Chapter VIII.
1–6 (compare 1 Kings ix. 10, 11, 17–19).
Solomon’s Cities.
¹And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the Lord, and his own house,
1. twenty years] Compare 1 Kings vi. 38, vii. 1.
²that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
2. the cities which Huram had given to Solomon] According to 1 Kings ix. 12, 13 it was Solomon who gave Huram cities. Huram however was not pleased with them (1 Kings ix. 12, 13), and from this fact the English translators of 1611 concluded that Huram rejected them and “restored” them. No reconciliation of these different versions is tenable; and it is to be supposed that the Chronicler’s tradition is unhistorical—the idea that the wealthy Solomon could not or did not purchase what he required from Huram except by parting with a portion of the territories of Israel was repugnant, if not incredible, in the Chronicler’s day.
built them] i.e. fortified them.
³And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed against it.
3. Hamath-zobah] The two kingdoms of Hamath and Zobah are distinguished from one another (1 Chronicles xviii. 3, 9 = 2 Samuel viii. 3, 9), Hamath apparently being north of Zobah. It is probable however that Hamath as the name of a city belonged to more than one place, and Hamath-zobah may be a southern namesake of the well-known Hamath the great (Amos vi. 2).
prevailed against it] No mention of this campaign is made elsewhere. It may be a genuine tradition preserved only in Chronicles. On the other hand, this statement and the reference to the store-cities built in Hamath (verse 4) may be due to nothing except the mention of Tadmor in the wilderness (itself an error, see following note). If Solomon built far-off Tadmor, then (the Chronicler thinks) he must also have subdued the region of Hamath.
⁴And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.
4. Tadmor in the wilderness] Palmyra (Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 344) is meant, a city on an oasis north-east of Damascus half-way between Damascus and the Euphrates. Apart from this passage of Chronicles it first appears in history in B.C. 34, when it was threatened with attack by Mark Antony. This silence of history for a thousand years casts a doubt on the belief that Tadmor (Palmyra) is as old as the time of Solomon, and the doubt is strengthened by a reference to the parallel passage (1 Kings ix. 18), for there (1) the text (Kethīb) has “Tamar,” with “Tadmor” as marginal reading (Ḳerī), and (2) Tamar (Tadmor) is associated with Gezer, Beth-horon, and Baalath, cities either in Judah or on its borders. Probably therefore the marginal reading “Tadmor” in 1 Kings is due to the influence of 2 Chronicles, and the text of 1 Kings (“Tamar”) is correct. The city built by Solomon was a Tamar in the south of Judah.
⁵Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
5. Beth-horon the upper] Not mentioned in the parallel passage (1 Kings ix. 17) which however has Gezer. The site of Gezer has recently been explored with extremely interesting results (see e.g. Macalister, Bible Side-lights from the Mound of Gezer). The Chronicler probably omits the name of Gezer, because he had no liking for the tradition that Solomon married a daughter of Pharaoh (a heinous sin in the eyes of the Chronicler’s contemporaries), and according to 1 Kings ix. 16 Gezer was presented to Solomon by the Pharaoh as the dowry of his daughter.
⁶and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
6. Baalath] A city in the tribe of (the southern) Dan not far from Gezer and Beth-horon (1 Kings ix. 18).
cities for his chariots] See note on i. 14.
7–10 (= 1 Kings ix. 20–23).
Solomon’s Task-workers.
⁷As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel;
7. Hittites ... Jebusites] See notes on 1 Chronicles i. 13–15.
⁸of their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bondservants, unto this day.
8. consumed not] But in Kings, were not able to consume, a displeasing remark, which the Chronicler therefore softened down.
a levy of bondservants] Compare the notes on ii. 2, 17.
⁹But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.
9. and chief of his captains] Read (with 1 Kings ix. 22) and his princes and his captains. The statements of this verse must be read in connection with 1 Kings v. 13 ff., xii. 4 ff., whence it appears that, though Solomon did not actually reduce any Israelite to permanent slavery, yet he imposed upon his own people a corvée which was felt to be very burdensome.
¹⁰And these were the chief officers of king Solomon, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.
10. And these were the chief] After this preface (compare 1 Kings ix. 23) we expect both here and in 1 Kings a list of these persons; compare 1 Chronicles xi. 10 ff., xii. 1 ff. Possibly the text of 1 Kings suffered at an early date, and the list was missing when the Chronicler wrote.
two hundred and fifty] According to 1 Kings ix. 23, five hundred and fifty. On the other hand the under-overseers are reckoned at three thousand six hundred in 2 Chronicles ii. 18 as against three thousand three hundred in 1 Kings v. 16. The total number therefore of overseers of all kinds is given both in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles as 3850.
11 (= 1 Kings ix. 24).
The House of Pharaoh’s Daughter.
