2 Chronicles / Chapter 10

2 Chronicles 10

19 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Rehoboam travels to Shechem where all Israel has gathered to make him king. Jeroboam son of Nebat returns from Egypt and joins the assembly. The people ask Rehoboam to lighten the heavy labor burden Solomon imposed. Rehoboam consults first with the elders who served his father — they advise kindness and service. He then consults the young men who grew up with him — they advise escalation: heavier burdens, harsher discipline. Rehoboam follows the young men's counsel and answers the people harshly: 'My father made your yoke heavy; I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips; I will use scorpions.' The text states explicitly that this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam. When Israel sees the king will not listen, they declare: 'What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now look after your own house, David!' The ten tribes depart. Rehoboam sends Hadoram, the overseer of forced labor, to negotiate, but Israel stones him to death. Rehoboam himself barely escapes to Jerusalem by chariot. Israel has broken away from the house of David.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The Chronicler follows 1 Kings 12 closely but with a distinctive emphasis: the disruption is not merely political but theological, orchestrated by God himself. The phrase ki hayetah nesibah me'im ha-Elohim ('the turn of events was from God') replaces Kings' me'im YHWH and makes the theological causation unmistakable. The Chronicler includes no account of Jeroboam's earlier prophetic encounter or his motives — the focus stays entirely on Rehoboam's failure. The young men's advice escalates Solomon's oppression with vivid imagery: 'my little finger is thicker than my father's loins' is a boast about superior power. The scorpions (aqrabbim) are likely barbed whips, not literal creatures, but the metaphor trades on the terror of the name. The sending of Hadoram — the most hated official in the kingdom, the one responsible for forced labor — reveals either breathtaking arrogance or catastrophic political judgment.

Translation Friction

The tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is stark. The text says the turn of events was from God, yet Rehoboam's choice is presented as genuinely foolish. God uses human folly to accomplish prophetic purposes. The people's declaration — 'What portion do we have in David?' — echoes Sheba's rebellion in 2 Samuel 20:1, suggesting that the fracture between north and south predated Solomon. The Chronicler's audience, living in a world where only Judah remains, must wrestle with the implication that God himself orchestrated the national schism.

Connections

The narrative parallels 1 Kings 12:1-19 almost verbatim. Ahijah's prophecy is referenced from 1 Kings 11:29-39. The cry 'What portion do we have in David?' echoes 2 Samuel 20:1 (Sheba's rebellion). The forced labor system traces back to Solomon's building projects (2 Chronicles 2:17-18, 8:7-9). Shechem itself carries weight: it is where the covenant was renewed under Joshua (Joshua 24), where Abimelech attempted kingship (Judges 9), and where Israel's tribal assembly had ancient roots.

2 Chronicles 10:1

וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֖ם שְׁכֶ֑מָה כִּ֥י שְׁכֶ֛ם בָּ֥א כׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְהַמְלִ֥יךְ אֹתֽוֹ׃

Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

KJV And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Shekhemah ('to Shechem') is significant: the assembly is not in Jerusalem, David's city, but in Shechem — the ancient northern tribal gathering place. The very location signals that the northern tribes expect a renegotiation of terms, not automatic loyalty to David's line.
2 Chronicles 10:2

וַיְהִ֗י כִּשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ יָרָבְעָ֣ם בֶּן־נְבָ֔ט וְה֥וּא בְמִצְרַ֖יִם אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּרַ֑ח מִפְּנֵ֖י שְׁלֹמֹ֥ה הַמֶּֽלֶךְ וַיָּ֥שׇׁב יָרָבְעָ֖ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it — he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon — he returned from Egypt.

KJV And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Chronicler notes Jeroboam's exile in Egypt but omits the entire backstory of Ahijah's prophecy (1 Kings 11:29-39). The audience is assumed to know the tradition. The verb barach ('fled') indicates Jeroboam left under threat, not by choice.
2 Chronicles 10:3

וַיִּשְׁלְח֖וּ וַיִּקְרְאוּ־ל֑וֹ וַיָּבֹ֣א יָרָבְעָ֗ם וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיְדַבְּר֥וּ אֶל־רְחַבְעָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃

They sent for him and summoned him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying:

KJV And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase va-yishleku va-yiqre'u lo ('they sent and called him') shows Jeroboam is invited by the assembly — he does not force his way in. He arrives as the people's spokesman, with kol Yisra'el ('all Israel') behind him.
2 Chronicles 10:4

אָבִ֖יךָ הִקְשָׁ֣ה אֶת־עֻלֵּ֑נוּ וְעַתָּ֡ה הָקֵ֣ל מֵעֲבֹדַ֣ת אָבִ֣יךָ הַקָּשָׁ֡ה וּמֵעֻלּ֤וֹ הַכָּבֵד֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָתַ֣ן עָלֵ֔ינוּ וְנַעַבְדֶֽךָּ׃

"Your father made our yoke harsh. Now lighten the hard labor your father imposed and the heavy yoke he placed on us, and we will serve you."

