175
The LXX notice that she was the granddaughter of Nahash, king of Ammon.
176
It is hardly credible that Solomon should have contracted such an alliance before his accession to the
throne, which, of course, would be implied if Rehoboam was forty-one years old at the time of his father's
death. The Rabbis find a parallel to the marriage of Solomon with Naamah in that of Ruth with Boaz (Jalkut,
vol. ii., p. 32 a).
177
We arrive at this result by the following computation: - Years of public idolatry under Rehoboam, 14;
under Abijah, 3; under Joram, 6; under Ahaziah, 1; under Athaliah, 6; under Ahaz, 16; or in all 46 years, to
which we add 7, for the later idolatrous reigns of Joash and Amaziah. See Keil, Bibl. Commentar, vol. iii., pp.
137, 138.
178
Jewish commentators expressly account for the gathering of the ten tribes at Shechem on the ground of
their intention to make Jeroboam their king.
179
The LXX version has here several additions about the mother of Jeroboam, his stay in Egypt, his conduct
after his return, etc. This is not the place to discuss them in detail, but they may safely be rejected as
legendary, and, indeed, quite in the spirit of later Jewish tra dition.
180
Probably Jeroboam returned of his own account, but did not go to Shechem until he was sent for by the
deputies of Israel. This accords with the two versions. There is no need further to discuss here the reading,
or rather the proper punctuation of 1 Kings 12:2, 3.
181
So literally.
182
So literally.
183
As three persons of that name are mentioned (2 Samuel 20:24; 1 Kings 5:6; 12:18) who must have lived at
different times, may not "Adoram" be the appellation of the office?
184
The one Hebrew word means both - and probably the two belonged to the same department of royal
dues.
185
This is implied in ver. 18; see the marginal rendering.
186
In point of fact, 2 Chronicles 11:16 does not necessarily imply any settlement of the pious laity in Judah;
and even the evidence for that of the priests and Levites is not quite convincing (see the next chapter).
187
Compare Mr. Poole's admirable article on "Shishak," in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, vol. Iii. pp. 1287-
1295.
188
The LXX has 120,000, but the number in the Hebrew text is moderate (comp. 2 Samuel 24:9).
189
From 2 Chronicles 12:15 we learn that Shemaiah wrote a history of the reign of Rehoboam.
190
Originally they belonged to Dan (Joshua 19:41, 42), but see 1 Chronicles 6:66-69.
191
Some commentators have regarded Abihail (2 Chronicles 11:18) as the name of a third wife, and
accordingly represented her, not as a daughter but as a granddaughter of Eliab. But even if this were not
contrary to the plain meaning of vers. 18, 19, a granddaughter of Eliab would have been too old for the wife
of Rehoboam.