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Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy and not sacrifice;
and the knowledge of God more than your burnt offerings.
Bible Chapter Studies
1A0II CHRONICLES 12
II Chronicles 12 opens with things going well for the Nation of the House of Judah, and especially Rehoboam. We read in II Chronicles 11, that Rehoboam resided in Jerusalem and built up many of the surrounding cities for the defense of the Nation, and then the people of Judah strengthened him and for three years they all walked in the way of David. In other words, on the path of righteousness, being pleasing to Father. However, as this chapter unfolds, we’ll quickly discover that like their—our—forefathers before them, and as Father pointed out in Deuteronomy 32, when things were—are—going well for Israel, it was then that they turned from honoring, loving, serving and worshipping Father, and they became fat and sassy: Deuteronomy 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked:
Thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness;
Then he forsook GOD Which made him,
And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. —> This is exactly what is about to happen here with Rehoboam, and we’ll see what Father thinks of it too.
With that introduction being said, let’s go to Father and ask Him for His Blessings on our Study of His Word: “Father, we come to you right now to thank you for inviting us to Your table in order that we might be able to partake of and receive Your Spiritual Meat, and Father, as we prepare to dine on the sustenance which sustains our inner man, we ask that You Oh LORD open our ears and eyes, that we might be able to hear and see your Truths, open our hearts and minds and prepare us in order that we may receive Your Truth. We Pray for Your Understanding of Your Word, we seek Your Knowledge in Your Word, and most importantly Father, we Pray for and desire Your Wisdom from Your Word, in Jesus’ Precious name we Pray, thank You Father, Amen.”
I Chronicles 10:1-II Chronicles 36:21
HISTORY (UP TO THE CAPTIVITY.)
(Division.)
11:1-II Chronicles 36:21 THE HOUSE
of DAVID. ESTABLISHED.
(Division.)
10:1-12:16 REHOBOAM. (Repeated Alternation.)
11:5-12:1 PERSONAL EVENTS.
(Alternation.)
12:1 Apostasy.
1A1
II Chronicles 12:1 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam (a people has enlarged; and, enlarger of the people) (rekh-ab-awmי) had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel (he will rule as YAH; or, the prince that prevails with YAH) (Yis-raw-aleי) (secondary map) with him. —> This is just a more in-depth explanation of I Kings 14:22-28, of when Rehoboam had taken over the kingdom from his father Solomon, and how he immediately picked-up where his father left off, i.e., forsaking Father and causing all the people in Israel—not just the two tribes of the House of Judah, of which he was king over—to do the same.
How does Father feel about His children forsaking Him? As Rehoboam and we are about to find out, He is going to send the Egyptians against the House of Judah in order to try and get their attention—and ours too. Though Shishak and the Egyptians do not follow Father, but, serve other false gods, Father is still going to use them for His plan to get the House of Judah to turn from their false gods and serve Him.
The LORD=This Title of Father as used here in this verse, is Father in His Role of יְהֹוָה, YHVH—from Dr. Bullinger’s Companion Bible Appendices: YHVH, YAHVEH, or YEHOVAH—the sacred and personal name of Father. While Elohim is God as the Creator of all things, YEHOVAH is the same God in covenant relation to those whom He has created (compare II Chronicles 18:31). YEHOVAH means the Eternal, the Immutable One, He Who WAS, and IS, and IS TO COME. The Divine definition is given in Genesis 21:33. He is especially, therefore, the God of Israel; and the God of those who are redeemed, and are thus now “in Christ”. We can say “My God,” but not “My YEHOVAH,” for YEHOVAH is “MY God.”.
Rehoboam=For a detailed description of Rehoboam, including his birth, history, the etymology of his name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of his name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
Israel=For a detailed description of Israel, including his birth, his and the Nation’s history, the etymology of the name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of the name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
12:2-12 PUBLIC EVENTS. INVASION
BY SHISHAK. (Extended Alternation.)
12:2-4 Invasion.