KJV Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The vocabulary of oppression is dense: hiqshah ('made harsh'), avodah qashah ('hard labor'), ol kaved ('heavy yoke'). The word ol ('yoke') is the language of subjugation — the same word used for foreign oppression. The people offer a conditional bargain: lighten the burden ve-na'avdekka ('and we will serve you'). Service is offered, not assumed.
2 Chronicles 10:5

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם ע֚וֹד שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֔ים וְשׁ֖וּבוּ אֵלָ֑י וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ הָעָֽם׃

He told them, "Come back to me in three days." So the people left.

KJV And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The three-day delay — sheloshet yamim ('three days') — gives Rehoboam time to consult. The brevity of the people's departure (va-yelekh ha-am) suggests they are waiting, not yet hostile.
2 Chronicles 10:6

וַיִּוָּעַ֞ץ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֗ם אֶת־הַזְּקֵנִ֞ים אֲשֶׁר־הָי֤וּ עֹֽמְדִים֙ לִפְנֵ֨י שְׁלֹמֹ֤ה אָבִיו֙ בִּֽהְיוֹת֣וֹ חַ֔י לֵאמֹ֕ר אֵ֚יךְ אַתֶּ֣ם נוֹעָצִ֔ים לְהָשִׁ֥יב אֶת־הָעָ֖ם הַזֶּ֥ה דָּבָֽר׃

King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime: "What do you advise me to say in response to this people?"

KJV And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The zeqenim ('elders') are those who omdim lifnei Shelomoh ('stood before Solomon') — experienced advisors who understood governance. Rehoboam's question eikh attem no'atsim ('how do you counsel?') shows he initially seeks wisdom from the right source.
2 Chronicles 10:7

וַיְדַבְּר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר אִם־תִּהְיֶ֨ה לְט֜וֹב לָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ וּרְצִיתָ֔ם וְדִבַּרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם דְּבָרִ֣ים טוֹבִ֑ים וְהָי֥וּ לְךָ֛ עֲבָדִ֖ים כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים׃

They told him, "If you treat this people well, show them favor, and speak kindly to them, they will be your servants forever."

KJV And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The elders' advice centers on three actions: tihyeh le-tov ('be good toward'), retsitam ('show them favor, please them'), and dibbarta devarim tovim ('speak good words'). The promise is permanent loyalty: ve-hayu lekha avadim kol ha-yamim ('they will be your servants all the days'). Kindness, in their wisdom, produces lasting allegiance more surely than force.
2 Chronicles 10:8

וַיַּעֲזֹ֗ב אֶת־עֲצַ֤ת הַזְּקֵנִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יְעָצֻ֔הוּ וַיִּוָּעַ֗ץ אֶת־הַיְלָדִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר גָּדְל֣וּ עִמּ֔וֹ הָעֹמְדִ֖ים לְפָנָֽיו׃

But he abandoned the counsel of the elders and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and now served him.

KJV But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb ya'azov ('he abandoned') is strong — the same verb used for abandoning God or a covenant. The yeladim ('young men, boys') are Rehoboam's age-peers who gadlu immo ('grew up with him'). They share his privileged perspective and have no experience with governance or the people's hardship.
2 Chronicles 10:9

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם מָ֚ה אַתֶּ֣ם נֽוֹעָצִ֔ים וְנָשִׁ֣יב דָּבָ֔ר אֶת־הָעָ֖ם הַזֶּ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבְּר֤וּ אֵלַי֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הָקֵ֣ל מִן־הָעֹ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן אָבִ֖יךָ עָלֵֽינוּ׃

He asked them, "What do you advise? How should we answer this people who have said to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?"

