2 Chronicles 12 5

2 Chronicles 12:5 kjv

Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.

2 Chronicles 12:5 nkjv

Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD: 'You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.' "

2 Chronicles 12:5 niv

Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says, 'You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.'?"

2 Chronicles 12:5 esv

Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, 'You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.'"

2 Chronicles 12:5 nlt

The prophet Shemaiah then met with Rehoboam and Judah's leaders, who had all fled to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah told them, "This is what the LORD says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak."

2 Chronicles 12 verses

2 Chronicles 12 5 Meaning

This verse presents a pivotal moment where Shemaiah the prophet delivers God's direct message to King Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah. Their gathering in Jerusalem out of fear of Shishak, the invading Egyptian king, highlights their desperation. The Lord's message, conveyed through Shemaiah, diagnoses their distress: they have deliberately abandoned Him, and as a just consequence, He has withdrawn His protection and delivered them into the power of Shishak. This clearly establishes a divine cause-and-effect relationship between Judah's sin and their current affliction, emphasizing God's covenant faithfulness even in judgment.

2 Chronicles 12 5 Context

Chapter 12 of 2 Chronicles follows immediately after the division of the united monarchy under Rehoboam, Solomon's son. Rehoboam had rejected the counsel of the elders to lighten the people's burden, leading to the northern ten tribes seceding and forming Israel under Jeroboam. The initial part of chapter 12 details Judah's descent into idolatry, specifically the construction of high places, sacred pillars, Asherim, and engaging in forbidden practices (2 Chr 12:1-4; cf. 1 Kgs 14:21-24). This period of apostasy directly led to the divine judgment revealed in this verse. Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt, is described as invading Judah in the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, bringing a vast army to Jerusalem (2 Chr 12:2-4). The verse itself explains that the leaders had gathered due to this impending threat. Thus, their military distress is portrayed as a direct spiritual consequence of their abandonment of God.

2 Chronicles 12 5 Word analysis

• Then: Signifies a consequential temporal shift, connecting God's action directly to Judah's deteriorating spiritual and political situation described in the preceding verses.
• Shemaiah (שְׁמַעְיָה - Shəma‘yāh) the prophet: "Heard of Yahweh." His designation as "the prophet" emphasizes his divine commission. He is not speaking on his own authority but as God's appointed messenger (cf. 2 Chr 11:2-4 where he previously stopped war).
• came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah: The specific recipients of the message are the spiritual and political leadership, holding primary responsibility for the nation's direction.
• who had gathered in Jerusalem because of Shishak: This sets the immediate human context – they are facing an external threat. Their assembly is for strategic defense, yet God intervenes to explain the spiritual reason for their predicament, shifting focus from military strategy to spiritual responsibility.
• and said to them: A direct, personal address, indicating an authoritative declaration.
• “Thus says the LORD”: The prophetic formula for divine pronouncement, underscoring that the message is not Shemaiah's opinion but God's revealed word, carrying absolute authority and truth. This is a recurring phrase throughout the Old Testament emphasizing the authenticity of God's message (Exod 4:22; Isa 7:7; Jer 2:5).
• ‘You have forsaken (עָזַב - ‘āzaḇ) Me’: The core accusation. The Hebrew verb ‘āzaḇ implies abandonment, desertion, leaving behind. It describes a willful act of turning away from a relationship, covenant, or principle. This is the spiritual offense – the people of Judah consciously turned away from their covenant Lord through idolatry and disobedience (1 Kgs 14:22-24).
• ‘and therefore’: A direct cause-and-effect connector. God's response is presented not as arbitrary punishment but as a just, reciprocal consequence of their action, rooted in His covenant justice (Deut 28).
• ‘I have forsaken (עָזַב - ‘āzaḇ) you’: God's reciprocal action using the same verb. This means God withdrew His protective hand, His favor, and His presence from them. This is a severe judgment, leading to vulnerability to their enemies.
• ‘in the hand of Shishak’: Specifies the precise mechanism of God's judgment. Shishak, despite his own motives, is portrayed as merely an instrument in God's sovereign "hand," used to bring about divine justice. God's sovereignty extends even over pagan rulers and nations.

• "You have forsaken Me, and therefore I have forsaken you": This parallelism highlights a crucial biblical principle: humanity's actions towards God directly elicit God's responses, particularly within the framework of His covenant. When God's people abandon their commitment to Him, His protective presence and favor are withdrawn, not as an act of caprice, but as a just consequence outlined in His covenant with them (Lev 26; Deut 28).

2 Chronicles 12 5 Bonus section

• The Chronicler's Purpose: This passage strongly reflects the Chronicler's emphasis on immediate divine retribution or blessing based on a king's faithfulness. This theological perspective served to teach post-exilic Judah about the importance of covenant obedience and trust in God's providence, linking their historical woes to their unfaithfulness.
• Echoes of Covenant: The language of "forsaking" harks back to the conditional curses and blessings of the Mosaic covenant (Lev 26, Deut 28). Judah's experience with Shishak is a vivid fulfillment of those warnings, underscoring the serious nature of breaking allegiance with the Almighty.
• God's Sovereignty in History: This verse firmly places historical events, such as military invasions, within the sphere of God's active governance. Shishak is not merely an invading monarch; he is a tool in God's "hand" to execute justice, illustrating divine control over the nations. This insight could bring comfort in future national distresses, reminding God's people that even seemingly chaotic events are within His purposes.

2 Chronicles 12 5 Commentary

This verse concisely encapsulates the heart of the Deuteronomic theology prevalent in the Chronicler's narrative: obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings judgment. Rehoboam and Judah had willfully abandoned the Lord and His commandments, replacing His worship with idolatry. The invasion by Shishak, far from being a mere geopolitical event, is presented here as the direct, divine consequence of their apostasy. God's response is perfectly just; having forsaken Him in spirit and practice, they are reciprocally "forsaken" by Him, losing His protective hand and falling victim to the very external threats from which only He could save them. The prophecy through Shemaiah acts as a divine explanation for their suffering, simultaneously a verdict and a potential catalyst for repentance, underscoring that God sovereignly uses even foreign adversaries to accomplish His purposes of correction and justice.