1A2
II chronicles 12:2 And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak (obscure) (shee-shakי) king of Egypt (land of the copts) (mits-rahי-yim) came up against Jerusalem (founded peaceful; or, the habitation of peace) (Yer-oo-shaw-lahי-im), because they had transgressed against the LORD, —> Dr. Bullinger in His Companion Bible, at the Introduction of The Book of Ezekiel, on page 1105, notes in the Table: the “Year of the Captivity of Jehoiachin;” “Month;” “Day;” “Chapters;” and “B.C.”. The very first line in that Table denotes that in the “5th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity was in the year 484B.C.”. When we then read Ezekiel 4:1-6, especially verses 4:4-6, we read that Ezekiel was to lay on his side, let’s read it: Ezekiel 4:4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. [4:5] For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. [4:6] And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. —> So, with that being said and read, we can then date the event of Ezekiel 4:4-6 as a fixed date in history. These “390 days” were to be literal “days” to Ezekiel, and were to represent 390 literal “years.” Now, using this date in time from the fifth year of Jehoiakin’s captivity, the fixed date looking back 390 years to the end of Shishak’s invasion would be exactly 874B.C.. There is an inscription by Shishak on the outside of the south wall of the temple of Ammon at Karnac, in which Shishak named the “King of Judah,” as well as the list of 120 fortified cities which fell to his army. Again, I Kings 14:22-28 gives us an account of this action.
Understand brethren, it was and is Father Who is sending Shishak up against Rehoboam and Judah because they forsook Him. It wasn’t Shishak who thought in his own mind to do this, Father, through His Holy Spirit, laid on Shishak to come against Judah. According to Egyptian history, Shishak was the first king of the 22nd dynasty.
Shishak=For a detailed description of Shishak, including his birth, history, the etymology of his name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of his name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
Egypt=For a detailed description of Egypt, including the nations history, the etymology of the name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of the name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
Jerusalem=For a detailed description of Jerusalem, including the Nations history, the etymology of the name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of the name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
1A3
II Chronicles 12:3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims (to thirst, that is, a dry region; or, dwellers in a thirsty land) (loob-beeי), the Sukkiims (hut dwellers; or, booth-dwellers) (sook-keeי), and the Ethiopians (patronymic from H3568, a cushite, or descendant of Cush; and, black) (koo-sheeי). —> Shishak came fully prepared to do major damage to, and sack Judah. He brought with him, 1,200 chariots; 60,000 horseman; and also, foot soldiers which were too numerous to number. The Lubims were peoples from Libya who were loyal to the Egyptians; the Sukkiims were from the East coast of Africa who were also loyal to Shishak; and the Ethiopians were the people who inhabited the Nile Valley in what is now known as Nubia and the Sudan, they too were either loyal to or subject to Shishak and Egypt.
My how quickly things have changed for Israel! Remember “the fame of Solomon and his wisdom?” Remember also as well, Israel’s strength and wealth under Solomon and his father David before him, was well known throughout all the lands around Israel, and nobody dared try and go up against Israel under their leadership, reign and rule, but, now that they have both returned Home to Father, and with Rehoboam now reigning king, there is no longer any respect for Israel’s might; and other peoples are wanting to get their hands on some of the Nation’s riches. Again, with that being said, I remind you that it is Father who is behind this attack of Shishak’s.
Lubims
Lubims=The Lubims were an African nation under tribute to Egypt—II Chronicles 12:3; 16:8; their territory was apparently near Egypt. † Abarim Publications does not provide an etymology for the Lubims, as such, I’ll not be providing one. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3864, - לוּבִיss or לֻבִּי, - lûbı̂y or lûbbı̂y, pronounced - loo-beeי or loob-beeי, and means: Patrial from a name probably derived from an unused root meaning to thirst, that is, a dry region; apparently a Libyan or inhabitant of interior Africa (only in plural): - Lubim (-s), Libyans. Total KJV occurrences: 5.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Dwellers in a thirsty land. A nation mentioned as contributing, together with Cushites and Sukkiim, to Shishak’s army II Chronicles 12:3, and apparently as forming with Cushites the bulk of Zerah’s army I Chronicles 16:8, spoken of by Nahum Nahum 3:9, with Put or Phut, as helping No-amon (Thebes), of which Cush and Egypt were the strength. Upon the Egyptian monuments we find representations of a people called Rebu or Lebu, who correspond to the Lubim, and who may be placed on the African coast to the westward of Egypt, perhaps extending far beyond the Cyrenaica.”.
