2Ch 11:18-23 | KD | STEP | , information as to Rehoboam’s family relationships . - 2Ch 11:18. Instead of בּן we must read, with the Keri , many MSS, lxx, and Vulg., בּת: Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David. Among the sons of David ( ) no Jerimoth is found. If this name be not another form of יתרעם, , Jerimoth must have been a son of one of David’s concubines. Before the name אביחיל, ו must have been dropped out, and is to be supplied; so that Mahalath’s father and mother are both named: the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, i.e., David’s eldest brother ( ; ). For Abihail cannot be held to be a second wife of Rehoboam, because , “and she bore,” and , “and after her,” show that in only one wife is named. She bare him three sons, whose names occur only here ( ).

‏ 2 Chronicles 11:18-23

2Ch 11:18-19 2Ch 11:18-23, information as to Rehoboam’s family relationships. - 2Ch 11:18. Instead of בּן we must read, with the Keri, many MSS, lxx, and Vulg., בּת: Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David. Among the sons of David (1Ch 3:1-8) no Jerimoth is found. If this name be not another form of יתרעם, 1Ch 3:3, Jerimoth must have been a son of one of David’s concubines. Before the name אביחיל, ו must have been dropped out, and is to be supplied; so that Mahalath’s father and mother are both named: the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, i.e., David’s eldest brother (1Ch 2:13; 1Sa 17:13). For Abihail cannot be held to be a second wife of Rehoboam, because 2Ch 11:19, “and she bore,” and 2Ch 11:20, “and after her,” show that in 2Ch 11:18 only one wife is named. She bare him three sons, whose names occur only here (2Ch 11:19). 2Ch 11:20

Maachah the daughter, i.e., the granddaughter, of Absalom; for she cannot have been Absalom’s daughter, because Absalom, according to 2Sa 14:27, had only one daughter, Tamar by name, who must have been fifty years old at Solomon’s death. According to 2Sa 18:18, Absalom left no son; Maachah therefore can only be a daughter of Tamar, who, according to 2Ch 13:2, was married to Uriel of Gibeah: see on 1Ki 15:2. Abijah, the oldest son of Maachah, whom his father nominated his successor (2Ch 11:22 and 2Ch 12:16), is called in the book of Kings constantly Abijam, the original form of the name, which was afterwards weakened into Abijah. 2Ch 11:21-22

Only these wives with their children are mentioned by name, though besides these Rehoboam had a number of wives, 18 wives and 60 (according to Josephus, 30) concubines, who bore him twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. Rehoboam trod in his father’s footsteps in this not quite praise-worthy point. The eldest son of Maachah he made head (לראשׁ), i.e., prince, among his brethren; להמליכו כּי, for to make him king, scil. was his intention. The infin. with ל is here used in the swiftness of speech in loose connection to state with what further purpose he had appointed him נגיד; cf. Ew. §351, c, at the end. 2Ch 11:23

And he did wisely, and dispersed of all his sons in all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, i.e., dispersed all his sons so, that they were placed in all parts of Judah and Benjamin in the fenced cities, and he gave them victual in abundance, and he sought (for them) a multitude of wives. שׁאל, to ask for, for the father brought about the marriage of his sons. He therefore took care that his sons, by being thus scattered in the fenced cities of the country as their governors, were separated from each other, but also that they received the necessary means for living in a way befitting their princely rank, in the shape of an abundant maintenance and a considerable number of wives. They were thus kept in a state of contentment, so that they might not make any attempt to gain the crown, which he had reserved for Abijah; and in this lay the wisdom of his conduct.