-el with the towns thereof — It must have been a great humiliation to Jeroboam to lose this ancient city, the principal seat of his calf worship. It was subsequently recovered by the northern kingdom, but when and by whom is not recorded. The sites of Jeshanah… and Ephraim are now unknown.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Bethel. Abijah was, perhaps, the rather permitted to take this city as the head-quarters of Jeroboam"s irreligious worship. Jeshanah. A place not known elsewhere in Scripture by this name, which by derivation means "old." Grove (Dr. Smith"s "Bible Dictionary," 1. p. 1035) quotes Josephus ("Ant.," 14:15. as speaking of a place so named, the scene of a battle between Herod and Antigonus"s general, Pappus, but Josephus does not assign its site. Ephrain; or, according to Chethiv, Epron. Grove (Dr. Smith"s "Bible Dictionary," 1. p. 569) says that conjecture has identified it with the Ephraim of 2Sa_13:23, with the Ophrah of Jos_18:23, and with the Ephraim of Joh_11:54; possibly the modern El-Taiyibeh (Dr. Robinson, 1:44), about five miles from Bethel.

Vers. 19, 20.

Jeroboam: career, character, reputation.

There are three things which belong to every man, with the shaping of which he himself has much, though not everything, to do, and which are of the first importance to him. We look at them in connection with Jeroboam.

I HIS CAREER. At first, and for some time, we find him steadily rising; beginning low, he distinguishes himself by the character of his work, is promoted to a post of some importance; (1Ki_11:28) he gains the confidence and good will of the people, is regarded as one who may aspire to the highest position in the state; he has to retire for a time from the presence of Solomon, who suspects his loyalty, but upon the death of that sovereign he returns, takes advantage of the inexperience and foolhardiness of Rehoboam, and mounts the throne, reigning over ten-twelfths of the whole land. Then he maintains his position for some nineteen years, keeping up a chronic war with royal rival at Jerusalem, and apparently holding his own. Then he has a pitched battle with Abijah, and, spite of clever generalship (vers. 13, 14), he is signally defeated; his troops are utterly muted, and he has to sacrifice three important places. From that time he declines in strength and spirit, until, cowed if not crushed by his defeat, he dies of disappointment and chagrin. "The Lord struck him.

II HIS CHARACTER. He was evidently an active and able workman, competent to undertake the more difficult and responsible posts in the building of fortifications; he was a man of ambition as well as of resource, willing to enter the open door to mount the "fiery courser of opportunity; " he was capable of patience as well as of vigorous action; he could bide his time in Egypt as well as strike the blow when the hour was ripe; he was courageous and self-confident, not shrinking from the dangerous position of heading a revolt against the rightful ruler of the land (ver. 6); he was utterly unscrupulous as to the measures he adopted to retain the loyalty of his people (vers. 8-10); he was prepared to abolish the accepted and true faith, and import a false and low religion; also to rid himself of the best men as priests, introducing the lowest to take their place. (1Ki_12:31) All piety and principle he subordinated to the one end of preserving his throne and his dynasty. Thus he made shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience.

III HIS REPUTATION. For reputation is to be very carefully distinguished from character. A man may have a good reputation, and, in the sight of him who is the Truth, a very bad character; such were the Pharisees of our Lord"s time, and such have been hypocrites of all time. Or a man may have a bad reputation and a noble character; such was Paul amongst his countrymen; such have been the reformers and martyrs of all ages. But Jeroboam"s reputation has answered to his character. He was, indeed, regarded as a man of considerable ability; (1Ki_11:24) but the one chief and continual association with his name is that of the great mischief-maker, the man who wrought dire evil to his country; he was known, and is known, as the man "who made Israel to sin." From his character, career, and reputation we may be reminded:

1. That it is right to be concerned about our career, right to wish for onethat is bright and pleasant and honourable; and with this desire in our heart we should

(1) ask for Divine guidance and aid;

(2) do all that industry, patience, and moderation will accomplish to compass that end; and

(3) be quite prepared to take a lower place if that should be the will of our heavenly Father concerning us.

2. That it is of more importance that we should possess a good reputation; not that we need trouble ourselves about what the sinful or the foolish are saying of us, but that we should care much to win the esteem of the good and wise.

3. That the essential thing is a sound character in the sight of God. That is the foundation of all; on it rests a good reputation and a bright career. Therefore let us ask ourselves what we are; and let us be dissatisfied with ourselves unless we can believe that we are true disciples of Jesus Christ, "children of our Father who is in heaven," resembling him in spirit and in principle. C.

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

Abijah pursued

"Abijah chased after"

Jeshanah ... Ephron

These are the names of cities. (See: How to Translate Names)

Yahweh struck him, and he died

Yahweh causing Jeroboam to die is spoken of as if Yahweh struck Jeroboam. It is possible that this refers to Yahweh causing Jeroboam to become ill. AT: "Yahweh caused Jeroboam to die" or "Yahweh caused Jeroboam to become ill, and he died" (See: Metaphor and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

he took fourteen wives for himself

The idiom "took ... wives" means that he married. AT: "he married fourteen women" (See: Idiom)

fourteen wives ... twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters

"14 wives ... 22 sons and 16 daughters" (See: Numbers)

his behavior, and words

"his behavior, and his sayings" or "his behavior, and the things that he said"

are written in the history of the prophet Iddo

This can be stated in active form. AT: "are in the history that the prophet Iddo wrote" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

Bethel

power

die

prophet

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