2 Chronicles 13:7

Void of the fear of God, and all that is good: the children of Belial: men unprofitable, good for nothing, or that had cast off the yoke of the law of God, were lawless and abandoned persons: And have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon: rejected his government of them; went into a strong opposition to him, and set up another king over them: when Rehoboam was young and tender hearted, and could not withstand them; not that he was young in years, for he was forty one years of age when he began to reign; though Joshua is called a young man when he is supposed to be between fifty and sixty years of age Exodus 33:11, and though "adolescentia" and "juventus" are both used in Latin writers for "youth", yet Varro (q) distinguishes them, and makes the former to begin at the year fifteen, and continue to the year thirty, and the latter to begin at thirty, and end at forty five; so that, according to this, Rehoboam was then in his stage of youth; but perhaps the meaning here is, that he was young in the kingdom, scarcely settled on his throne, and the advantage of that was taken; not was he cowardly and fearful; and if Abijah meant that by "tender heartedness", he not only reproached but belied his father; for he would have fought with Israel in order to have reduced them to obedience, but was forbidden by the Lord; if by "tender hearted", he means that he had a tender regard to the command of God, it is true; but that seems not to be his sense, but the former.

13:1-22 Abijah overcomes Jeroboam. - Jeroboam and his people, by apostacy and idolatry, merited the severe punishment Abijah was permitted to execute upon them. It appears from the character of Abijah, 1Ki 15:3, that he was not himself truly religious, yet he encouraged himself from the religion of his people. It is common for those that deny the power of godliness, to boast of the form of it. Many that have little religion themselves, value it in others. But it was true that there were numbers of pious worshippers in Judah, and that theirs was the more righteous cause. In their distress, when danger was on every side, which way should they look for deliverance unless upward? It is an unspeakable comfort, that our way thither is always open. They cried unto the Lord. Earnest prayer is crying. To the cry of prayer they added the shout of faith, and became more than conquerors. Jeroboam escaped the sword of Abijah, but God struck him; there is no escaping his sword.

2 Chronicles 13:7. Vain men, children of Belial — Such as have cast off the yoke and the obedience which they owed both to God and to their king. When Rehoboam was young — Not in age, for he was then forty-one years old, but in his kingdom, which he had but newly obtained, and in experience in politics, and especially in military affairs, to which he was, indeed, wholly a stranger, having been born and brought up in a time of great peace and security.

7 . are gathered ] R.V. were gathered . children of Belial ] R.V. sons of Belial (mg. sons of worthlessness ). The general sense “worthless persons” is clear, but the precise meaning of Belial , and whether the word be a proper name or a common noun, cannot be decided at present. young ] Lit. a child . If this word is to be literally understood, the statement made is erroneous, for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign ( 2 Chronicles 12:13 ). It is probable, however, that the word is used metaphorically to describe one who was young (as indeed his conduct shewed) in experience of government; so Solomon ( 1 Kings 3:7 ) calls himself a little child , by which he simply meant to express his consciousness of the smallness of his own ability when compared with the greatness of the task which lay before him. Cp. 1 Chronicles 29:1 . tender hearted ] i.e., according to Heb. phraseology, weak in understanding , the heart being considered to be the seat of the mind. Or we may translate the Heb. phrase as in Deuteronomy 20:8 , fainthearted .

The children of Belial; such as have cast off the yoke and obedience which they owed both to God and to their king. When Rehoboam was young; not in age, for he was then forty-one years old, but in his kingdom, which he had but newly obtained, and in experience in politic, and especially in military, affairs, to which he was wholly a stranger, as having been born and bred up in a time of great peace and security. Tender-hearted, i.e. cowardly and fearful, who durst not adventure to chastise the rebels as he should have done. But therein Abijah forgets his duty, both to his father, whom he falsely traduceth; and to God, by whose express command Rehoboam was restrained from the war against Israel, which otherwise he had both courage and resolution to prosecute, as appears from the history, 1 Kings 12:21 .

And there are gathered unto him {g} vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was {h} young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them. (g) This word in the Chaldee tongue is Racha, which our saviour uses, Mt 5:22. (h) Meaning, in heart and courage.

It has been proposed to change the numbers, here and in 2 Chronicles 13:17 , into 40,000, 80,000, and 50,000 respectively - partly because these smaller numbers are found in many early editions of the Vulgate, but mainly because the larger ones are thought to be incredible. The numbers accord well, however, with the census of the people taken in the reign of David 1 Chronicles 21:5 , joined to the fact which the writer has related 2 Chronicles 11:13-17 , of a considerable subsequent emigration from the northern kingdom into the southern one. The total adult male population at the time of the census was 1,570, 000. The total of the fighting men now is 1,200, 000. This would allow for the aged and infirm 370, 000, or nearly a fourth of the whole. And in 2 Chronicles 13:17 , our author may be understood to mean that this was the entire Israelite loss in the course of the war, which probably continued through the whole reign of Abijah.

Verse 7. - Are gathered... have strengthened themselves . The aorist tense is needed for the rendering in both these cases; e.g. "And vain men gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against him." Vain men ; Hebrew, רֵקִים . This word, and one very slightly different in form, and their adverb, occur in all forty-one times; rendered in the Authorized Version "empty" nineteen times, "vain" eighteen times, and "without cause," "to no purpose," and "void" the remaining four times. It is the word that is used of the "empty" pit of Joseph ( Genesis 37:24 ); of the "empty ears" of corn ( Genesis 41:27 ); of "empty" pitchers and other vessels ( Judges 7:16 ; 2 Kings 4:3 ; Jeremiah 14:3 ; Jeremiah 51:34 ; Ezekiel 24:11 ). And in all the other cases expresses metaphorically the emptiness of head, of heart, or of reason, with the same simple force of language appropriate, it appears, then as now. Children of Belial ; Hebrew, בְלִיַּעַל . This word is found twenty-seven times, and, including seven marginal options, is rendered in the Authorized Version "Belial" twenty-three times; the four exceptions being "wicked" three times, and "naughty" once. The derivation of it marks the one expressive meaning of "without profit." Young and tender-hearted .

Hard as it is to put these objections to the credit of a man forty-one years of age (see our note, 2 Chronicles 10:8 ; 2 Chronicles 12:13 ) at all, yet, if so, they can only be explained as some do explain them, of a blamable ignorance, inexperience, and instability. 2 Chronicles 13:7

(7) And there are gathered. —Omit are. Vain men (rĕqîm, Judges 9:4; Judges 11:3).—Said of the followers of Abimelech and the freebooter Jephthah. Neither this nor the following phrase, “the children of Belial” (literally, sons of worthlessness, i.e., men of low character and estimation) occurs again in the Chronicles. (See Judges 19:22; Judges 20:13; 1Kings 21:10; 1Kings 21:13, for the latter.) Have strengthened.—Omit have. Young and tender-hearted.—Rather, a youth and soft of heart, faint-hearted. A similar phrase occurred 1Chronicles 29:1. The expression is somewhat inexact, as Rehoboam was forty-one when he ascended the throne (2Chronicles 12:13). But Abijah is naturally anxious to put the case as strongly as possible against Jeroboam, and to avoid all blame of his own father. In 2 Chronicles 10 Rehoboam appears as haughty and imperious, rather than timid and soft-hearted. Could not withstand them.—Did not show himself strong or firm (2Chronicles 12:13). Against them.—Before them. (Comp. 1Chronicles 12:17; a usage of the chronicler’s.)