Sukkiims
Sukkiims=The Sukkiims were peoples who dwelt in the hills along the Red Sea. We only read of them once in Father’s Word, in II Chronicles 12:3. They joined with Shiskak’s army, with which he marched against Rehoboam and Jerusalem. † Abarim Publincations does not provide an etymology for the Sukkiims, as such, I’ll not be providing one either. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H5525, - סֻכִּי, - sûkkı̂y, pronounced - sook-keeי, and means: Patrial from an unknown name (perhaps H5520); a Sukkite, or inhabitant of some place near Egypt (that is, hut dwellers): - Sukkiims. Total KJV occurrences: 1.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Booth-Dwellers. A nation mentioned II chronicles 12:3 with the Lubim and Cushim as supplying part of the army which came with Shishak out of Egypt when he invaded Judah. The Sukkiim may correspond to some one of the shepherd or wandering races mentioned on the Egyptian monuments.”.
Ethiopians
Ethiopia(ns)=The people of Ethiopia, known as the Ethiopians, are either descendants of Cush, or had mixed with the decscendants of Cush—Noah’s grandson through his son Ham. How and why do I say this? Because the name Ethiopia is the Greek word—Αιθιοπια (Aithiopia)—by which the Hebrew Cush—כּוּשׁ (kûsh)—is rendered. We find that both Cush and Ethiopia are in the Strong’s concordance, Hebrew word number: H3568, and the word Ethiopian is Hebrew word number: H3569, which means patronymic—derived from the
name of a father or ancestor, especially by the addition of a suffix or prefix indicating descent—from H3568. So, at some point, Cush moved himself and or his family to a country which lay to the south of Egypt, beginning at Syene on the First Cataract—the Cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths, or whitewater rapids, of the Nile River, between Khartoum and Aswan, where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones jutting out of the river bed, as well as many rocky islets. In some places, these stretches are punctuated by whitewater, while at others the water flow is smoother, but still shallow—and extending to beyond the confluence of the White and Blue Nile; and either he\they settled these lands of Ethiopia and southern Egypt; or, the peoples of the sixth day Creation were already inhabiting the land. No Biblical scholar knows whether the land was already named, or whether when Cush and his family moved into the land, it got renamed for him. Discoveries at Pterium, Cappadocia, show that the Babylonians call Cappadocia Kus. The “great” king of the Hittites had his palace there and was called “the king of Kus.” The River Gihon which flows through the land of Kus, deposits directly into the Mediterranean. † For the etymology of the name Ethiopian, we read the following in Abarim Publications: “The name Ethiopia is Greek for the Hebrew name Cush or Nubia, the country south of Egypt, which was pretty much the southernmost border of the known world in Biblical times.According to the archeological record, homo sapiens probably originated somewhere around modern Ethiopia, and according to Genesis, it marked the southernmost part of the garden of Eden (assuming that Havilah was situated to its north). The river Gihon was the second river of Eden, and flowed around the whole land of Cush (Genesis 2:13). The name Ethiopia is very old and denoted such a distinguished classical culture that it occurs twice in Homer's Iliad and three times in the Odyssey. The word Αιθιοπια (Aithiopia) occurs only in the Septuagint but the noun Αιθιοψ (Aithiops) occurs twice in the New Testament, namely in the scene in which Philip converts the court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians (ACTS 8:27). The name Ethiopia consists of two elements. The final part comes from the familiar Greek word ωψ (ops), or its genitive form ωπος (opos), meaning eye — hence our English words “optic” and “optician”, the name Europe (means Wide-Eyed or Open-Minded) and the genus Cyclops, which means round-eyed and not one-eyed as per popular belief. The first part of our name Ethiopia is thought to derive from the verb αιθω (aitho), meaning to light up or kindle. This verb is fairly common but neither it nor the following words are used in the Bible. The related adjective αιθος (aithos) means shining or blazing, and αιθοψ (aithops, also containing ωψ, ops) means fiery-looking or sparkling. The latter word is so used metaphorically in the sense of fiery or keen (for instance by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod). The ethnonym Ethiopian means Fiery Eye and implies Bright Eyed, Keen Of Vision, or perhaps even Appearing As fire or They Look Very Bright, suggesting that once the wisdom tradition of Ethiopia shone like a blazing fire in the intellectual night.”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3568, - כּוּשׁ, - kûsh, pronounced - koosh, and means: Probably of foreign origin; Cush
