--- title: "Clarke" description: "Verse 2 Chronicles 11:1. Gathered of the house of Judah — See this account 1 Kings 12:21-24, and the notes there. Verse 2 Chronicles 11:5. And built citie" image: "/images/missing.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/11" --- Verse [2 Chronicles 11:1](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/1). ***Gathered of the house of Judah*** — See this account [1 Kings 12:21-24](../../../kjv/1-kings/12/21-24), and the notes there. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:5](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/5). ***And built cities for defense in Judah.*** — He was obliged to strengthen his frontiers against the encroachments of the men of Israel; and Jeroboam did the same thing on his part to prevent the inroads of Judah. See [1 Kings 12:25](../../../kjv/1-kings/12/25). Verse [2 Chronicles 11:11](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/11). ***Store of victual*** — In these places he laid up stores of provisions, not only to enable *them* to endure a siege; but also that they might be able, from their situation, to supply desolate places. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:14](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/14). ***The Levites left their suburbs*** — They and the priests were expelled from their offices by Jeroboam, lest they should turn the hearts of the people to the true God, and then they would revolt to Judah, [1 Kings 12:26](../../../kjv/1-kings/12/26); and therefore he established a new worship, and made new gods. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:15](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/15). ***And he ordained him priests - for the devils*** — שעירים *seirim*, the *hairy ones*; probably *goats*: for as the *golden* *calves*, or *oxen*, were in imitation of the Egyptian *ox*-god, *Apis*; so they no doubt paid Divine honours to the *goat*, which we know was an object of religious veneration in Egypt. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:16](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/16). ***Such as set their hearts to seek the Lord*** — All the truly pious joined him out of every tribe, and the whole tribe of Levi, being deprived of their functions, joined him also. Thus he had *Judah, Benjamin*, and *Levi*, and probably a part of *Simeon*; for he had *Etam*, which was in that tribe, and the truly religious out of all the other tribes, for they could not bear Jeroboam's idolatry. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:17](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/17). ***For three years they walked in the way of David*** — During this time he prospered; but for *fourteen* years after this he and the people were unfaithful to the Lord, except at such intervals as the hand of God's judgments was upon them. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:18](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/18). ***Took him Mahalath*** — By marrying thus in the family of David, he strengthened his right to the Jewish throne. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:20](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/20). ***Maachah the daughter of Absalom*** — [1 Kings 15:10](../../../kjv/1-kings/15/10). She is called *Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel*, [2 Chronicles 13:2](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/13/2). For this the *Targum* gives the following reason: "Abijah reigned *three* years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Michaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeatha. She is the same as Michah, the daughter of Absalom; but, because she was an upright woman, her name was changed into the more excellent name Michaiah, and her fathers name into that of Uriel of Gibeatha, that the name of Absalom might not be remembered." Verse [2 Chronicles 11:21](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/21). ***Eighteen wives and threescore concubines*** — Bad enough, but not so abandoned as his father. Of these marriages and concubinage the issue was *twenty-eight* sons and *sixty* daughters; *eighty-eight* children in the whole, to the education of the whole of whom he could pay but little attention. Numerous families are often neglected; and children by *different women*, must be yet in a worse state. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:22](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/22). ***Made Abijah - the chief*** — Abijah certainly was not the *first-born* of Rehoboam; but as he loved Maachah more than any of his wives, so he preferred her son, probably through his mother's influence. In [Deuteronomy 21:16](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/21/16), this sort of preference is forbidden; but Rehoboam had a sort of precedent in the preference shown by David to Solomon. Verse [2 Chronicles 11:23](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/23). ***He dealt wisely*** — It was true policy to disperse his own sons through the different provinces who were not likely to form any league with Jeroboam against their father. ***He desired many wives.*** — He was much addicted to women; yet we do not find that he formed any heathenish alliances of this nature. And as no particulars are given, we do not know how far he indulged himself in this propensity. He probably strengthened his political connections by these means. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/11#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Clarke's Commentary - 2 Chronicles 11"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/11#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/11","name":"Clarke's Commentary - 2 Chronicles 11","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/11#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Verse 2 Chronicles 11:1. Gathered of the house of Judah — See this account 1 Kings 12:21-24, and the notes there. Verse 2 Chronicles 11:5. 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