2 Chronicles 12:4 kjv
And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 12:4 nkjv
And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 12:4 niv
he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 12:4 esv
And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 12:4 nlt
Shishak conquered Judah's fortified towns and then advanced to attack Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 12 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deu 28:25 | "The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies... and you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth." | Divine judgment includes defeat by enemies when disobeying the covenant. |
| Lev 26:17 | "I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies; those who hate you shall rule over you." | Covenant curses specify subjection to adversaries. |
| 2 Chr 12:2-3 | "It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem because they had been unfaithful to the Lord..." | The immediate context revealing God's reason for allowing the invasion. |
| 1 Ki 14:25-26 | "In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord..." | Parallel account detailing Shishak's campaign and plunder. |
| Isa 1:7 | "Your country is desolate; your cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers devour it in your presence..." | Describes the desolation and foreign takeover due to disobedience. |
| Jer 5:15 | "Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel... a mighty nation, a nation whose language you do not know." | Prophecy of God bringing a powerful foreign enemy against His disobedient people. |
| Hab 1:6 | "For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own." | God uses foreign powers as instruments of judgment. |
| Psa 78:60-61 | "He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind... and delivered his power to captivity, his glory into the hand of the foe." | God giving His people into the hands of enemies when they rebel. |
| Isa 25:2 | "For you have made the city a heap, a fortified city a ruin; a palace of foreigners, no longer a city; it will never be rebuilt." | God's power over fortified cities, reducing them to ruins. |
| Nah 3:12 | "All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs; if shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater." | Compares easily defeated fortresses to ripe figs. |
| Psa 20:7 | "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." | Contrasts reliance on human military strength with trust in God. |
| Pro 21:22 | "A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the strength in which they trust." | Spiritual wisdom overcoming human strongholds. |
| Lam 1:3 | "Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place." | Result of Jerusalem's defeat and Judah's subsequent exile. |
| 2 Ki 25:1-4 | "And in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah... Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it." | Describes another major siege of Jerusalem after other cities had fallen. |
| Jer 39:1-3 | "In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah... came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon with all his army against Jerusalem and besieged it." | Another record of Jerusalem's siege and fall. |
| Zec 14:2 | "For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women ravished." | Prophecy of future ultimate battle against Jerusalem, leading to its temporary capture. |
| 2 Chr 12:7 | "Then when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, 'They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them...'" | God's merciful response after Judah’s repentance, even amidst judgment. |
| Jam 4:10 | "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." | General principle of humility leading to God's lifting up. |
| 1 Pet 5:6 | "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you." | Similar principle of humbling oneself before God. |
| Rev 3:19 | "Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." | God's discipline as a sign of His love and call to repentance. |
2 Chronicles 12 verses
2 Chronicles 12 4 Meaning
This verse details the swift and successful progress of King Shishak of Egypt's invasion into the Kingdom of Judah. It specifically states that Shishak conquered the fortified, defensible cities that belonged to Judah. This rapid taking of strongholds served as a precursor to his ultimate objective: arriving at and posing an immediate threat to Jerusalem, the capital and spiritual center of the kingdom. The verse encapsulates a critical stage of the invasion, highlighting the complete vulnerability and immediate peril faced by Rehoboam and his people due to their turning away from the Lord.
2 Chronicles 12 4 Context
2 Chronicles 12:4 is situated within the narrative of Rehoboam's reign, specifically detailing the judgment brought upon Judah for its apostasy. Just prior to this verse (12:1-2), it is stated that Rehoboam and all Israel (referring to Judah, as the kingdom was divided) "forsook the law of the Lord," and in the fifth year of his reign, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked them. This invasion is presented not merely as a political conflict but as divine retribution, with God delivering them into Shishak's hands because they had been unfaithful. Verse 4 vividly describes the initial success of Shishak’s campaign: systematically neutralizing Judah's defensive network by conquering its fortified cities. This immediate subjugation of strongholds meant that Judah's main lines of defense were shattered, directly paving the way for the invaders to reach the very heart of the kingdom—Jerusalem. The subsequent verses (12:5-7) show the prophetic message delivered by Shemaiah, leading to the humbling of Rehoboam and the princes of Israel, which averted total destruction, although not total loss. Historically, this aligns with ancient Egyptian records, such as the Karnak relief of Sheshonk I, which lists various cities captured in Canaan, generally supporting the biblical account of the campaign.
