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2 Crônicas 13

ARC · Chapter 13/36

1No anno decimo oitavo do rei Jeroboão reinou Abias sobre Israel.

2Tres annos reinou em Jerusalem; e era o nome de sua mãe Michaia, filha d'Uriel de Gibea: e houve guerra entre Abias e Jeroboão.

3E Abias ordenou a peleja com um exercito de varões bellicosos, de quatrocentos mil homens escolhidos: e Jeroboão dispoz contra elle a batalha de oitocentos mil homens escolhidos, todos varões valentes.

4E poz-se Abias em pé em cima do monte de Zemaraim, que está na montanha d'Ephraim, e disse: Ouvi-me, Jeroboão e todo o Israel:

5Porventura não vos convem saber que o Senhor Deus d'Israel deu para sempre a David a soberania sobre Israel, a elle e a seus filhos, por um concerto de sal?

6Comtudo levantou-se Jeroboão, filho de Nebat, servo de Salomão, filho de David, e se rebellou contra seu senhor.

7E ajuntaram-se a elle homens vadios, filhos de Belial; e fortificaram-se contra Roboão, filho de Salomão, sendo Roboão ainda mancebo, e terno de coração, e não se podia esforçar contra elles.

8E agora cuidaes d'esforçar-vos contra o reino do Senhor, que está na mão dos filhos de David: bem sois vós uma grande multidão, e tendes comvosco os bezerros d'oiro que Jeroboão vos fez para deuses.

9Não lançastes vós fora os sacerdotes do Senhor, os filhos d'Aarão, e os levitas, e não fizestes para vós sacerdotes, como as gentes das outras terras? qualquer que vem a consagrar-se com um novilho e sete carneiros logo se faz sacerdote d'aquelles que não são deuses.

10Porém, quanto a nós, o Senhor é nosso Deus, e nunca o deixámos: e os sacerdotes, que ministram ao Senhor são filhos d'Aarão, e os levitas se occupam na sua obra.

11E queimam ao Senhor cada manhã e cada tarde holocaustos, incenso aromatico, com os pães da proposição sobre a mesa pura, e o castiçal d'oiro, e as suas alampadas para se accenderem cada tarde, porque nós temos cuidado do serviço do Senhor nosso Deus; porém vós o deixastes.

12E eis-que Deus está comnosco na dianteira, como tambem os seus sacerdotes, tocando com as trombetas, para dar alarme contra vós, ó filhos d'Israel; não pelejeis contra o Senhor Deus de vossos paes; porque não prosperareis.

13Mas Jeroboão fez uma emboscada em volta, para darem sobre elles por detraz; de maneira que estavam defronte de Judah e a emboscada por detraz d'elles.

14Então Judah olhou, e eis-que tinham a pelejar por diante e por detraz: então clamaram ao Senhor; e os sacerdotes tocaram as trombetas.

15E os homens de Judah gritaram: e succedeu que, gritando os homens de Judah, Deus feriu a Jeroboão e a todo o Israel diante d'Abias e de Judah.

16E os filhos d'Israel fugiram de diante de Judah; e Deus os entregou na sua mão.

17De maneira que Abias e o seu povo fez grande estrago entre elles; porque cairam feridos d'Israel quinhentos mil homens escolhidos.

18E foram abatidos os filhos d'Israel n'aquelle tempo; e os filhos de Judah prevaleceram porque confiaram no Senhor Deus de seus paes.

19E Abias seguiu após Jeroboão; e tomou a Bethel com os logares da sua jurisdicção, e a Jesana com os logares da sua jurisdicção, e a Ephron com os logares da sua jurisdicção.

20E Jeroboão não reteve mais nenhuma força nos dias d'Abias: porém o Senhor o feriu, e morreu.

21Abias pois se fortificou, e tomou para si quatorze mulheres, e gerou vinte e dois filhos e dezeseis filhas.

22Os mais successos pois d'Abias, tanto os seus caminhos como as suas palavras, estão escriptos na historia do propheta Iddo.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Abijah, son of Rehoboam, becomes king of Judah and faces war against Jeroboam, king of Israel. Despite being outnumbered, Abijah delivers a theological speech before the battle and, with God's help, wins an overwhelming victory.

Explanation

Abijah's speech before the battle is remarkably theological for a military setting: he argues that Judah remains faithful because it maintains the legitimate priesthood, the correct sacrifices, and proper worship at the temple, while the northern kingdom had abandoned all of this for golden calves and illegitimate priests. Judah's impressive victory, despite having half the army of Israel, is attributed directly to trust in the Lord, reinforcing a central theme of the book: military victory depends more on spiritual faithfulness than on the size of the forces involved. It is interesting to note that Abijah, despite winning this particular battle, is not portrayed as a particularly exemplary king in other aspects of his personal life.