(or Ethiopia), the name of a son of Ham, and of his territory; also of an Israelite: - Chush, Cush, Ethiopia. Total KJV occurrences: 30.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Properly “Cushite” Jeremiah 3:23. Used of Zerah, II Chronicles 14:9, and Ebed-melech Jeremiah 38:7; Jeremiah 38:10; Jeremiah 8:12; Jeremiah 39:16. Ethiopia=The country which the Greeks and Romans described as “Aethiopia” and the Hebrews as “Cush”, lay to the south of Egypt, and embraced, in its most extended sense, the modern Nubia, Sennaar, Kordofan and northern Abyssinia, and in its more definite sense, the kingdom of Meroe Ezekiel 29:10. The Hebrews do not appear to have had much practical acquaintance with Ethiopia itself, though the Ethiopians were well known to them through their intercourse with Egypt. The inhabitants of Ethiopia were a Hamitic race Genesis 10:6. They were divided into various tribes, of which the Sabeans were the most powerful. The history of Ethiopia is closely interwoven with that of Egypt. The two countries were not unfrequently united, under the rule of the same sovereign. Shortly before our Saviour’s birth, a native dynasty of females, holding the official title of Candace, (Plin. Vi. 35), held sway in Ethiopia, and even resisted the advance of the Roman armies. One of these is the queen noticed in Acts 8:27.”.
1A4
II Chronicles 12:4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. —> Shishak and his military commanders had planned and prepared well, they knew that before they could sack Jerusalem, they first had to wage war against and defeat the perimeter cities. Once those cities were out of the way, they pretty much had free reign on Jerusalem.
12:5 Threatening of YHVH.
1A5
II Chronicles 12:5 Then came Shemaiah (YAH has heard; and, heard by YAH) (shem-aw-yawי-hoo) the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, “Thus saith the LORD, ‘Ye have forsaken Me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ” —> As He always is, Father was right up front with Rehoboam; here, He even used a heathen gentile king—shishak—to tell and warn Rehoboam that his—Shishak’s—coming against Israel was His—Father’s—doing. You talk about a strong message?! This is one of the messages of The Books of the Chronicles, if you forsake Father, He most assuredly will likewise also forsake you. Will Rehoboam heed Father’s warning?
The princes of Judah=These princes are Rehoboam’s elder sons whom he had dispatched to the perimeter cities with position, wealth and wives, in order that they not raise too much a ruckus when he named and made their younger brother Abiah his successor as king over the House of Judah.
Shemaiah=For a detailed description of Shemaiah, including his birth, his history, the etymology of his name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of his name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
12:6 Humiliation.
1A6
II Chronicles 12:6 Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The LORD is righteous.” —> Message received—well received, I might add—message taken to heart. Not only did Rehoboam and his sons receive Father’s message, they said that His Word is the absolute truth; therefore, they immediately dropped their righteous attitude, stopped playing kurch and abased themselves, in order to elevate Father back to His rightful position.
Israel=Dr. Bullinger notes in his Companion Notes to this verse, that during the use of the word “Israel” here in this verse, that there were those—the kenite nethinims—who changed it from “Judah” to “Israel” here, as well as in I Chronicles 22:17 and 23:2, see his Appendix 34.
12:7 Mitigation.
1A7
II Chronicles 12:7 And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and My wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. —> …Some deliverance…=Notice Father said He would only grant Rehoboam “some deliverance?” Let’s check out this word “some” in the Strong’s Concordance brethren, when we do, we find that it is Hebrew word number: 4592, - מעטss or מעט, - me‛aṭ or me‛ât, pronounced - meh-atי or meh-awtי, and means: From H4591; a little or few (often adverbial or comparative): - almost, (some, very) few (-er, -est), lightly, little (while), (very) small (matter, thing), some, soon, X very.. So, in other words, only a little. Why only a little? Because He put them on probation to see if they were sincere in their hearts in their turning from their false gods to Him; or, if they were only saying so in order to stay the hand of Shishak. He was going to remove His hand; but, only slightly. In other words, Shishak is still coming against Judah; however, they’ll only remove some of the wealth of Judah, not completely rape, pillage and plunder it.
