“Now you intend to withstand the kingdom of Yahweh in the hand of the sons of David. You are a great multitude, and the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods are with you.
Parallel Translations
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“Now you intend to withstand the kingdom of Yahweh in the hand of the sons of David. You are a great multitude, and the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods are with you.
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And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
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And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.
Cross-references (14)
Passages linked to 2 Chronicles 13:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Kings 12:28 So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and behold your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
- 2 Chronicles 11:15 He himself appointed priests for the high places, for the male goats, and for the calves which he had made.
- 1 Kings 14:9 but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back;
- 2 Chronicles 9:8 Blessed be Yahweh your God, who delighted in you, to set you on his throne, to be king for Yahweh your God; because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever. Therefore he made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”
- 2 Chronicles 14:9-11 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million troops and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. Asa cried to Yahweh his God, and said, “Yahweh, there is no one besides you to help, between the mighty and him who has no strength. Help us, Yahweh our God; for we rely on you, and in your name are we come against this multitude. Yahweh, you are our God. Don’t let man prevail against you.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:6 and he said, “Yahweh, the God of our fathers, aren’t you God in heaven? Aren’t you ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, so that no one is able to withstand you.
- 2 Chronicles 20:12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
- Psalms 2:1-6 Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying, “Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath: “Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”
- Psalms 33:16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
- Isaiah 7:6-7 “Let’s go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let’s divide it among ourselves, and set up a king within it, even the son of Tabeel.” This is what the Lord Yahweh says: “It shall not stand, neither shall it happen.”
- Isaiah 9:6-7 For a child is born to us. A son is given to us; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David’s throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.
- Hosea 8:5-6 Let Samaria throw out his calf idol! My anger burns against them! How long will it be until they are capable of purity? For this is even from Israel! The workman made it, and it is no God; indeed, the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
- Luke 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’
- Luke 19:27 But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’ ”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 2Ch 13:8 And now ye think to withstand the…
2Ch 13:8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye [be] a great multitude, and [there are] with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
Ver. 8. To withstand the kingdom of the Lord.] And so, giant-like, to fight against God. Is that ever like to do well? "Do ye provoke the Lord to anger? are ye stronger than he?"
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And there are with you golden calves.] In the camp perhaps, as 1Ch 14:12.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The kingdom of the Lord in the land of…
The kingdom of the Lord in the land of the sons of David; that kingdom which was not set up by vain men in pursuance of their own ambition and discontent, as yours was, but ordained and established by God himself in the house of David.
And ye be a great multitude, or because (that Hebrew particle being oft so used) ye be, &c. This he mentions partly as the ground of their confidence, that they had more tribes and a greater host; and partly as a presage of their downfall, which trusting to the arm of flesh is.
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And there are with you golden calves, or, but there are, &c. There is that among you which may damp your courage and confidence: you worship those images which God abhors and severely forbids.
For gods, or for God, as that plural word is most commonly used, i.e. instead of God, to give them the name of God, as Exo 32:4, and that worship which is peculiar to him.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Have ye not cast out the priests of the…
Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord the sons of Aaron, and the Levites,.... Because they would not sacrifice to his idols, and that they might not instruct the people in the pure worship of God, and that he and his people might be free from the payment of tithes, firstfruits, &c. and their cities fall into his hands:
and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? after the manner of the Gentiles, without any regard to any particular tribe, which God had appointed those to be taken from:
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so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams; which were five more than what were required by the law of Moses for the consecration of a priest, Exo 29:1, the same
may be a priest of them that are no gods; by nature, only nominal and fictitious deities, as the calves were, which had no divinity in them, see Kg1 13:31.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Golden calves - There is that among you which…
Golden calves - There is that among you which may damp your confidence: you worship those images which God abhors.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 2Ch 13:8. Ye think to withstand the kingdom of…
2Ch 13:8. Ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord — That kingdom which was not set up by vain men, in pursuance of their own ambition and discontent, as yours was, but ordained and established by God himself in the house of David. And ye be — Or, because ye be, a great multitude — This he mentions, as being both the ground of their confidence, namely, that they had more tribes, and a greater host; and also a presage of their downfall, which their trusting to the arm of flesh was. And there are with you golden calves — Or, But there are, &c. There is that among you which may damp your courage and confidence: you worship those images which God abhors. Which Jeroboam made you for gods — Or, for God, as that plural word is most commonly used: that is, instead of God, to give them the name of God, and that worship which is peculiar to him.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain And golden. These idols will enervate and render your…
And golden. These idols will enervate and render your great numbers useless. (Haydock) --- We have a just cause and religion is on our side. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (8) And now ye think.—Literally, say, i.e., in your…
(8) And now ye think.—Literally, say, i.e., in your hearts (2Ch_2:1).
