Strength breeds forgetting: 'when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of Hashem, and all Israel with him.' Shishak of Egypt comes up with twelve hundred chariots and takes the treasures of the house — Solomon’s golden shields become brass. But the princes humble themselves, and the word comes: 'They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them.' The epitaph is the book’s recurring verdict: 'And he did that which was evil, because he did not set his heart to seek Hashem.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of Hashem, and all Israel with him.
verse value 3724
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "he·forsook" (עָזַ֖ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·Israel" (וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "when·establishing" (כְּהָכִ֞ין), "the·law·of" (אֶת־תּוֹרַ֣ת). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "with·him" (root עם, 149x in II Chronicles); "and·it·came·to·pass" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·came·to·pass] (31) + כְּהָכִ֞ין [when·establishing] (105) + מַלְכ֤וּת [kingdom·of] (496) + רְחַבְעָם֙ [Rehoboam] (320) + וּכְחֶזְקָת֔וֹ [and·as·his·strength] (547) + עָזַ֖ב [he·forsook] (79) + אֶת־תּוֹרַ֣ת [the·law·of] (1407) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [and·all·Israel] (597) + עִמּֽוֹ [with·him] (116) = 3724.
Ralbag
'And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of Hashem, and all Israel with him' - At the time Rehoboam's kingdom was established and made as strong as it could then be made, he grew fat and kicked, forsaking the law of Hashem, and all his people with him. It was not long before Hashem, blessed be He, brought upon him the punishment he deserved: for in the second year of his rebellion, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and captured the fortified cities of Judah. It appears that Hashem, blessed be He, brought this about through His providence, in order to bring them back to faith in Him, as we explained in the Book of Kings.
Malbim
And it came to pass - One who serves Hashem out of love, without any external ulterior motive but solely for the sake of Hashem's name, will never depart from His service under any circumstance. But one who serves Hashem for external ends and other purposes will abandon Hashem once the matters for whose sake he served come to an end. So too Rehoboam served Hashem only because he knew that by this his hold on the kingdom would be strengthened against Jeroboam, the worshiper of the calves; therefore, as long as he feared Jeroboam, he served Hashem. But once the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he grew strong - through building fortified cities and having many from Israel come over to him - and he no longer feared Jeroboam, he forsook the law of Hashem. And all Israel, who had kept the law only because of the king's decree, forsook it along with him.
And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had dealt treacherously with Hashem,
verse value 3776
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "because" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Egypt" (מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֖יִם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "the·fifth" (הַֽחֲמִישִׁית֙). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "of·the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "and·it·came·to·pass" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root שישק ("Shishak") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֞י [and·it·came·to·pass] (31) + בַּשָּׁנָ֤ה [in·the·year] (357) + הַֽחֲמִישִׁית֙ [the·fifth] (773) + לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ [of·the·king] (120) + רְחַבְעָ֔ם [Rehoboam] (320) + עָלָ֛ה [went·up] (105) + שִׁישַׁ֥ק [Shishak] (710) + מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֖יִם [king·of·Egypt] (470) + עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [against·Jerusalem] (686) + כִּ֥י [because] (30) + מָעֲל֖וּ [they·acted·unfaithfully] (146) + בַּיהֹוָֽה [in·Hashem] (28) = 3776.
Metzudat David
'Because they had dealt treacherously with Hashem' — and it was because of this sin that the enemy came upon them.
Metzudat Zion
Dealt treacherously — They transgressed and rebelled.
Malbim
'And it came to pass' — [The verse] informs us that what Hashem had promised David (II Samuel 7:14) was now fulfilled: "He shall be a son to Me; when he goes astray I will chastise him with the rod of men, but My kindness I will not remove from him" — meaning that Hashem would deal with David's descendants as a father deals with his son. When a son strays from the good path, [a father] will not leave him alone until he is destroyed completely; rather, he punishes him at once, so as to bring him back to the right way. Therefore Hashem did not deal with Rehoboam as He dealt with Jeroboam, whom He did not punish until his measure had become full and a sentence of utter destruction was sealed against him. With Rehoboam, rather, it was only after he forsook the Torah of Hashem, in the fourth year of his reign (as above, 11:17), that Shishak came up against him — immediately afterward. And the cause of his coming up was that "they had dealt treacherously with Hashem" — it does not say "because they sinned," for [Hashem] did not wait until sins multiplied; rather, as soon as they were treacherous, He rebuked them. It was then that [Rehoboam] saw that all he had gathered — a great following from Israel — had been of no avail, for [Shishak] came up against him regardless.
with twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen; and the people were without number who came with him out of Egypt; the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.
verse value 4474
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "chariots" (רֶ֔כֶב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·two·hundred" (וּמָאתַ֙יִם֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: to·the·people, Sukkiim. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "with·thousand" (בְּאֶ֤לֶף), "and·with·sixty" (וּבְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים), "that·came" (אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֤אוּ). The root אלף appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·came" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "to·the·people" (root עם, 149x in II Chronicles); "with·thousand" (root אלף, 62x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מספר ("number") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root כושי ("and·Ethiopians") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'horsemen', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Metzudat Zion
The Lubim, etc. — These are names of nations.