As can be seen by Father’s reaction to their reaction of humbling themselves before Him, He realizes He got their attention; so, He in turn is going to lighten—unlike Rehoboam did for Jeroboam and crew when they asked this of him—their burden for a short while to see if indeed they are serious concerning humbling themselves, and will now stay that course. Brethren, this is how Father responds and replies to us, when we too humble ourselves after sinning, repenting to Him of those sins, and asking His forgiveness; He will indeed lighten our burden, however, we still must pay the price for those sins, and when we willingly do so, then will those sins be forgiven and forgotten.
Father and Shemaiah aren’t finished just yet, Rehoboam are now going to hear of the penalty phase for their actions.
12:8 Mitigation.
1A8
II Chronicles 12:8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know My service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.” —> …They shall be his servants…=Rehoboam, his sons and all Judah are now going to be servants of Shishak. The translators really didn’t get this correct in their translation; what Father is trying to show Rehoboam and his sons, is that if they thought being in service to Father was bad; wait until the see the service that Shishak is going to be putting on them. They are about to learn the hard way concerning the difference between Father’s service and man’s servitude.
12:9 Invasion.
1A9
II Chronicles 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. —> The last time anybody laid siege to Jerusalem, was when Father led David and the Israelites against it and they had captured it and made it part of Israel. Now, Father is leading a heathen Egyptian pharaoh against His People in His city, because they have forsaken Him and He is going to get their attention. Yes, they have humbled themselves and repented; but, like I said, they still must pay the penalty for their sins. Father is not going to let His city fall completely into the hands of Shishak; however, He is going to allow Shishak to carry away some of the wealth He gave to Solomon. Remember, Father is causing this is, all because Solomon built the high places and Rehoboam continued the worship of asherah — right there on the Mount of Olives, right there where His Temple was built and they worshipped Him.
12:10 Preparation by Rehoboam.
1A10
II Chronicles 12:10 Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass (Hebrew word number: H5178 - נחשׁת, - nechôsheth, pronounced - nekh-oי-sheth, and means: copper), and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king’s house. —> Solomon had made those 300 shields which contained 300 shekels of gold per shield, and now Shishak is about to carry them back to Egypt. In either case, they are no longer in Israel’s hands; so now, Rehoboam—to make it appear they are still strong, and wealthy—has had new shields made, these though, are made of copper and not of gold. Rehoboam gave these copper shields to his sons who were over the palatial guards, in other words, the Pelethites and Cherethites.
12:11 Preparation by Rehoboam.
1A11
II Chronicles 12:11 And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber. —> Even though the wealth of the Nation has been greatly diminished; either, Rehoboam still enjoys the pomp and circumstance whenever he goes out about the kingdom—and especially into the Temple—or the Pelethites and Cherethites are still giving due deference to him whenever he goes out and about. For his part, he ought to be going there quite frequently. I’m not sure why; but, I picture the Swiss Guards at the Vatican when I read this verse.
12:12 Humiliation.
12:12 Mitigation.
1A12
II Chronicles 12:12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that He would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well. —> After Rehoboam and Judah did prove themselves—at least to this point—that they had indeed wanted to now do righteously, Father removed His wrath from off them and Judah completely. There was much joy and many words of congratulations amongst themselves for this turnaround, likewise also, Rehoboam and the people of Judah praised Father in humility.
This “…in Judah things went well” didn’t quite come out right in the translation, and it should read, “there were still some good things in Judah;” meaning, that they still held the City of Jerusalem, the Temple, the Levitical Priesthood, along with some other good things.