KJV And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Rehoboam repeats the people's request but frames it as a problem to be managed rather than a grievance to be addressed. The question mah attem no'atsim ('what do you advise?') is identical in form to his question to the elders, but the audience guarantees a different answer.
2 Chronicles 10:10

וַיְדַבְּר֣וּ אִתּ֗וֹ הַיְלָדִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר גָּדְל֣וּ עִמּ֔וֹ לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לָעָ֞ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבְּר֤וּ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר אָבִ֥יךָ הִכְבִּ֛יד אֶת־עֻלֵּ֖נוּ וְאַתָּ֣ה הָקֵל מֵעָלֵ֑ינוּ כֹּ֚ה תֹּאמַ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם קׇטָנִּ֖י עָבָ֥ה מִמׇּתְנֵ֥י אָבִֽי׃

The young men who had grown up with him said, "This is what you should tell the people who said, 'Your father made our yoke heavy — lighten it for us.' Say to them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.'

KJV And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The young men's response opens with crude bravado: qotonni avah mi-motnei avi ('my little finger is thicker than my father's loins'). The word qotonni literally means 'my littleness' — the smallest part of me surpasses the strongest part of him. The motnayim ('loins, waist') represents the center of a man's strength. The boast claims Rehoboam's weakest is stronger than Solomon's strongest.
2 Chronicles 10:11

וְעַתָּ֗ה אָבִ֞י הֶעְמִ֤יס עֲלֵיכֶם֙ עֹ֣ל כָּבֵ֔ד וַאֲנִ֖י אֹסִ֣יף עַל־עֻלְּכֶ֑ם אָבִ֗י יִסַּ֤ר אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּשּׁוֹטִ֔ים וַאֲנִ֖י בָּעַקְרַבִּֽים׃

My father loaded you with a heavy yoke — I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips — I will discipline you with scorpions.'"

KJV For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The escalation is twofold: heavier labor (osif al ullekhem, 'I will add to your yoke') and harsher punishment. The aqrabbim ('scorpions') are likely multi-tailed whips with barbed tips, named for the scorpion's sting. The young men advise ruling through terror rather than consent — the opposite of the elders' counsel.
2 Chronicles 10:12

וַיָּבֹ֨א יָרָבְעָ֧ם וְכׇל־הָעָ֛ם אֶל־רְחַבְעָ֖ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר שׁ֥וּבוּ אֵלַ֖י בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִֽׁי׃

Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed: "Come back to me on the third day."

KJV So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The people honor the three-day agreement. The ba-yom ha-shelishi ('on the third day') marks the moment of decision. The obedience of the people in returning as directed contrasts with the king's coming disobedience to wisdom.
2 Chronicles 10:13

וַיַּעֲנֵ֧ם הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ קָשָׁ֖ה וַיַּעֲזֹ֛ב הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֖ם אֶת־עֲצַ֥ת הַזְּקֵנִֽים׃

The king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam abandoned the counsel of the elders

KJV And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The narrator states Rehoboam's failure twice: va-ya'anem qashah ('he answered them harshly') and va-ya'azov et atsat ha-zeqenim ('he abandoned the counsel of the elders'). The double statement emphasizes that this was a deliberate choice, not a slip.
2 Chronicles 10:14

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם כַּעֲצַ֣ת הַיְלָדִים֮ לֵאמֹר֒ אַכְבִּ֣יד אֶת־עֻלְּכֶ֗ם וַאֲנִי֙ אֹסִ֣יף עָלָ֔יו אָבִ֗י יִסַּ֤ר אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּשּׁוֹטִ֔ים וַאֲנִ֖י בָּעַקְרַבִּֽים׃

and spoke to them following the advice of the young men: "My father made your yoke heavy — I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips — I will use scorpions."

KJV And answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Rehoboam repeats the young men's words almost verbatim. By speaking them in his own voice before the assembly, he makes them royal policy. The ka'atsat ha-yeladim ('according to the counsel of the young men') is the narrator's judgment: the king chose inexperience over wisdom.
2 Chronicles 10:15

וְלֹא־שָׁמַ֥ע הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֶל־הָעָ֑ם כִּֽי־הָיְתָ֤ה נְסִבָּה֙ מֵעִ֣ם הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים לְמַ֡עַן הָקִ֣ים יְהוָ֣ה אֶת־דְּבָר֡וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּר֩ בְּיַ֨ד אֲחִיָּ֧הוּ הַשִּׁילוֹנִ֛י אֶל־יָרָבְעָ֖ם בֶּן־נְבָֽט׃

The king did not listen to the people, because the turn of events was from God, so that the LORD might fulfill his word that he had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

KJV So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

נְסִבָּה nesibah
"turn of events" — turning, reversal, circuit, cause, occasion

nesibah ('turn of events') — from the root savav ('to turn around') — attributes the political rupture to divine causation. This is not fatalism but prophetic theology: God weaves human choices into the fulfillment of his declared word.

