Show Bible Commentary For A Bible Verse

Click here to show/hide instructions.

Selected Verse: 1 Kings 12:21 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
1Ki 12:21	Strong Concordance	And when Rehoboam [07346] was come [0935] to Jerusalem [03389], he assembled [06950] all the house [01004] of Judah [03063], with the tribe [07626] of Benjamin [01144], an hundred [03967] and fourscore [08084] thousand [0505] chosen men [0977], which were warriors [06213] [04421], to fight [03898] against the house [01004] of Israel [03478], to bring [07725] the kingdom [04410] again [07725] to Rehoboam [07346] the son [01121] of Solomon [08010].
	King James	And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

Open All | Close All Open All | Close All

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
The adhesion of Benjamin to Judah at this time comes upon us as a surprise. By blood Benjamin was far more closely connected with Ephraim than with Judah. All the traditions of Benjamin were antagonistic to Judah, and hitherto the weak tribe had been accustomed to lean constantly on its strong northern neighhour. But it would seem that, in the half-century which had elapsed since the revolt of Sheba, the son of Bichri Sa2 20:1, the feelings of the Benjamites had undergone a complete change. This is best accounted for by the establishment of the religious and political capital at Jerusalem, on the border line of the two tribes Jos 15:8; Jos 18:16, from where it resulted that the new metropolis stood partly within the territory of either, and was in a certain sense common to both. One of the gates of Jerusalem was "the high gate of Benjamin" Jer 20:2; and probably Benjamites formed a considerable part of the population. The whole tribe also, we may well believe, was sincerely attached to the temple worship, in which they could participate far more freely and more constantly than the members of remoter tribes, and to which the habits of forty years had now accustomed them. On the number of the Israelites, see Exo 12:37, notes; and Sa2 24:9, notes. The number mentioned here is moderate, compared with the numbers given both previously and subsequently Ch2 13:3; Ch2 17:14-18.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

The adhesion of Benjamin to Judah at this time comes upon us as a surprise. By blood Benjamin was far more closely connected with Ephraim than with Judah. All the traditions of Benjamin were antagonistic to Judah, and hitherto the weak tribe had been accustomed to lean constantly on its strong northern neighhour. But it would seem that, in the half-century which had elapsed since the revolt of Sheba, the son of Bichri Sa2 20:1, the feelings of the Benjamites had undergone a complete change. This is best accounted for by the establishment of the religious and political capital at Jerusalem, on the border line of the two tribes Jos 15:8; Jos 18:16, from where it resulted that the new metropolis stood partly within the territory of either, and was in a certain sense common to both. One of the gates of Jerusalem was "the high gate of Benjamin" Jer 20:2; and probably Benjamites formed a considerable part of the population. The whole tribe also, we may well believe, was sincerely attached to the temple worship, in which they could participate far more freely and more constantly than the members of remoter tribes, and to which the habits of forty years had now accustomed them.

On the number of the Israelites, see Exo 12:37, notes; and Sa2 24:9, notes. The number mentioned here is moderate, compared with the numbers given both previously and subsequently Ch2 13:3; Ch2 17:14-18.

Top

¹⁴ And these are the numbers [06486] of them according to the house [01004] of their fathers [01]: Of Judah [03063], the captains [08269] of thousands [0505]; Adnah [05734] the chief [08269], and with him mighty men [01368] of valour [02428] three [07969] hundred [03967] thousand [0505].
¹⁵ And next [03027] to him was Jehohanan [03076] the captain [08269], and with him two hundred [03967] and fourscore [08084] thousand [0505].
¹⁶ And next [03027] him was Amasiah [06007] the son [01121] of Zichri [02147], who willingly offered [05068] himself unto the LORD [03068]; and with him two hundred [03967] thousand [0505] mighty men [01368] of valour [02428].
¹⁷ And of Benjamin [01144]; Eliada [0450] a mighty man [01368] of valour [02428], and with him armed men [05401] with bow [07198] and shield [04043] two hundred [03967] thousand [0505].
¹⁸ And next [03027] him was Jehozabad [03075], and with him an hundred [03967] and fourscore [08084] thousand [0505] ready prepared [02502] for the war [06635].

³ And Abijah [029] set [0631] the battle [04421] in array [0631] with an army [02428] of valiant men [01368] of war [04421], even four [0702] hundred [03967] thousand [0505] chosen [0977] men [0376]: Jeroboam [03379] also set the battle [04421] in array [06186] against him with eight [08083] hundred [03967] thousand [0505] chosen [0977] men [0376], being mighty men [01368] of valour [02428].

⁹ And Joab [03097] gave up [05414] the sum [04557] of the number [04662] of the people [05971] unto the king [04428]: and there were in Israel [03478] eight [08083] hundred [03967] thousand [0505] valiant [02428] men [0376] [0381] that drew [08025] the sword [02719]; and the men [0376] of Judah [03063] were five [02568] hundred [03967] thousand [0505] men [0376].

³⁷ And the children [01121] of Israel [03478] journeyed [05265] from Rameses [07486] to Succoth [05523], about six [08337] hundred [03967] thousand [0505] on foot [07273] that were men [01397], beside [0905] children [02945].

² Then Pashur [06583] smote [05221] Jeremiah [03414] the prophet [05030], and put [05414] him in the stocks [04115] that were in the high [05945] gate [08179] of Benjamin [01144], which was by the house [01004] of the LORD [03068].

¹⁶ And the border [01366] came down [03381] to the end [07097] of the mountain [02022] that lieth before [06440] the valley [01516] of the son [01121] of Hinnom [02011], and which is in the valley [06010] of the giants [07497] on the north [06828], and descended [03381] to the valley [01516] of Hinnom [02011], to the side [03802] of Jebusi [02983] on the south [05045], and descended [03381] to Enrogel [05883],

⁸ And the border [01366] went up [05927] by the valley [01516] of the son [01121] of Hinnom [02011] unto the south [05045] side [03802] of the Jebusite [02983]; the same is Jerusalem [03389]: and the border [01366] went up [05927] to the top [07218] of the mountain [02022] that lieth before [06440] the valley [01516] of Hinnom [02011] westward [03220], which is at the end [07097] of the valley [06010] of the giants [07497] northward [06828]:

¹ And there happened [07122] to be there a man [0376] of Belial [01100], whose name [08034] was Sheba [07652], the son [01121] of Bichri [01075], a Benjamite [01145]: and he blew [08628] a trumpet [07782], and said [0559], We have no part [02506] in David [01732], neither have we inheritance [05159] in the son [01121] of Jesse [03448]: every [0376] man [0376] to his tents [0168], O Israel [03478].