Malbim
'With twelve hundred chariots,' and so on — the fortified cities that [Rehoboam] had strengthened proved of no avail, for [Shishak] captured the fortified cities.
And he took the fortified cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
verse value 2732
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jerusalem" (עַד־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "the·cities·of" (אֶת־עָרֵ֥י), "to·Jerusalem" (עַד־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "and·he·came" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "of·Judah" (root יהודה, 129x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root לכד ("and·he·captured") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּלְכֹּ֛ד [and·he·captured] (70) + אֶת־עָרֵ֥י [the·cities·of] (681) + הַמְּצֻר֖וֹת [the·fortifications] (741) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + לִיהוּדָ֑ה [of·Judah] (60) + וַיָּבֹ֖א [and·he·came] (19) + עַד־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [to·Jerusalem] (660) = 2732.
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 Hashem: You have forsaken Me, therefore I have also left you in the hand of Shishak.’
verse value 7423
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 103 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 7423 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "he·came" (בָּ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·were·gathered" (אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפ֥וּ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·Shemaiah" (וּֽשְׁמַעְיָ֤ה), "that·were·gathered" (אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפ֥וּ), "Me" (אֹתִ֔י). The root שישק appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles); "he·came" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root שמעיה ("and·Shemaiah") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shishak', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 11 words.
Malbim
'Now Shemaiah the prophet came' — here too Hashem dealt with them as a father deals with his son, letting him know that it is He who is chastising him, and that He is chastising him for his sins. So too the prophet came to inform them that the calamity had not come by chance, but only because they had forsaken Hashem.
Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said: ‘Hashem is righteous.’
verse value 1807
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1807 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "righteous" (צַדִּ֥יק, 4 letters) and the longest is "princes·of·Israel" (שָׂרֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "princes·of·Israel" (שָׂרֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "and·the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּכָּנְע֥וּ [and·they·humbled·themselves] (162) + שָׂרֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [princes·of·Israel] (1051) + וְהַמֶּ֑לֶךְ [and·the·king] (101) + וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ [and·they·said] (263) + צַדִּ֥יק [righteous] (204) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1807.
And when Hashem saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Hashem 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 upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
verse value 6705
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 93 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֨ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 196: they·humbled·themselves, they·have·humbled·themselves. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·when·seeing" (וּבִרְא֤וֹת), "to·Shemaiah" (אֶל־שְׁמַעְיָ֧ה), "I·will·destroy·them" (אַשְׁחִיתֵ֑ם). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "saying" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles); "was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root שחת ("I·will·destroy·them") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root פליטה ("for·deliverance") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·destroy·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
They have humbled themselves; I shall not destroy them A similar instance is found below (14: 6): “The land is still before us for we have sought, etc. we have sought.” So is the custom of the Scriptures, that when it interrupts in the middle, it repeats the word. An example is (Num. 10:32): “And it will be, if you go with us, it will be that the good, etc.”
Metzudat David
'Some deliverance' — meaning, a small measure of deliverance. 'By the hand of Shishak' — to be destroyed by his hand.
Metzudat Zion
Some deliverance — Rescue and a remnant. Poured out — This means pouring and emptying, as in 'and the curse ... has been poured out upon us' (Daniel 9:11).
Malbim
'And when Hashem saw that they humbled themselves' — that is, they admitted that they had been justly punished for their sins. 'The word of Hashem came [to Shemaiah, saying]: "They have humbled themselves"' — meaning, there is a difference between Hashem punishing in a destructive way, out of vengeance, and His striking in a healing way, in order to bring [the sinner] back, through that very punishment, onto the good path. And there is a difference between "anger" (af) and "wrath" (cheimah): "anger" is the outward, visible display of rage, while "wrath" is hatred retained in the heart. Punishment that comes in a destructive way comes through wrath — through hatred in the heart — but punishment that comes in a healing way, even though it presents an outward "anger" for appearance's sake, resembles a son whose father strikes him and shows him an angry face, while in his heart he loves him and intends it for his good, to heal him. This is the meaning of: since they had humbled themselves, "I will not destroy them" in a destructive way. And accordingly this punishment changes in two respects: first, "I will grant them some deliverance" — for had it been in a destructive way, no remnant at all would have been left to them; second, "My wrath shall not be poured out by the hand of Shishak" — meaning the punishment would not stem from wrath, but only for their healing.
Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know My service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.’
verse value 2567
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "nevertheless" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·shall·be·to·him" (יִֽהְיוּ־ל֖וֹ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "they·shall·be·to·him" (יִֽהְיוּ־ל֖וֹ), "and·they·will·know" (וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙), "My·service" (עֲב֣וֹדָתִ֔י). The root עבדה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·shall·be·to·him" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles); "nevertheless" (root כי, 131x in II Chronicles); "the·countries" (root ארץ, 74x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·servants', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֥י [nevertheless] (30) + יִֽהְיוּ־ל֖וֹ [they·shall·be·to·him] (67) + לַעֲבָדִ֑ים [to·servants] (156) + וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙ [and·they·will·know] (96) + עֲב֣וֹדָתִ֔י [My·service] (492) + וַעֲבוֹדַ֖ת [and·the·service·of] (488) + מַמְלְכ֥וֹת [kingdoms·of] (536) + הָאֲרָצֽוֹת [the·countries] (702) = 2567.
Rashi
For they will be his slaves [i.e., slaves] of Shishak and the other nations, as is explained. and they will know My service When they repent, no ruler of the kings of the nations will be over them, but when you abandon My Law, you will experience servitude to the kings of the lands, and you will serve them.
Metzudat David
'That they may know,' etc. — that they may know which is better: to serve Hashem, or to serve the kingdoms of the [other] lands; for had they served Hashem, the [foreign] kingdoms would not have ruled over them.
Malbim
'Nevertheless [they shall be his servants]' — by becoming his servants, they will take note and come to know the difference between serving Me and serving the kingdoms of the [other] countries, and they will return to serving Me, which is good and easy.
So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of Hashem, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all away; he took away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
verse value 7745
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 89 letters. The shortest word is "house·of" (בֵּ֣ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Egypt" (מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֘יִם֮, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 375: he·made, Solomon. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "the·treasures·of" (אֶת־אֹצְר֣וֹת), "and·the·treasures·of" (וְאֶת־אֹֽצְרוֹת֙), "the·whole" (אֶת־הַכֹּ֖ל). The root לקח appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "king·of·Egypt" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·took', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.
verse value 5289
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "captains·of" (שָׂרֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·stead" (תַּחְתֵּיהֶ֔ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: the·king, the·king. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "in·their·stead" (תַּחְתֵּיהֶ֔ם), "shields·of" (מָגִנֵּ֖י), "and·he·committed" (וְהִפְקִ֗יד). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "house·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root פקד ("and·he·committed") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root רוץ ("the·ones·running") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'brass', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֨עַשׂ [and·he·made] (386) + הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + רְחַבְעָם֙ [Rehoboam] (320) + תַּחְתֵּיהֶ֔ם [in·their·stead] (863) + מָגִנֵּ֖י [shields·of] (103) + נְחֹ֑שֶׁת [brass] (758) + וְהִפְקִ֗יד [and·he·committed] (205) + עַל־יַד֙ [to·hand·of] (114) + שָׂרֵ֣י [captains·of] (510) + הָרָצִ֔ים [the·ones·running] (345) + הַשֹּׁ֣מְרִ֔ים [the·ones·keeping] (595) + פֶּ֖תַח [door·of] (488) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + הַמֶּֽלֶךְ [the·king] (95) = 5289.
Rashi
and he entrusted them in the hands of the chiefs of the runners He took them from the house of the forest of Lebanon and entrusted them to the chiefs of the runners and afterwards they returned them to the chamber of the runners The room of the runners, i.e., to their place. Another explanation I heard from my mentor is that because he was afraid of the king of Egypt and the king of Israel, they would carry them [the shields] before him.
Metzudat Zion
In their stead — In their place. Committed [them] — A form of the word 'deposit.' To the hand of — Into the hand of.
