Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary2 Chronicles 13

v. 2: Abijah ruled in Jerusalem for three years. During his reign, there was war between him and Jeroboam, the king of Israel.

v. 3: Abijah went to battle with 400,000 brave soldiers, but Jeroboam had 800,000 strong men. Even though Abijah’s army was smaller, both sides were full of mighty and chosen men .

v. 4: Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and spoke to Jeroboam and all Israel. He tried to reason with them, asking them not to fight against the house of David, because God had given the kingdom to David’s family forever (2 Chronicles 13:5 ).

v. 5: Abijah reminded them that God made a lasting covenant with David and his sons, called a “covenant of salt.” This meant the promise was strong and could not be broken.

v. 6: He pointed out that Jeroboam had rebelled against Rehoboam, his master, and took advantage of a difficult time. Abijah said that Jeroboam’s supporters were “vain men” who did not act from good principles .

v. 7: These men were called “men of Belial,” meaning they were troublemakers who wanted to break away from true leadership and do whatever they wanted.

v. 8: Abijah warned that fighting against the house of David was really fighting against the kingdom of the Lord

v. 9: He criticized Jeroboam for making anyone a priest, even if they were not Levites, and for worshipping idols like golden calves. This was against God’s law .

v. 10: Abijah said that Judah had not forsaken God. They still worshipped the Lord

v. 11: He explained that Judah kept the temple service and followed God’s instructions for worship. They offered the right sacrifices and kept the lamps burning, as God had commanded .

v. 12: Abijah declared that God was with them as their leader. The priests were there with trumpets to sound the alarm, just as God had commanded in the law (Numbers 10:9 ). He warned Israel not to fight against the God of their fathers, because they could not succeed.

Jeroboam Defeated by AbijahThis section tells how Jeroboam, king of Israel, used a secret military strategy against Abijah, king of Judah, but was defeated. The story shows the difference between trusting in clever plans and trusting in God. Even though Abijah and Judah were surrounded and in great danger, they cried out to the Lord

v. 14: When the people of Judah saw that they were trapped, with enemies before and behind, they cried out to the Lord

v. 15: The men of Judah shouted for joy and confidence in God’s help. As they shouted, God struck Jeroboam and Israel with fear and confusion, so they started to run away. Judah won the battle because God fought for them .

v. 16–17: The Israelites tried to escape, but God gave them into Judah’s hands. Abijah and his army killed 500,000 of Israel’s best soldiers—a huge defeat, showing that the battle belonged to God. But it was also a sad day, because it was Israelites fighting against Israelites (2 Chronicles 13:16–17 ).

v. 18–19: After the victory, Judah was strong, and Israel was humbled, because Judah trusted in the Lord

v. 20: Jeroboam never regained his power after this defeat. The Lord

v. 21–22: Abijah became powerful, had fourteen wives, and many sons and daughters. The rest of his story and his sayings were written in the records of the prophet Iddo (2 Chronicles 13:21-22 ). Even though Abijah was successful, his life was relatively short. This reminds us that victory and success are gifts from God, but we should not become proud or think only of ourselves.