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase nesibah me'im ha-Elohim ('a turning from God') uses Elohim rather than YHWH, possibly reflecting the Chronicler's theological vocabulary. The purpose clause lema'an haqim ('in order to establish') shows divine intentionality. Ahijah ha-Shiloni ('the Shilonite') identifies the prophet by his hometown of Shiloh — the ancient sanctuary city. The Chronicler assumes the audience knows the prophecy without retelling it.
2 Chronicles 10:16

וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כִּ֣י לֹא־שָׁמַ֣ע הַמֶּלֶךְ֮ לָהֶם֒ וַיָּשִׁ֣יבוּ הָעָ֣ם אֶת־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ לֵאמֹ֡ר מַה־לָּ֣נוּ חֵ֣לֶק בְּדָוִ֡יד וְלֹא־נַחֲלָ֣ה בְּבֶן־יִשַׁי֩ אִ֨ישׁ לְאֹהָלָ֤יו יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ עַתָּ֗ה רְאֵ֤ה בֵיתְךָ֙ דָּוִ֔יד וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְאֹהָלָֽיו׃

When all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king: "What share do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse! Everyone to your tents, Israel! Now look after your own house, David!" And all Israel went to their tents.

KJV And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The declaration of secession uses covenantal language: mah lanu cheleq be-David ('what portion do we have in David?') and lo nachalah be-ven Yishai ('no inheritance in the son of Jesse'). The words cheleq ('portion') and nachalah ('inheritance') are land-distribution terms from the conquest. Israel is saying: David's house is not our inheritance; we owe them nothing. The cry ish le-ohalav Yisra'el ('each man to his tents, Israel') is a call to disperse — to abandon the assembly and the united monarchy.
2 Chronicles 10:17

וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים בְּעָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֑ה וַיִּמְלֹ֥ךְ עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם רְחַבְעָֽם׃

But the Israelites living in the towns of Judah — Rehoboam continued to reign over them.

KJV But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The exception clause — benei Yisra'el ha-yoshvim be-arei Yehudah ('the sons of Israel dwelling in the cities of Judah') — refers to northerners who had settled in Judean territory. Geography trumped tribal identity: if you lived in Judah, you remained under Rehoboam. The phrase va-yimlokh aleihem ('he reigned over them') is limited — his kingdom has shrunk to a fraction of Solomon's.
2 Chronicles 10:18

וַיִּשְׁלַ֞ח הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֗ם אֶת־הֲדֹרָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הַמַּ֔ס וַיִּרְגְּמוּ־ב֧וֹ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶ֖בֶן וַיָּמֹ֑ת וְהַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֗ם הִתְאַמֵּ֛ץ לַעֲל֥וֹת בַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֖ה לָנ֥וּס לִירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam himself hurried into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem.

KJV Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The name is Hadoram here (Adoram/Adoniram in Kings). As the official asher al ha-mas ('over the forced labor'), he personifies the oppression the people are rejecting. Sending the labor boss to negotiate with an angry populace is spectacularly poor judgment. The stoning — va-yirgemu vo even ('they stoned him with stones') — is an act of communal violence. Rehoboam's flight — hit'ammets la'alot ba-merkavah lanus ('he made haste to mount the chariot to flee') — shows the king running for his life.
2 Chronicles 10:19

וַיִּפְשְׁע֣וּ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּבֵ֖ית דָּוִ֑יד עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

KJV And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The concluding formula — va-yifsh'u Yisra'el be-veit David ('Israel rebelled against the house of David') — uses the verb pasha ('to rebel, to transgress'), which carries both political and theological weight. The phrase ad ha-yom ha-zeh ('to this day') writes from a perspective where the division still holds. For the Chronicler's post-exilic audience, the phrase is haunting: the northern kingdom no longer exists, but its rebellion endures in memory.
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