Malbim
'And king Rehoboam made' — after Rehoboam saw that, through his humbling himself, the fierce anger of Hashem had turned away from him, he made himself a reminder, so that he would not return to folly once the enemy had departed from him. 'Shields of brass in their stead' — in place of the shields of gold, so that he would always remember that, because of his sins, the golden shields — which had been an ornament handed down to him from his forefathers — had been taken from him. 'And committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard' — he did not make these shields for any [practical] need, for he did not use them when going out to the provinces or to war, but only [for the following purpose]:
And it was so, that as often as the king entered into the house of Hashem, the guard came and bore them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.
verse value 2520
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2520 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "house·of" (בֵּ֣ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·sufficiency·to·enter" (מִדֵּי־ב֥וֹא, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 345: the·ones·running, the·ones·running. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "from·sufficiency·to·enter" (מִדֵּי־ב֥וֹא), "and·they·bore·them" (וּנְשָׂא֔וּם), "and·they·brought·them·back" (וֶהֱשִׁב֖וּם). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "house·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֛י [and·it·was] (31) + מִדֵּי־ב֥וֹא [from·sufficiency·to·enter] (63) + הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + בָּ֤אוּ [they·came] (9) + הָֽרָצִים֙ [the·ones·running] (345) + וּנְשָׂא֔וּם [and·they·bore·them] (403) + וֶהֱשִׁב֖וּם [and·they·brought·them·back] (359) + אֶל־תָּ֥א [to·chamber·of] (432) + הָרָצִֽים [the·ones·running] (345) = 2520.
Metzudat David
'Bore them' — to protect him from an enemy who might come suddenly. 'And brought them back' — after he had entered the king's house.
Metzudat Zion
As often as — Meaning at every time, as in 'as often as she went up' (I Samuel 1). Chamber — This means a certain room, as in 'and the chamber was one reed [long]' (Ezekiel 40).
Malbim
'As often as the king entered into the house of Hashem' — to pray, at which time he had no need of protection and defense. 'The guard came and bore them' before him — so that his heart would be humbled as he went to the house of Hashem, remembering that, because of his sin, he had brought bronze in place of gold; and so his heart was humbled.
And when he humbled himself, the anger of Hashem turned from him, that He would not destroy him altogether; and moreover in Judah there were good things found.
verse value 2003
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "it·turned" (שָׁ֤ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·his·humbling·himself" (וּבְהִכָּֽנְע֗וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·in·his·humbling·himself" (וּבְהִכָּֽנְע֗וֹ), "it·turned" (שָׁ֤ב), "to·destruction" (לְכָלָ֑ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·anger·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles); "in·Judah" (root יהודה, 129x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מן ("from·him") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·destruction', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבְהִכָּֽנְע֗וֹ [and·in·his·humbling·himself] (159) + שָׁ֤ב [it·turned] (302) + מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ [from·him] (136) + אַף־יְהֹוָ֔ה [the·anger·of·Hashem] (107) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + לְהַשְׁחִ֖ית [to·destroy] (753) + לְכָלָ֑ה [to·destruction] (85) + וְגַם֙ [and·also] (49) + בִּֽיהוּדָ֔ה [in·Judah] (32) + הָיָ֖ה [was] (20) + דְּבָרִ֥ים [things] (256) + טוֹבִֽים [good] (67) = 2003.
Rashi
And when he humbled himself, the Lord’s wrath returned from him He should have stated this above immediately when he said, “And Shishak... marched,” but he interrupted in between because he had to mention, “And...made instead of them shields of copper.”
Ralbag
'and moreover in Judah there were good things found' - That is, among the people of Judah too there were good things, and by their merit as well, the fierce anger of Hashem turned away from Rehoboam and from them.
Metzudat David
'When he humbled himself' — because he humbled himself, [the anger] turned back, etc.; Scripture does not say that He resolved to destroy him utterly. 'And moreover in Judah' — good and upright things were found among the men of Judah, and their merit protected them.
Malbim
'And when he humbled himself' — that is, through this humbling of himself, which he displayed continually. 'The anger of Hashem turned from him' — meaning that his first act of humbling himself, [done] while the enemy was still in his land, did not suffice to turn Hashem's anger away entirely, so that He would not punish him at all; only the "wrath" turned from him, while the "anger" remained, in that they remained servants to Shishak. But because he humbled himself in truth afterward as well — through a continual act, [prompted by] the remembrance of the shields carried before him for this very purpose — the "anger," too, turned away, until they were redeemed from servitude to Shishak. 'That He would not destroy him altogether' — meaning that at times the fierce anger of Hashem returns in order to destroy: one who has sinned much and stiffened his neck — Hashem removes His "anger," which had been punishing him (for "anger" signifies the punishment itself), so that he will go on sinning until his measure is full and he is destroyed completely. But here the "anger" turned away entirely through the king's humbling of himself, and also because of the people, for good things were found among them, on whose account they were saved — and it is for this reason that [the verse continues]:
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 Hashem had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there; and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
verse value 9789
Insights
Verse structure: 29 words, 128 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 9789 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·forty" (בֶן־אַרְבָּעִ֣ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 588: in·Jerusalem, in·Jerusalem. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "that·he·chose" (אֲשֶׁר־בָּחַ֨ר), "Naamah" (נַעֲמָ֖ה), "the·Ammonitess" (הָעַמֹּנִֽית). The root מלך appears 4 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "son·of·forty" (root בן, 225x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root אם ("his·mother") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root עמוני ("the·Ammonitess") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·reigned', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 24 words.