1A13
II Chronicles 12:13 So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah (pleasantness; or, loveliness) an Ammonitess (tribal, that is, inbred; and, mountaineers) (am-mo-neeי). —> Rehoboam inherited the kingdom from his father Solomon when he died and returned Home to Father, he was 41 years old when he took the reins, and he reigned for 17 years. Therefore, like his father Solomon, he too died before his sixtieth birthday. We read in II Chronicles 11:17, that in the beginning of his reign over the House of Judah, Rehoboam did well, and Honored, Served and Worshipped Father like David had; however, after that third year, he fell away and started doing the abominable worship of false gods and idols.
Rehoboam’s mother was one of Solomon’s foreign wives\concubines. She was an Ammonitess, meaning, though she was considered a foreigner—because she was not a worshipper of Father YHVH, the Ammonites long ago left off from serving and worshipping Father—she was—and they were—still of the Adamic seedline. Naamah’s name is mentioned here and in the case of each successive king—compare I Kings 15:10; 22:42; II Kings 8:26 as well as other places—because, the kings character stands in connection with the mother; and because of the position which the queen dowager occupied—again compare with I Kings 2:19; I Kings 15:13; and Jeremiah 13:18.
Naamah=For a detailed description of Naamah, including her birth, his history, the etymology of her name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of her name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
Ammonitess=For a detailed description of Ammonitess, including the history, the etymology of the word, the Strong’s Concordance definition of the word, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
1A14
II Chronicles 12:14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD. —> What evil did they do? Let’s turn to I Kings 14:22 to get a better understanding: I Kings 14:22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. —> The morals of Israel—both Houses—continued to grow from when Solomon began leading Israel down the destructive path. Jeroboam continued leading the House of Israel, and as we see, Solomon’s son Rehoboam is doing the same with the House of Judah; both Houses completely and totally angering Father. Remember, it all started with Solomon and his building altars for his wives false gods and idols; then Jeroboam fashioned those two golden calves. To put it in “plain speak,” both Houses were “playing kurch” doing “what was right in their own eyes,” and making up new religions as they went along. Pretty much the same as many Christian Denominations do today, instead of sticking with the True Word of Father YHVH. Today they celebrate “His resurrection,” what they call “easter,” or “rapture,” or “prosperity doctrines” and several other non-sense traditions, false teachings and dogma. Father will only put up with it for so long before He puts a stop to it altogether. [14:23] For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. —> Let’s tie this all together and fully discuss it because, all three of these—high places, images, and groves—are indeed tied together, and they aren’t to worship Father YHVH. If you think the “high places” were where our forefathers went to try and get closer to Father YHVH; you’d be incorrect in that train of thought too, because, it was where they went to hold their abominable sexual orgies while worshipping their carved and man-made images. What they did was, went out to the forests of trees, then they cut those trees down to stumps, and then they carved phallic symbols out of them, stood them upright, or just left them standing when they cut them down to the size they wanted. They made as many of these places as were available, what an abomination to Father! Groves=In the Strong’s Concordance, this is Hebrew word number: H842, - אשׁירהss or אשׁרה, - 'ăshêrâh or 'ăshêyrâh, pronounced - ash-ay-rawי or ash-ay-rawי, and means: From H833; happy; asherah (or Astarte) a Phoenician goddess; also an image of the same: - grove. Compare H6253.. Dr. Bullinger thinks it so important a topic, that he, devoted an entire Appendix 42 to the discussion of it in his Companion Bible. [14:24] And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. —> Sodomites=Sodomite in the Strong’s Concordance, is Hebrew word number: H6945, - קדשׁ, - qâdêsh, pronounced - kaw-dasheי, and means: From H6942 a (quasi) sacred person, that is, (technically) a (male) devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry: - sodomite, unclean.. So in other words, a sodomite was a male—and women too—who was a prostitute and sold themselves to be used in a worship service, during the worship in the groves as they were worshipping the asherah. Today, all over the world, the sodomites are coming out of their closets in droves and sadly the whole world is celebrating them, as if their sexual perversion and deviancy is a good thing. Father calls all sodomy “an abomination” to Him, and if you think that you can call yourself a Christian and remain in that filthy practice, or allow and accept that nasty practice in your kurch; then, you are no better than Jeroboam or Rehoboam. It has even been said by one of the “major” denominations that “god is not the authority on homosexuality,” that is not a denomination I’d want to be associated with! Father showed us in His Word what He thinks of homosexuality and sodomites when He cleansed the two nations—Sodom and Gomorrah—of sodomy in Genesis 18 and 19. He cleansed them with fire and brimstone to the point of turning the entire land to salt. Now this same filth which Father tried to do away with, Jeroboam and Rehoboam are both allowing back into their lands. The word for “sodomites” as used here, is the Hebrew word for “prostitutes,” both male and female, male with male, and female with female, and the act is just as filthy today as it was back then.