To withstand the kingdom.—Literally, to show yourselves strong before the kingdom, as in last verse.
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In (through) the hand of the sons of David.—The meaning is, the kingdom which Jehovah holds by the instrumentality of the house of David, as His earthly representatives. (Comp. Vulg., “regno Domini quod possidet per filios David.” (See 1Ch_29:23).
And there are with you golden calves.—And therefore you believe yourselves assured of Divine aid, in addition to the strength of numbers. But your trust is delusive, for Jeroboam made the objects of your fond idolatry (see Isa_44:9-17); and you have superseded the only lawful worship of Jehovah (2Ch_13:9).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 8, 9. The five succeeding thrusts of these…
Vers. 8, 9. The five succeeding thrusts of these two verses, prefaced by the somewhat self-conscious but, nevertheless, validly pleaded orthodoxy of his own position, are well delivered by Abijah. Jeroboam is scathed
(1) for his confidence in a great multitude;
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(2) for his golden calves for gods;
(3) for what amounted necessarily to the excommunication and repudiation of the priests of the Lord, time- and nation-honoured;
(4) for the mere manufacture of a new-fangled priesthood, and that after the modal of nations foreign and heathen;
(5) for the fact that, when these were made, they that made them, and the gods for whom they were made, were all three "like to" one another no true people, no true priests, and no gods at all! A young bullock and seven rams The consecration sacrifice for the whole line of priests was "one young bullock and two rams without blemish" (Exo_29:1, Exo_29:15; Lev_8:2) Of course, Jeroboam felt his own position in the matter so weak, that each false, illegitimate candidate for the priestly service must bring his sacrifice, and that a larger one by five rams than the divinely ordered one of Moses.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 the kingdom of Yahweh
the kingdom of Yahweh
This is a reference to a united Israel as it existed in the time of David and Solomon. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
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that is held within the hand of the descendants of David
Here the word "hand" represents authority and possession. Abijah is claiming that only the descendants of David have the rightful authority to rule Yahweh's kingdom. This can be stated in active form. AT: "that the descendants of David hold within their hand" or "which only the descendants of David have the authority to rule" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)
the golden calves that Jeroboam made
It might be best to translate so that the reader understands that Jeroboam had others make the golden calves. AT: "the golden calves that Jeroboam had his craftsmen make" (See: Metonymy)
But did you not drive out ... as the people of other lands do?
Abijah asks this rhetorical question to rebuke the people and to emphasize the positive answer that it anticipates. The question can be translated as a statement. AT: "But you drive out ... as the people of other lands do." (See: Rhetorical Question)
Whoever comes to serve as a priest
"Anyone who comes to serve as a priest"
a priest of what are not gods
The phrase "what are not gods" refers to the golden calves that Jeroboam had his craftsmen make. Although the priests served them as if they were gods, they were not really gods. AT: "a priest of idols that are not really gods" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
might
Yahweh
hand
descend
David
gold
false god
priest
Aaron
Levi
consecrate
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 13:8-9 Abijah’s speech made two key points about the…
13:8-9 Abijah’s speech made two key points about the rebellion of the north: The north rejected the only legitimate king, and they rejected the only legitimate place of worship. The revolt of the northerners, who chased away the proper priestly order, is sharply contrasted with “us” (13:10). Most objectionable was the worship of the calves and the role of the unauthorized priests.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.