At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. Ver. 1. _At that time._] While Jeroboam did evil as he could, walking contrary to God, God also walked as contrary to him; for is it fit that he should lay down the bucklers first _ Abijah the son of Jeroboam._] His son and heir, likely, as was al... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there [is] Ahijah the prophet, which told me that [I should be] king over this people. Ver. 2. _And Jeroboam said to his wife._] To her, rather... [ Continue Reading ]
And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child. Ver. 3. _And take with thee ten loaves._] A poor country present, that she might seem none other than a plain country woman, yet willing to show her thankfulness. _... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age._ Ver. 4. And Jeroboam's wife did so.] Putting off her royal attire, and putting on more demure apparel; like as many hypocrites do, conf... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he [is] sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself [to be] another [woman]. Ver. 5. _She shall feign herself to be another w... [ Continue Reading ]
And it was [so], when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself [to be] another? for I [am] sent to thee [with] heavy [tidings]. Ver. 6. _Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam._] How God laughs in heaven at the f... [ Continue Reading ]
Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, Ver. 7. _Forasmuch as I exalted thee._] God upbraideth not any unless it be in case of extreme ingratitude; as here, with James 1:5. _Qui exprobat rep... [ Continue Reading ]
And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and [yet] thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do [that] only [which was] right in mine eyes; Ver. 8. _Who kept my commandments._] Did all my wills, Act 13:22... [ Continue Reading ]
But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back: Ver. 9. _But hast done evil above all that were before thee._] Not Saul and Solomon only, but the kings of the heathens also,... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, [and] him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. Ver. 10. _Him tha... [ Continue Reading ]
Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken [it]. Ver. 11. _Shall the dogs eat._] A fearful judgment, such as befell Euripides the poet, and Lucian the atheist, eaten alive by dogs, as it is stor... [ Continue Reading ]
Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: [and] when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. Ver. 12. _The child shall die._] This heavy news could not but pierce through the mother's soul as a sword. Luk 2:35 A child he is called, because dearly beloved of his parents; but he w... [ Continue Reading ]
And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found [some] good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. Ver. 13. _And all Israel shall mourn for him._] As great Britain was all in black for the loss o... [ Continue Reading ]
_Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now._ Ver. 14. _But what? even now,_] _a_ _q.d., _ Why say I the Lord shall raise up Baasha for an executioner of his wrath? Is he not even now in doing of it? Is not Baasha bu... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger._ Ver. 15. _As a reed is shaken in the wat... [ Continue Reading ]
And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin. Ver. 16. _And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam._] Whereunto they consented, being "carried away unto those dumb idols, even as they were led." 1Co 12:2... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: [and] when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died; Ver. 17. _And came to Tirzah._] A pleasant cry, Son 6:4 but to her at this time dismal and dolorous: the door also thereof, - whereto when she came, the child died, - like... [ Continue Reading ]
And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. Ver. 18. _And all Israel mourned._] See 1 Kings 14:13 .... [ Continue Reading ]
And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they [are] written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. Ver. 19. _Written in the book of the chronicles._] These were annals or public records, out of which, likely, were composed the Books of Chronicl... [ Continue Reading ]
And the days which Jeroboam reigned [were] two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead. Ver. 20. _And he slept with his fathers._] Heb., He lay down. "This shall ye have of my hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow." Isa 50:11 "The Lord struck Jeroboam and... [ Continue Reading ]
And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam [was] forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name [was] Naamah an Ammonitess.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 22. _And Judah did evil._] _Qualis rex, talis plerunque grex._ Howbeit there was a remnant among the twelve tribes, thus generally rev... [ Continue Reading ]
For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. Ver. 23. _For they also built them high places._] They fell to foul idolatry and sodomy, which are called evil by a specialty, 1Ki 14:22 like as war is called evil, that is, misery, _antono... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 24. _And there were also sodomites in the land._] _Meritorii,_ male harlots, unnaturally filthy. The word here used signifieth holy... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, [that] Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: Ver. 25. _Shishak king of Egypt._] Diodorus Siculus calleth him Sasokis; Justin, Susakis. _ Came up._] Drawn by a desire of Solomon's ivory throne, say some; like as the pearls usually c... [ Continue Reading ]
And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. Ver. 26. _And he took away._] Without any great resistance; such was the pusillanimity and effeminacy of Rehoboam;... [ Continue Reading ]
And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed [them] unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's house. Ver. 27. _Brazen shields._] "The faithful city" was now "become a harlot"; no wonder therefore that her "silver was become dross," Isa 1:21-2... [ Continue Reading ]
And it was [so], when the king went into the house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber. Ver. 28. _That the guard bare them._] _Propter periculum insidiarum etiam in ipsa domo Domini metuendarum,_ to prevent danger.... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Ver. 29. _Now the rest._] See on 1 Kings 14:19 .... [ Continue Reading ]
And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all [their] days. Ver. 30. _All their days._] Skirmishes there were continually about the borders.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother's name [was] Naamah an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead. Ver. 31. _And Rehoboam slept._] Jeroboam lived to see three successions in the throne of Judah. Thus the ivy liveth w... [ Continue Reading ]