--- title: "Clarke" description: "Verse 2 Chronicles 12:1. He forsook the law of the Lord — This was after the three years mentioned 2 Chronicles 11:17. Verse 2 Chronicles 12:2. Shishak ki" image: "/images/missing.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12" --- Verse [2 Chronicles 12:1](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/1). ***He forsook the law of the Lord*** — This was after the *three* years mentioned [2 Chronicles 11:17](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/11/17). Verse [2 Chronicles 12:2](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/2). ***Shishak king of Egypt*** — Concerning this man, and the motive which led him to attack the Jews, see the note on [1 Kings 14:31](../../../kjv/1-kings/14/31). ***Transgressed against the Lord*** — "Against the WORD of the Lord." - *Targum*. Verse [2 Chronicles 12:3](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/3). ***The Lubims*** — Supposed to be a people of *Libya*, adjoining to Egypt; sometimes called *Phut* in Scripture, as the people are called *Lehabim* and *Ludim*. ***The Sukkiims*** — The *Troglodytes*, a people of Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea. They were called *Troglodytes*, Τρωγλοδυται, οἱ τας τρωγλας οικουντες, "because they dwelt in caves." - *Hesych*. This agrees with what *Pliny* says of them, *Troglodytae specus excavant,* *haec illis domus*; "The Troglodytes dig themselves caves; and these serve them for houses." This is not very different from the import of the original name סכיים *Sukkiyim*, from סכה *sachah*, to *cover* or *overspread*; (hence סוך *such*, a *tabernacle*;) the people who were *covered* (emphatically) *under the earth*. The Septuagint translate by the word Τρωγλοδυται, *Troglodytes*. ***The Ethiopians.*** — כושים *Cushim*. Various people were called by this name, particularly a people bordering on the northern coast of the Red Sea; but *these* are supposed to have come from a country of that name on the south of Egypt. Verse [2 Chronicles 12:6](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/6). ***Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled**********themselves*** — This is not mentioned in the parallel place, [1 Kings 14:25-29](../../../kjv/1-kings/14/25-29): this was the sole reason why Jerusalem was not at this time *totally* destroyed, and the house of David entirely cut off; for they were totally incapable of defending themselves against this innumerable host. Verse [2 Chronicles 12:8](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/8). ***They shall be his servants*** — They shall be preserved, and serve their enemies, that they may see the difference between the service of God and that of man. While they were pious, they found the service of the Lord to be *perfect freedom*; when they forsook the Lord, they found the fruit to be *perfect bondage*. A sinful life is both expensive and painful. Verse [2 Chronicles 12:9](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/9). ***Took away the treasures*** — Such a booty as never had before, nor has since, come into the hand of man. ***The shields of gold*** — These shields were the mark of the king's body-guard: it was in imitation of this Eastern magnificence that Alexander constituted his *Argyraspides*, adorned with the spoils taken from Darius. See Quintus Curtius, lib. viii., c. 5, et alibi. Verse [2 Chronicles 12:13](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/13). **Was*****one and forty years old*** — *Houbigant* thinks he was but *sixteen* years old when he began to reign; and brings many and forcible arguments to prove that the number *forty-one* must be a mistake. That he was *young* when he came to the throne, is evident from his consulting *the young men that were brought up with him*, [2 Chronicles 10:8](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/10/8); [2 Chronicles 10:10](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/10/10). They were *young men* then; and if *he* was *brought up with them*, he must have been *young then* also. Besides, Abijah, in his speech to Jeroboam, [2 Chronicles 13:7](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/13/7), says that at the time Rehoboam came to the throne he was tender-hearted, and therefore could not withstand the children of Belial raised up against him by Jeroboam: but surely at that time no man could be reputed *young* and *tender-hearted*- quite devoid of experience, who was above *forty* years of age. Besides, if this reading were allowed, it would prove that he was born before his father Solomon began to reign, for Solomon reigned only *forty* years, and Rehoboam immediately succeeded him. Verse [2 Chronicles 12:15](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/15). ***Concerning genealogies*** — "In the book of the genealogy of the family of David." - *Targum*. Verse [2 Chronicles 12:16](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/12/16). ***Abijah his son*** — Concerning the many varieties in this king's name, [1 Kings 14:31](../../../kjv/1-kings/14/31). ```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/12#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 12"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12","name":"Clarke's Commentary - 2 Chronicles 12","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Verse 2 Chronicles 12:1. He forsook the law of the Lord — This was after the three years mentioned 2 Chronicles 11:17. Verse 2 Chronicles 12:2. Shishak ki","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","name":"Clarke's Commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles","name":"2 Chronicles"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/12","name":"12"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```