2Ch 11:18-22 | 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 11:18-22

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.