Rashi
And King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem And he explains why, because when he was first made king, he was forty-one years old; therefore, he had the strength and the power to strengthen himself. He was a year old when David died, for Solomon reigned forty years, and Solomon had not yet reigned when Rehoboam was born. We find that Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he reigned. the city that the Lord had chosen wherein to place His name, out of all the tribes of Israel but they deteriorated in their deeds, as it is written: “And he did that which was evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord,” and they caused the Shechinah to leave them, and it was as if they were complaining and demonstrating about that.
Metzudat David
'For he was forty-one years old,' etc. — and because he was advanced in years, he had the strength to establish himself firmly. 'Out of all the tribes' — out of all the cities of the tribes of Israel.
Malbim
'So king Rehoboam strengthened himself' — for a second time. 'And reigned' — he was no longer a servant to Shishak, but reigned in his own right; for although five years of his reign had already passed, he nevertheless reigned seventeen years and remained firmly established in his kingship. And the merit of Jerusalem, too, stood him in good stead, for it is the city that Hashem had chosen.
And he did that which was evil, because he did not set his heart to seek Hashem.
verse value 1812
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "because" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Hashem" (אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה, 6 letters). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "and·he·did" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "because" (root כי, 131x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root רעע ("the·evil") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֖עַשׂ [and·he·did] (386) + הָרָ֑ע [the·evil] (275) + כִּ֣י [because] (30) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + הֵכִין֙ [set] (85) + לִבּ֔וֹ [his·heart] (38) + לִדְר֖וֹשׁ [to·seek] (540) + אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (427) = 1812.
Metzudat David
'And he did that which was evil' — because his mother was the daughter of an idolater, and she taught him to do evil. 'Because he did not set his heart' — he did not search to gain understanding, to seek Hashem and know Him, for he relied instead on what his mother had taught him.
Malbim
'And he did that which was evil' — even though, through his humbling himself, he became established in his kingship, we still cannot say that he was like David; for he did evil in that he did not set his heart to seek Hashem, in a manner that he was to be judged as one who sinned inadvertently, through negligence, not as one who sinned deliberately or out of denial [of Hashem] — only that he did not set his heart toward the good, and did not inquire and seek. And because of this he was not judged as a denier or a deliberate sinner, and so Hashem had compassion on Jerusalem and left him in his kingship.
Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, after the manner of genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
verse value 4941
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "and·Iddo" (וְעִדּ֥וֹ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "and·Iddo" (וְעִדּ֥וֹ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·last" (וְהָאַ֣חֲרוֹנִ֔ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 320: Rehoboam, Rehoboam. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·Iddo" (וְעִדּ֥וֹ), "to·be·reckoned·genealogically" (לְהִתְיַחֵ֑שׂ), "and·wars·of" (וּמִלְחֲמ֧וֹת). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·acts·of" (root דבר, 108x in II Chronicles); "all·the·days" (root יום, 71x in II Chronicles); "not·they" (root הם, 41x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root יחש ("to·be·reckoned·genealogically") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·be·reckoned·genealogically', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
in the words of Shemaiah the prophet Every prophet would write his book, containing that which he prophesied, and this is the Shemaiah who was mentioned above (11:2, 12:5). And the verse written further (13:22), “And the rest of the deeds of Abijah and his ways and his words are written in the midrash of the prophet Iddo,” proves this, [that each prophet wrote a book of his prophecies, and] his [Iddo’s] book was called midrash.
Metzudat David
'After the manner of genealogies' — meaning, in their books, in which the record of the genealogy was recounted. 'Continually' — the wars between them went on continually; and although at first Rehoboam refrained from fighting against Jeroboam because of the word of the prophet, nevertheless after some time he returned to fighting him continually, until his death.
Malbim
'First' — before he sinned. 'And last' — after he sinned. 'After the manner of genealogies' — meaning, Iddo wrote the book of genealogy of the house of David, and he also wrote of the wars that were between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually, while Shemaiah the prophet wrote the rest of the matters.
Ralbag
Malbim