¹¹And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places¹ are holy, whereunto the ark of the Lord hath come.
11. for he said, My wife, etc.] These words are an addition by the Chronicler. In 1 Kings iii. 1 it is said simply that Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter into the city of David until his own house was finished.
My wife shall not dwell] Render, No wife of mine shall dwell.
12–16 (compare 1 Kings ix. 25).
Solomon’s arrangements for the
Temple Worship.
This paragraph is in the main an expansion of 1 Kings ix. 25.
¹²Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the Lord on the altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porch,
12. on the altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porch] This refers to the great brasen altar of burnt-offering (iv. 1). In 1 Kings the statement is that Solomon burnt incense upon the altar that was before the Lord (referring to the altar of incense; compare Exodus xxx. 1–10). Such an act, according to the Chronicler, was of the nature of trespass, being punished in the case of Uzziah with leprosy (xxvi. 16), and was therefore not to be attributed to so great a king as Solomon.
¹³even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.
13. on the sabbaths, and on the new moons] The writer in Kings confines Solomon’s sacrificial duties to three times in the year, i.e. on the three great feasts specified at the end of this verse. The Chronicler adds the weekly and monthly festivals, in conformity with the developed ritual of the Priestly Code.
¹⁴And he appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the doorkeepers also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded. ¹⁵And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.
14. of David] Compare 1 Chronicles xxiv.–xxvi.
to praise, and to minister before the priests] Compare 1 Chronicles xxiii. 28.
David the man of God] Targum David the prophet of the Lord (a correct paraphrase). Compare Nehemiah xii. 36.
¹⁶Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, and until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was perfected.
16. Now all the work of Solomon was prepared] Render, So all the work of Solomon was established.
unto the day ... was perfected] LXX. offers a much shorter and smoother text, from the day on which it was founded until Solomon perfected the house of the Lord. This reading is probably right.
17, 18 (= 1 Kings ix. 26–28).
Solomon’s Fleet.
¹⁷Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, on the sea shore in the land of Edom.
17. to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth] In 1 Kings Ezion-geber which is beside Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea. Strictly speaking it was at the head of the Gulf of Akaba, the eastern arm of the Red Sea. Compare xx. 36 and Deuteronomy ii. 8.
¹⁸And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and fetched from thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.
18. sent him by the hands of his servants ships] The words would seem to imply that Huram had ships transported overland from the Phoenician coast to the Gulf of Akaba! Either the Chronicler has phrased the matter carelessly, or perhaps the text should be altered to conform with Kings, where it is merely said that Solomon built ships in Ezion-geber—probably with the help of Huram—and that Huram helped to man them.
Ophir] The situation of this oft-mentioned place is not known. It has been identified with some part of the coast (a) of India, (b) of Africa, (c) of Arabia. The last identification is the most probable; Ophir appears as the name of an Arabian tribe (Genesis x. 29). The name is variously written in the LXX. but usually with an initial “S,” Sophir(a), which has been supposed to refer to India.
four hundred and fifty talents] So LXX., but in 1 Kings “four hundred and twenty” (so Hebrew, in LXX. B “a hundred and twenty”).
Chapter IX.
1–12 (= 1 Kings x. 1–13).
The Visit of the Queen of Sheba.
¹And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. ²And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was not any thing hid from Solomon which he told her not. ³And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
1. Sheba] An important district in Arabia Felix, the seat of a kingdom. See notes on 1 Chronicles i. 9, 32; also Barnes on 1 Kings x. 1.
hard questions] Hebrew ḥidoth, “dark sayings” (Proverbs i. 6); the singular is translated “riddle” (Judges xiv. 12–18).
⁴and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance¹ of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.
4. and their apparel] The phrase is repeated probably through an error of transcription; it occurs once only in the parallel place in 1 Kings.
his ascent by which he went up] Render (if the text be sound), his manner of going up, i.e. the pomp with which he went up (so Targum); but it is better, with LXX. and Peshitṭa, to read the burnt offerings which he used to offer, a rendering which is right in 1 Kings x. 5 (compare Revised Version margin). The difference of reading between Chronicles and 1 Kings in the Hebrew is slight.
⁵And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts¹, and of thy wisdom.
5. of thine acts] Literally of thy matters; the reference is quite general.
⁶Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: thou exceeded the fame that I heard. ⁷Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
6. the greatness of thy wisdom] Compare 1 Kings x. 7, “thy wisdom and prosperity.”
⁸Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgement and justice.
8. on his throne] To the Chronicler the Israelite throne belongs to God; the visible king occupies it only as a deputy. Compare 1 Chronicles xxviii. 5, “the throne of the kingdom of the Lord”; 1 Chronicles xxix. 23, “Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord.” Contrast 1 Kings x. 9.
