2 Chronicles 13


2 Chronicles 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Second Book of Chronicles the Old Testament in the Christian Bible or of the second part of the Books of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible. The book is compiled from older sources by an unknown person or group, designated by modern scholars as "the Chronicler", and had the final shape established in late fifth or fourth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the kingdom of Judah until its destruction by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar and the beginning of restoration under Cyrus the Great of Persia . The focus of this chapter is the reign of Abijah, king of Judah.

Text

This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and is divided into 22 verses in Christian Bibles, but 23 verses in the Hebrew Bible with the following verse numbering comparison:
EnglishHebrew
14:113:23
14:2-1514:1-14

This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Aleppo Codex, and Codex Leningradensis.
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus, and Codex Alexandrinus.

Old Testament references

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Abijah king of Judah (13:1–2)

The information about Abijah's reign over Judah contains no judgement, which is otherwise only given to Jehoahaz, and a report of his victory over Jeroboam, preceded by a sermon on the mount which portrays the basic relationship between the northern and southern kingdoms.

Verse 1

  • Parallel: 1 Kings 15:1
  • "In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam": in Thiele's chronology, Abijah became king between April and September 913 BCE, at an unknown age. This is the only recorded synchronism with the northern kingdom in the Chronicles.
  • Abijah: spelled as "Abijam" in 1 Kings 15:1.

Verse 2

  • Parallel: 1 Kings 15:2
  • "He reigned three years": In Thiele's chronology, Abijah started to reign between April and September 913 BCE, then died between September 911 and April 910 BCE, at an unknown age.
  • "Michaiah": spelled following Masoretic Text. In Greek Septuagint, Syriac dan Arabic versions, it is spelled as "Maachah" as in 1 Kings 15:2 . states that Abijah was born of "Maachah the daughter of Absalom". The word "daughter" in Hebrew may also stand for "granddaughter". Josephus notes that Maachah was the daughter of Tamar, the only daughter of Absalom, so "Uriel of Gibeah" must have been the husband of Tamar.

War between Abijah and Jeroboam (13:3–22)

This section consists of preparations for war, a lengthy speech, and the description of an actual battle between the army of Abijah and that of Jeroboam. Abijah's army was only half the size of Jeroboam's, suggesting that on human terms, northern Israel should be victorious. Still, Abijah made a 'stylistically and rhetorically artistic speech', calling on the people of the northern kingdom to return to the legitimate rule of the David's line, the legitimate office of priesthood in Jerusalem, and the legitimate worship in the temple of Jerusalem, from the idolatrous worship of Jeroboam with his own priests serving that of 'no gods'. The 'enumeration of Judean orthopraxis' by Abijah describes the Temple worship during the period of United Monarchy with reference to the tabernacle worship at the time of Moses. The battle had the elements of tactics by the Israelites, who prepared an ambush, and the holy warfare by the Judeans, for whom the Lord acted to strike down Jeroboam's troops, enabling the Judeans to kill 500,000 chosen men of Israel.

Verse 4

  • "Mount Zemaraim": not mentioned elsewhere, presumably a mountain or hill near the borders of Benjamin and Ephraim, above the place called Zemaraim in Benjamin's territory, mentioned between the places called Beth ha-Arabah and Bethel. The mountains of Ephraim runs from the Plain of Esdraelon, through the midst of the area later called Samaria, to the territory of Judah.

Verse 22

  • "Story": from Hebrew: midrash, a term that is repeated only once in the Hebrew Bible, can also be translated as "exposition, study, commentary". 2 Chronicles 9:29 and 12:15 also refer to the prophet Iddo.