2 Chronicles 12 4 Word analysis
- And he took: This translates from the Hebrew verb וַיִּלְכְּדֵם (vay·yil·kə·ḏêm), derived from the root לָכַד (lakad), meaning "to capture," "to seize," "to conquer." The prefix "vay" indicates a sequential narrative flow, marking Shishak's action as the direct consequence of Judah's spiritual failing. The swiftness and finality implied by "took" signify overwhelming military success, reflecting God's deliberate removal of His people's human defenses.
- the fenced cities: Hebrew: עָרֵי מִבְצָר (arei mivtzar). "עָרֵי" (arei) is the plural construct form of "עִיר" (ir), meaning "cities." "מִבְצָר" (mivtzar) means "fortification," "fortress," or "stronghold." These were strategically built, fortified cities designed to withstand attacks and protect the interior of the kingdom. Their rapid fall demonstrates the formidable nature of Shishak's army and, more significantly, God's removal of His protective hand, making even the strongest human defenses useless. This underscores a theological point: reliance on physical strength or strategic locations is futile without divine favor.
- which pertained to Judah: Hebrew: לִיהוּדָה (lihyudah), simply "to Judah." This phrase specifies the geographical and political target of Shishak's campaign, unequivocally indicating that the invasion directly impacted Rehoboam's kingdom. It signifies that the judgment was specifically levied against Judah for their corporate apostasy, as detailed earlier in the chapter.
- and came to Jerusalem: Hebrew: וַיָּבֹא יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם (vay·yā·ḇō’ yə·rū·šā·layim). "וַיָּבֹא" (vay·yā·ḇō’) means "and he came" (from the root בּוֹא, bo, "to come"). "יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם" (yə·rū·šā·layim) is Jerusalem. This signifies the climactic stage of the invasion. Jerusalem was the capital city, the religious center, and the seat of the Davidic dynasty. Its direct threat represented the utmost peril for the kingdom, signifying that even the holy city was not exempt from God's disciplinary hand. The systematic progression from peripheral cities to the very heart of the kingdom illustrates the comprehensiveness of God's judgment.
2 Chronicles 12 4 Bonus section
The speed with which the "fenced cities" fell would have sent a clear message of impending doom, reflecting the thoroughness of God's discipline. This event also highlights Rehoboam's immediate vulnerability compared to the extensive resources and stability that his father, Solomon, had enjoyed. Shishak's campaign is one of the earliest biblical events to find strong corroboration in extrabiblical archaeology, with Pharaoh Sheshonk I's monumental relief at Karnak listing cities conquered during his campaign in Canaan, though it omits Jerusalem itself while still proving the scope of his invasion into the region of Judah. While Jerusalem was not "taken" in the sense of being destroyed or completely overthrown, its being "came to" signifies its extreme jeopardy and forced Rehoboam's humiliating submission, leading to the plunder of the Temple and royal palace treasures, a stark consequence of forsaking the Lord (2 Chr 12:9-10).
2 Chronicles 12 4 Commentary
2 Chronicles 12:4 graphically portrays the relentless advance of Shishak's Egyptian forces, serving as a tangible manifestation of divine judgment against Judah for their faithlessness. The fall of Judah's "fenced cities" was not merely a military defeat but a theological statement: their fortifications, in which they might have trusted, proved no match for God's disciplinary will. This verse shows a swift and methodical conquering, where Judah's outward strength crumbles before the enemy's onslaught. The progression to Jerusalem, the very core of the kingdom and the place of the Temple, signals the full gravity of the crisis. It underlines that when God's people abandon Him, He can allow even their most secure defenses to collapse, bringing them to a place of desperation and, hopefully, repentance. The events described here illustrate the consistent biblical principle that sin has consequences, and God often uses external forces as instruments of correction, even against His own covenant people.