⁹And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
9. an hundred and twenty talents of gold] A sum so large must be regarded rather as tribute than as a complimentary gift.
any such spice] i.e. as in 1 Kings “such abundance of spices.”
¹⁰And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees¹ and precious stones. ¹¹And the king made of the algum trees terraces for the house of the Lord, and for the king’s house, and harps and psalteries for the singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
10, 11. These verses interrupt the connection in Kings as in Chronicles They are an interpolation. Verse 12 concludes the account of the visit of the Queen of Sheba.
10. algum trees] In 1 Kings “almug trees.” Compare ii. 8 (note).
11. terraces] Perhaps “raised paths.” In 1 Kings x. 12 a different Hebrew word is used, which may mean “railings” (“pillars,” Authorized Version).
psalteries] compare 1 Chronicles xiii. 8 (note).
in the land of Judah] Here the Chronicler speaks as a man of his own age. We should expect, land of Israel.
¹²And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.
12. beside that which she had brought unto the king] This means that the king beside returning the queen the value of her present to him, also gave her additional gifts; compare 1 Kings x. 13.
13–28 (= 1 Kings x. 14–27).
Solomon’s Greatness.
¹³Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;
13. six hundred and threescore and six] This may be called a “round” number, for a system of counting based on the number six was known in ancient times, e.g. among the Assyrians. Taken literally, the amount, which would be equal to about £4,000,000 and of course of vastly greater purchasing power than the same sum to-day, is fantastically large. For similar high figures, compare 1 Chronicles xxii. 14 (note).
¹⁴beside that which the chapmen and merchants brought: and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
14. chapmen] The English word means “merchant”; compare the verb, “to chaffer” and the German “Kaufmann.” The Hebrew word means literally “those who go about” as merchants.
governors] Hebrew paḥoth (plural of peḥah; compare “Pasha”), a word applied specially to governors of provinces of the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires. Presumably governors outside the land of Israel are here meant.
¹⁵And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.
15. targets] Hebrew ṣinnah, a word meaning a large shield; compare 1 Samuel xvii. 7. On the other hand in verse 16 (Hebrew māgēn) small shields are meant. The English renderings should be transposed so as to read “shields” in verse 15 and “targets” in verse 16.
six hundred shekels] About 21 lbs. avoirdupois.
went to one target] Render (also in verse 16) were spread upon one target.
¹⁶And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. ¹⁷Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
16. shields] See note on verse 15.
the house of the forest of Lebanon] So called probably because it was built of cedar of Lebanon (1 Kings vii. 2). It was in Jerusalem and seems to have existed as late as the time of Isaiah (Isaiah xxii. 8) when it was in use as an armoury.
¹⁸And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays¹ on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays. ¹⁹And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. ²⁰And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
18. with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne] A quite different detail takes the place of this in 1 Kings x. 19, and the top of the throne was round behind. Perhaps both details were found in the original text of Kings.
²¹For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. ²²So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
21. For the king had ships that went to Tarshish] Here the Chronicler misunderstands the parallel passage (1 Kings x. 22, “For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish”). “Navy (or ‘ships’) of Tarshish” (compare Psalms xlviii. 7) is a phrase meaning large ships fit for long voyages; i.e. such as were the vessels used by the Phoenicians in trading with Tarshish (i.e. Tartessus in Spain). We may well compare the use of the title “Indiaman,” for that term came to be used generally of large trading vessels besides those actually trading with India. The merchandise mentioned in this verse doubtless came from the East and not from Tarshish.
apes] These animals were much sought after; they appear pictured in relief on the Black Obelisk (in the British Museum; among the tribute received by Shalmaneser II of Assyria.
²⁴And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
24. his present] i.e. his tribute.
armour] A less probable rendering is στακτὴ (“oil of myrrh”) LXX. (here and in Kings); also “myrrh,” Peshitṭa of 2 Chronicles.
25–28. Compare i. 14–17.
²⁵And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
25. four thousand stalls for horses and chariots] In the parallel passage (1 Kings iv. 26 = v. 6, Hebrew), forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots. Compare also i. 14 (= 1 Kings x. 26) where 1400 stalls of horses for chariots are ascribed to Solomon. This number is much more likely to correspond with fact, but that does not affect the probability that the Chronicler would find no difficulty in crediting Solomon with possessing 4000 or even 40,000, especially at the close of his reign. The meaning of the word rendered “stalls” is quite uncertain: it may mean “pair.”
twelve thousand horsemen] So 1 Kings iv. 26 (v. 6, Hebrew); and 2 Chronicles i. 14 (= 1 Kings x. 26).
chariot cities] See note on i. 14.
²⁶And he ruled over all the kings from the River even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
26. from the River] i.e. the Euphrates.
even unto the land of the Philistines] The Philistines, it is implied, were able to maintain their independence.