1A15
II Chronicles 12:15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo (appointed, or timely; and, timely, or lovely) (yed-eeי or id-doי) the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. —> Rehoboam and Judah continued to have border disputes and skirmishes with Jeroboam and the House of Israel until Rehoboam’s death, and yes, he actually died prior to Jeroboam, even though he and the House of Judah defeated Jeroboam and the House of Israel. Sadly, it was because of the border disputes between the two Nations that it was necessary for them each to have strong borders separating them; yet, during this time, some of the people of the ten northern tribes continued to flow southward into Jerusalem, in order that that they could continue to worship at the House of the LORD, built by Solomon.
Iddo=Nothing is written in Father’s Word concerning Father’s Prophet Iddo. We do know that he was a Prophet of Father’s though, because of what is written in II Chronicles 9:29, concerning what he wrote about the acts of Solomon against Jeroboam. † For the etymology of the name Iddo, we read the following in Abarim Publications: “The name יעדי belongs to a famous Biblical prophet, who wrote his own book, which never made it into the canon and was lost forever (II Chronicles 9:29). But apparently, the Book of Iddo contained acts of king Solomon, visions concerning king Jeroboam, the acts of king Rehoboam and the acts and words of king Abijah. The name Iddo should actually be pronounced as Yiddo or Yiddi (and in English Jiddo, with a J like Joseph and Jacob; names that also start with the letter י, (yod), but this prophet is named such only once, in II Chronicles 9:29. In II Chronicles 12:15 and 13:22 he is called עדו (Iddo). The version of the name Iddo possibly come from the verb עדד ss(יadad), which probably has to do with time: The letter י (yod) upon which Iddo ends, may either create an adjective (such-and-such-like, a possessive form (my such and such), whereas the letter ו (waw) upon which Iddo ends may be due to a third person possessive pronoun: his. For a meaning of the name Iddo, Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads Timely, and Time Of Him. Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary agrees with Jones on the etymology, lists his name under the obscure root עדד, but offers no interpretation.”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H5714, - עִדּוֹאss or עִדּוֹאss or עִדִּיא, - ‛iddô, ‛iddô' or ‛iddı̂y', pronounced - id-doי, id-doי or id-deeי, and means: From H5710; timely; Iddo (or Iddi), the name of five Israelites: - Iddo. Compare H3035, H3260. Total KJV occurrences: 10.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “timely or lovely. A seer whose “visions” against Jeroboam incidentally contained some of the acts of Solomon (II Chronicles 9:29). He appears to have written a chronicle or story relating to the life and reign of Abijah (II Chronicles 13:22 ).”.
1A16
II Chronicles 12:16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah (Father (that is worshipper) of YAH); or, my Father is YHVH) (ab-ee-yawי-hoo) his son reigned in his stead. —> Rehoboam returned Home to Father, and as he had planned and desired, his younger son, the son of his favorite wife, Maachah the daughter of Absalom, succeeded him on the throne.
Abijah=Here he is called Abijah; however, in I Kings 14:31 he is called Abijam. They are one in the same, just spelled differently, much in the same way that we today sometimes spell some names differently, i.e., Esther and Hester, Elisabeth and Elizabeth, Ellen and Helen, and Catherine and Katherine.
Abijah=For a detailed description of Abijah, including his history, the etymology of his name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of his name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
Sept 2014 † updated: Apr 2021
This Bible Study was written by Scott Reis and is provided in order to be used as a private Bible Study Tool. Therefore, it may be copied in whole or in part and shared for private Bible Study; however, it may not be reproduced and published as an original work.
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