Fun facts

  • The parallel account in 1 Kings 15 describes Abijah in a much more critical light, focusing on his personal sins, while the chronicler chooses to highlight mainly this specific military victory and his theological speech, showing once again the deliberate editorial selection of each biblical author.
  • Jeroboam's strategic ambush, surrounding Judah's army on two sides, would almost have succeeded had it not been for the people's urgent cry to God at the critical moment of the battle, a detail that reinforces the supernatural turnaround of the outcome.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Crônicas 13:1Abijah begins to reign in Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel — the Chronicler synchronizes the two rival kingdoms.
  2. 2 Crônicas 13:2Abijah reigns only three years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Michaiah, and the chapter announces right away that the war between him and Jeroboam continues.
  3. 2 Crônicas 13:3Both armies are enormous: four hundred thousand chosen men under Abijah against eight hundred thousand under Jeroboam — a gap too large to explain by military strategy alone.
  4. 2 Crônicas 13:4Before the battle, Abijah climbs a mountain and addresses Jeroboam and all the army of Israel directly, asking them to hear him.
  5. 2 Crônicas 13:5Abijah opens his speech by recalling that God gave the kingdom to David and his descendants forever, through a “covenant of salt” — an ancient expression meaning it was permanent and unbreakable.
  6. 2 Crônicas 13:6Abijah accuses Jeroboam of having rebelled against his own master, since he was originally a servant of Solomon before becoming a rival king.
  7. 2 Crônicas 13:7Abijah describes Jeroboam’s first followers as “vain men, the children of Belial” who took advantage of Rehoboam while he was still young and inexperienced to strengthen themselves against him.
  8. 2 Crônicas 13:8Abijah challenges Jeroboam: even with a huge army and the golden calves he made for himself as gods, that doesn’t change the fact that they are fighting against the kingdom that belongs to David’s line.
  9. 2 Crônicas 13:9Abijah uses religious legitimacy as a battle argument: in Judah the priests are still of Aaron’s line, while Jeroboam made priests of his own and golden calves to worship. It’s a speech that mixes military strategy with theology, right before the battle.
  10. 2 Crônicas 13:10In contrast to Israel, Abijah claims that Judah never abandoned the Lord — the priests there are still legitimate descendants of Aaron, and the Levites still carry out their original duties.
  11. 2 Crônicas 13:11Abijah lists what the priests of Judah still do right: burnt offerings and incense every day, the showbread, the gold lampstand kept lit — all according to the law, unlike what Israel abandoned.
  12. 2 Crônicas 13:12Abijah ends the speech with a warning: God is on Judah’s side, leading with His own priests sounding the trumpets — and he warns that fighting against the Lord will not go well for Israel.
  13. 2 Crônicas 13:13While Abijah is still speaking, Jeroboam sets an ambush, positioning part of the army behind Judah’s troops without their noticing.
  14. 2 Crônicas 13:14Surrounded from front and back, Judah’s army cries out to God, and the priests sound the trumpets in the middle of the crisis.
  15. 2 Crônicas 13:15At the war cry of the men of Judah, God intervenes directly and defeats Jeroboam and all the army of Israel before Abijah.
  16. 2 Crônicas 13:16The soldiers of Israel flee before Judah, and the text credits the victory directly to God, who delivers them into the enemy’s hand.
  17. 2 Crônicas 13:17Five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fall in this battle, according to the text — a staggering number even by the standards of ancient warfare, and as with other passages in the book, scholars debate whether these figures should be read literally or as an ancient form of rhetorical exaggeration marking the greatness of the victory.
  18. 2 Crônicas 13:18The battle’s summary is clear: Israel is defeated and Judah prevails because it relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors — the central point of the chapter’s message.
  19. 2 Crônicas 13:19Abijah presses his victory by pursuing Jeroboam and taking the cities of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephrain, along with the villages around them.
  20. 2 Crônicas 13:20Jeroboam never regains strength in the days of Abijah, and the text concludes flatly that the Lord struck him, and he died.
  21. 2 Crônicas 13:21Abijah consolidates his power and builds a large family: fourteen wives, twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.
  22. 2 Crônicas 13:22The rest of Abijah’s reign, both his actions and his words, is recorded in the work of the prophet Iddo, cited as a source by the Chronicler.

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