²⁷And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
27. cedars] Rather, cedar wood.
sycomore] i.e. the fig-mulberry, not now a common tree in Palestine; compare 1 Chronicles xxvii. 28, note.
the lowland] (Hebrew Shephelah). See G. A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land, chapter x. “The Shephelah,” and the note on i. 15.
²⁸And they brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
28. And they brought, etc.] Compare i. 16, 17.
29–31 (= 1 Kings xi. 41–43).
The Epilogue.
An important section of 1 Kings (xi. 1–40) giving an account of Solomon’s patronage of idolatry and of the troubles of his reign is significantly omitted by the Chronicler: see the note on 1 Chronicles xxix. 25, p. 168. For the authorities to which the Chronicler appeals in these verses, see Introduction § 5.
²⁹Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the history¹ of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo² the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
29. the history of Nathan] Compare 1 Chronicles xxix. 29.
Ahijah the Shilonite] 1 Kings xi. 29, xiv. 2 ff.
Iddo] Hebrew Jedai or Jedo (probably a misspelling); compare xii. 15.
³⁰And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
30. forty years] The number is a round number; compare Judges iii. 30, v. 31, viii. 28, xiii. 1.
³¹And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
31. slept with his fathers] This formula is not used of David (1 Chronicles xxix. 28), doubtless because David’s father was not a king!
in the city of David] 1 Chronicles xi. 7.
Chapters X.–XXXVI.
The History of Judah from Rehoboam to the Exile.
Chapter X.
1–15 (= 1 Kings xii. 1–15).
The Conference at Shechem.
¹And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
1. Shechem] Chosen by Rehoboam for its central position, for it is in the heart of Western Palestine between Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizim.
²And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, (for he was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon,) that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. ³And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spake to Rehoboam, saying,
2. Jeroboam] For his antecedents (which are not given by the Chronicler) see 1 Kings xi. 26 ff.
that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt] So we should read also in 1 Kings xii. 2 for “and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt.” The difference in Hebrew between the two readings when written without the vowels is confined to one letter, מ instead of ב.
⁴Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. ⁵And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.
4. the grievous service of thy father] The “service” complained of is described (in part) in 1 Kings v. 13, 14 (no parallel in Chronicles). Compare viii. 9 (= 1 Kings ix. 22), note.
and we will serve thee] The people claim their ancient right to a voice in the appointment of a king; compare 1 Samuel xi. 14, 15 (Saul) and 2 Samuel v. 1–3 (David).
⁶And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?
6. stood before] Compare Deuteronomy i. 38; 1 Kings xvii. 1. The phrase is used to express service, whether rendered to God or to man.
⁷And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants forever. ⁸But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him. ⁹And he said unto them, What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter? ¹⁰And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou say unto the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.
7. If thou be kind to this people, and please them] The Chronicler has softened the forcible words of the parallel passage (1 Kings xii. 7), “If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them.” The words which were too blunt for Rehoboam were also too blunt for the Chronicler.
¹¹And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. ¹²So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come to me again the third day.
11. with whips] A whip or flail was among the insignia of an Egyptian (and perhaps also of an Israelite) king. Compare Erman, Ancient Egypt, English Translation p. 60 (where an illustration is given) and p. 63.
with scorpions] The expression may be proverbial and metaphorical, but some authorities (e.g. Peshitṭa) take “scorpion” to be the name of a particular kind of scourge, the lash of which was provided with thorns or hooks.
¹³And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
13. answered them roughly] It was difficult for the son of so powerful a king as Solomon to realise that there was any necessity for a soft answer. Solomon had put down Israelite discontent by driving Jeroboam into exile in Egypt, and David had put down somewhat easily the movement under Sheba son of Bichri (2 Samuel xx. 1–22). Could the good fortune of the house of David fail at this third crisis?
¹⁵So the king hearkened not unto the people; for it was brought about of God, that the Lord might establish his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
15. Ahijah] Compare 1 Kings xi. 29–39. The incident referred to is not narrated in Chronicles, being assumed to be known.
16–19 (= 1 Kings xii. 16–19).
The Revolt.
¹⁶And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So all Israel departed unto their tents.
16. What portion have we in David ... the son of Jesse] The same protest was voiced by Sheba in his brief rebellion against David (1 Samuel xx. 1). Contrast the language of the ten tribes after the collapse of Absalom’s rebellion: We have ten parts in the king (2 Samuel xix. 43).
to your tents] See note on vii. 10.
¹⁷But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
17. The order is much improved if this verse be read after verse 19.
¹⁸Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the levy; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel rebelled against the house of David, unto this day.
18. Hadoram] Called “Adoram” in the parallel passage (1 Kings xii. 18) and “Adoniram” (1 Kings iv. 6, v. 14 [28, Hebrew]).