2 Chronicles 13:8

2Ch 13:8 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 you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

Ver. 8. To withstand the kingdom of the Lord.] And so, giant-like, to fight against God. Is that ever like to do well? "Do ye provoke the Lord to anger? are ye stronger than he?"

And there are with you golden calves.] In the camp perhaps, as 1Ch 14:12.

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 13:8. Ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord — That kingdom which was not set up by vain men, in pursuance of their own ambition and discontent, as yours was, but ordained and established by God himself in the house of David. And ye be — Or, because ye be, a great multitude — This he mentions, as being both the ground of their confidence, namely, that they had more tribes, and a greater host; and also a presage of their downfall, which their trusting to the arm of flesh was. And there are with you golden calves — Or, But there are, &c. There is that among you which may damp your courage and confidence: you worship those images which God abhors. Which Jeroboam made you for gods — Or, for God, as that plural word is most commonly used: that is, instead of God, to give them the name of God, and that worship which is peculiar to him.

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

13:8-9 Abijah’s speech made two key points about the rebellion of the north: The north rejected the only legitimate king, and they rejected the only legitimate place of worship. The revolt of the northerners, who chased away the proper priestly order, is sharply contrasted with “us” (13:10). Most objectionable was the worship of the calves and the role of the unauthorized priests.

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

(8) And now ye think.—Literally, say, i.e., in your hearts (2Ch_2:1).

To withstand the kingdom.—Literally, to show yourselves strong before the kingdom, as in last verse.

In (through) the hand of the sons of David.—The meaning is, the kingdom which Jehovah holds by the instrumentality of the house of David, as His earthly representatives. (Comp. Vulg., “regno Domini quod possidet per filios David.” (See 1Ch_29:23).

And there are with you golden calves.—And therefore you believe yourselves assured of Divine aid, in addition to the strength of numbers. But your trust is delusive, for Jeroboam made the objects of your fond idolatry (see Isa_44:9-17); and you have superseded the only lawful worship of Jehovah (2Ch_13:9).

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

Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord the sons of Aaron, and the Levites,.... Because they would not sacrifice to his idols, and that they might not instruct the people in the pure worship of God, and that he and his people might be free from the payment of tithes, firstfruits, &c. and their cities fall into his hands:

and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? after the manner of the Gentiles, without any regard to any particular tribe, which God had appointed those to be taken from:

so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams; which were five more than what were required by the law of Moses for the consecration of a priest, Exo 29:1, the same

may be a priest of them that are no gods; by nature, only nominal and fictitious deities, as the calves were, which had no divinity in them, see Kg1 13:31.

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

And golden. These idols will enervate and render your great numbers useless. (Haydock) --- We have a just cause and religion is on our side. (Calmet)

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).

The kingdom of the Lord in the land of the sons of David; that kingdom which was not set up by vain men in pursuance of their own ambition and discontent, as yours was, but ordained and established by God himself in the house of David.

And ye be a great multitude, or because (that Hebrew particle being oft so used) ye be, &c. This he mentions partly as the ground of their confidence, that they had more tribes and a greater host; and partly as a presage of their downfall, which trusting to the arm of flesh is.

And there are with you golden calves, or, but there are, &c. There is that among you which may damp your courage and confidence: you worship those images which God abhors and severely forbids.

For gods, or for God, as that plural word is most commonly used, i.e. instead of God, to give them the name of God, as Exo 32:4, and that worship which is peculiar to him.

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

Vers. 8, 9. The five succeeding thrusts of these two verses, prefaced by the somewhat self-conscious but, nevertheless, validly pleaded orthodoxy of his own position, are well delivered by Abijah. Jeroboam is scathed

(1) for his confidence in a great multitude;

(2) for his golden calves for gods;

(3) for what amounted necessarily to the excommunication and repudiation of the priests of the Lord, time- and nation-honoured;

(4) for the mere manufacture of a new-fangled priesthood, and that after the modal of nations foreign and heathen;

(5) for the fact that, when these were made, they that made them, and the gods for whom they were made, were all three "like to" one another no true people, no true priests, and no gods at all! A young bullock and seven rams The consecration sacrifice for the whole line of priests was "one young bullock and two rams without blemish" (Exo_29:1, Exo_29:15; Lev_8:2) Of course, Jeroboam felt his own position in the matter so weak, that each false, illegitimate candidate for the priestly service must bring his sacrifice, and that a larger one by five rams than the divinely ordered one of Moses.

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

Golden calves - There is that among you which may damp your confidence: you worship those images which God abhors.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

the kingdom of Yahweh

This is a reference to a united Israel as it existed in the time of David and Solomon. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

that is held within the hand of the descendants of David

Here the word "hand" represents authority and possession. Abijah is claiming that only the descendants of David have the rightful authority to rule Yahweh's kingdom. This can be stated in active form. AT: "that the descendants of David hold within their hand" or "which only the descendants of David have the authority to rule" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)

the golden calves that Jeroboam made

It might be best to translate so that the reader understands that Jeroboam had others make the golden calves. AT: "the golden calves that Jeroboam had his craftsmen make" (See: Metonymy)

But did you not drive out ... as the people of other lands do?

Abijah asks this rhetorical question to rebuke the people and to emphasize the positive answer that it anticipates. The question can be translated as a statement. AT: "But you drive out ... as the people of other lands do." (See: Rhetorical Question)

Whoever comes to serve as a priest

"Anyone who comes to serve as a priest"

a priest of what are not gods

The phrase "what are not gods" refers to the golden calves that Jeroboam had his craftsmen make. Although the priests served them as if they were gods, they were not really gods. AT: "a priest of idols that are not really gods" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

might

Yahweh

hand

descend

David

gold

false god

priest

Aaron

Levi

consecrate

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