What is the meaning of 2 Chronicles 11:20? After her The phrase “After her” links back to Rehoboam’s first wife, Mahalath (2 Chronicles 11:18-19), and marks the moment he took another wife. Scripture records he eventually had eighteen wives and sixty concubines (2 Chronicles 11:21), echoing Solomon’s pattern and brushing up against Deuteronomy 17:17, where Israel’s kings are warned not to multiply wives. The Chronicler’s simple time‐marker reminds us how Rehoboam’s domestic choices—stacked one after another—contributed to the divided loyalties and spiritual drift later criticized in 2 Chronicles 12:1-2. he married Maacah daughter of Absalom Maacah (called “Michaiah” in 2 Chronicles 13:2; cf. 1 Kings 15:2) is identified with Absalom’s line, probably his granddaughter through Tamar (2 Samuel 14:27). Rehoboam’s marriage into Absalom’s branch of David’s family tree served at least two aims: • political consolidation inside Judah’s royal clan (compare 2 Samuel 13–15, where Absalom’s earlier rebellion had fractured the house of David) • confirmation that the Messianic promise still flows through David’s descendants despite past turmoil (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Yet this strategic alliance also sowed seeds of compromise—Maacah later influenced court idolatry that Asa had to remove (1 Kings 15:13). and she bore to him Abijah Abijah (“my father is Yah”) would succeed Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 12:16). Though he reigned only three years, God granted him victory over Jeroboam because he appealed to the covenant promises (2 Chronicles 13:4-18). His birth therefore signals: • continuity of the Davidic line despite Judah’s spiritual ups and downs; • God’s faithfulness to His word even when leaders are inconsistent (see 1 Kings 15:3-5). Attai Scripture offers no further narrative about Attai beyond this verse, yet the Holy Spirit still records his name. That quiet inclusion: • affirms every individual’s worth in God’s redemptive story (compare the lesser-known names honored in Nehemiah 7:5-65); • hints at the wider royal household Rehoboam fathered, which carried social, financial, and spiritual implications for Judah (2 Chronicles 11:23). Ziza Like Attai, Ziza remains a name without additional chronicles. Still, paired with 2 Chronicles 11:21’s note that Rehoboam “dispersed some of his sons… to every fortified city,” it helps illustrate: • the practical strategy of stationing royal sons as local governors to secure the kingdom; • the potential for rivalry and fragmentation that such a large family could cause (for a cautionary example, see the infighting among Gideon’s sons in Judges 9:1-6). and Shelomith Shelomith stems from shalom, “peace.” Though little is told about him, the name itself whispers God’s desire for peace in a time of division. Judah was already split from Israel (2 Chronicles 10), and peace would be fragile. Shelomith’s naming testifies that: • parents can still voice faith-filled hopes in turbulent times (Psalm 29:11); • God’s covenant with David ultimately aims toward a prince of peace, fulfilled in Christ (Isaiah 9:6-7, Matthew 1:1). summary 2 Chronicles 11:20 is more than a genealogical footnote. Each phrase highlights the unfolding of God’s covenant through imperfect people: Rehoboam’s second marriage extends David’s line; Maacah’s identity ties the present to past rebellions; Abijah’s birth secures succession; the lesser-known sons show God’s care for every name; and Shelomith’s “peace” points forward to the lasting peace only the future Son of David can give. Even amid political maneuvering and personal compromise, the LORD continues to weave His unbreakable promises through the human family tree. |
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