King Rehoboam and Judah forsook the law of the Lord, leading to an invasion by Shishak of Egypt in Rehoboam's fifth year. When Rehoboam and the princes humbled themselves, the Lord granted partial deliverance, preventing total destruction, though Shishak plundered Jerusalem's treasures. Rehoboam replaced the stolen golden shields with brass, and despite this period of humility, he ultimately did evil by not preparing his heart to seek the Lord.
with twelve hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horsemen. The people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.
Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, who were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, ‘You have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.’”
When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the LORD’s word came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them; but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the LORD’s house, and the treasures of the king’s house. He took it all away. He also took away the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
King Rehoboam made in their place shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.
When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were good things found.
So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty-one 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 the Ammonitess.
Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, aren’t they written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, after the way of genealogies? There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 12
Verse 1
Rehoboam's apostasy after strengthening the kingdom shows that security led to spiritual complacency. 'All Israel with him' primarily refers to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who had remained loyal to the Davidic line.
Verse 2
This verse identifies the precise historical moment (5th year) and the theological reason (transgression) for the invasion. Shishak (Sheshonq I) is the first Egyptian pharaoh explicitly named in the Bible whose identity is confirmed by external historical records.
Verse 3
The detailed description of the overwhelming military force highlights the involvement of foreign mercenaries (Lubims, Sukkiims, Ethiopians), demonstrating the severity of God's judgment.
Verse 5
Shemaiah acts as the typical Chronicler's prophet, linking political disaster directly to covenant disobedience. The message is clear: God abandons those who abandon Him.
Verse 6
The immediate humbling of the king and princes is key. Their confession, 'The LORD is righteous,' validates God's justice in initiating the judgment, which immediately leads to grace.
Verse 8
The purpose of the mitigated judgment was didactic: to teach the difference between the freedom of serving God and the oppression of serving foreign kingdoms, fulfilling Deuteronomic warnings (Deut 28:47-48).
Verse 9
The plunder confirms the severity of the defeat. The loss of Solomon's golden shields symbolized the loss of the kingdom's former glory and divine protection.
Verse 12
The phrase 'when he humbled himself' is the hinge point of the chapter, demonstrating the Chronicler's strong emphasis on immediate repentance leading to immediate divine mitigation of judgment.
Verse 14
This verse provides the Chronicler's final, negative theological assessment. Rehoboam’s fundamental failing was a lack of sustained, sincere commitment ('prepared not his heart to seek the LORD').
Verse 15
The references to the 'book of Shemaiah the prophet' and 'Iddo the seer' are common in Chronicles, indicating the author drew upon established prophetic and historical records beyond the main narrative (1 Kings).
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