2 Chronicles 12 9

2 Chronicles 12:9 kjv

So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

2 Chronicles 12:9 nkjv

So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made.

2 Chronicles 12:9 niv

When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made.

2 Chronicles 12:9 esv

So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made,

2 Chronicles 12:9 nlt

So King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the LORD's Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.

2 Chronicles 12 verses

2 Chronicles 12 9 Meaning

2 Chronicles 12:9 details the immediate consequence of Judah's unfaithfulness during King Rehoboam's reign. Shishak, king of Egypt, invaded Jerusalem and plundered both the holy Temple of the Lord and the king's palace. This verse highlights the thoroughness of the looting, explicitly mentioning the valuable gold shields made by King Solomon, which symbolized Israel's former glory and wealth. It underscores a tangible loss of divine blessing and royal splendor due to sin.

2 Chronicles 12 9 Context

The events of 2 Chronicles 12 occur in the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign, immediately following the division of the united monarchy after Solomon's death. Chapters 11:5-23 recount Rehoboam's initial fortification of cities and Judah's brief period of strength, accompanied by an influx of Levites and priests from the Northern Kingdom due to Jeroboam's idolatry. However, 2 Chronicles 12:1 states that "when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he grew strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him." This verse sets the stage for God's judgment. As a direct consequence of this widespread unfaithfulness (12:2), Shishak king of Egypt invades. The historical Shishak (Sheshonq I) campaigned in Palestine around 925/926 BCE, as recorded in his own monuments (e.g., at Karnak Temple), making this a historically verifiable event that aligns with the Chronicler's theological explanation of divine retribution. Verse 9 then vividly describes the plunder as the direct execution of God's judgment against their apostasy. Importantly, this verse comes after Rehoboam and his officials humbled themselves (12:6-7), prompting God to say He would not utterly destroy them, but still allow them to experience subjugation, thus preserving a remnant and demonstrating the difference between serving God and serving foreign kings (12:8).

2 Chronicles 12 9 Word analysis

• So Shishak (וַיַּעַל שִׁישַׁק, vayyaʿal shishaq):
  • וַיַּעַל (vayyaʿal): "and he went up" or "he came up." The waw consecutive signifies a direct consequence. "Came up" is typical language for an invading army marching against a fortified city or nation.
  • שִׁישַׁק (shîshaq): The Hebrew transliteration for the Egyptian pharaoh Sheshonq I (c. 945–924 BC). This precise identification links the biblical narrative to known ancient Near Eastern history, affirming its historicity from an external perspective. He was the founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty and a significant regional power. His invasion confirms Judah's vulnerability and God's sovereign control over even powerful foreign rulers who unknowingly fulfill His purposes.
• king of Egypt (מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם, melek-mitzrayim):
  • מֶלֶךְ (melek): "King." Denotes the absolute authority and power he wielded.
  • מִצְרַיִם (mitzrayim): "Egypt." This is significant given Israel's historical relationship with Egypt – a place of bondage and later refuge, and now an instrument of divine chastisement. God who brought them out of Egypt now uses Egypt against them.
• came up against Jerusalem (עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, ʿal Yərûšālaim):
  • יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yərûšālaim): "Jerusalem," the capital city, King David's city, where the Temple and royal palace were situated. Its capture and plunder, even if not utterly destroyed, signified a profound humiliation for the Davidic dynasty and the nation as a whole. It undermined their perception of divine protection.
• and took away (וַיִּקַּח, vayyiqqakh):
  • וַיִּקַּח (vayyiqqakh): "and he took," "he seized," "he captured." The strong verb emphasizes forceful acquisition and plundering, not a peaceful exchange. It denotes robbery.
• the treasures (אֹצְרוֹת, ʾotsᵉrôt):
  • אֹצְרוֹת (ʾotsᵉrôt): "treasures," "stores," "deposits." Refers to vast accumulated wealth—gold, silver, valuable goods—stored in secured treasuries. This indicates a significant material loss.
• of the house of the Lord (בֵּית־יְהוָה, bêt-YHWH):
  • בֵּית־יְהוָה (bêt-YHWH): "House of the Lord," referring to Solomon's Temple. This act of plundering the very sanctuary of God was a profound defilement and insult, revealing that God's presence, though real, does not protect a disobedient people from judgment. It symbolizes the withdrawing of divine blessing from the place meant for worship, echoing 1 Sam 4 when the ark was captured.
• and the treasures of the king's house (וְאֶת־אֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ, vəʾet-ʾotsᵉrôt bêt hammelak):
  • בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ (bêt hammelak): "House of the king," the royal palace. This includes Rehoboam's personal wealth and the nation's treasury. The plundering of both the sacred and the secular treasuries signifies a complete and humiliating national defeat. It underscores the pervasive impact of sin.
• He took away everything (אֶת־הַכֹּל לָקָח, ʾet-hakkol lāqākh):
  • הַכֹּל (hakkol): "the everything," "the whole," "all of it." This intensifier emphasizes the comprehensiveness of the plunder. Shishak left nothing behind of value. It reflects the completeness of God's judgment against the people's rebellion.
  • לָקָח (lāqākh): "he took." This is the repetition of the verb "took away" from earlier in the verse, but here in a different form, stressing finality and completeness. The repeated verb adds strong emphasis to the total nature of the confiscation.
• He also took away (וְאֶת־מָגִנֵּי הַזָּהָב, vəʾet-māginnê hazzāhāḇ):
  • וְאֶת (vəʾet): "And he took." This signals an additional, specific item of plunder that holds great symbolic weight.
• the shields of gold (מָגִנֵּי הַזָּהָב, māginnê hazzāhāḇ):
  • מָגִנֵּי (māginnê): "shields." These were not weapons but ceremonial or decorative shields.
  • הַזָּהָב (hazzāhāḇ): "the gold." These were very valuable, crafted by Solomon (2 Chr 9:15-16). They symbolized Solomon's unmatched wealth, splendor, and the glory of God's blessing on Israel. Their removal and later replacement with bronze shields (2 Chr 12:10) vividly illustrate the dramatic decline of Judah's power and prosperity, serving as a powerful visual sign of God's withdrawal of His tangible blessings.

2 Chronicles 12 9 Bonus section

The Chronicler, writing to a post-exilic audience, emphasizes this account to reinforce the message that blessings (like Solomon's wealth) are contingent on covenant faithfulness, and sin directly leads to covenant curses, even for God's chosen people in His holy city. The replacement of the gold shields with bronze ones (mentioned in the subsequent verse, 2 Chr 12:10) is a potent symbolic act of degradation. Gold represents the best and often points to divine glory (as in the Tabernacle/Temple construction), while bronze is inferior. This shift visually communicated a fundamental diminishment in the kingdom's status and its relationship with God, illustrating a "fall from grace" in a very public and material way. Shishak's campaign, recorded also on Egyptian monuments, provided external validation of the severity of this historical judgment, linking biblical narrative to the broader ancient world.

2 Chronicles 12 9 Commentary

2 Chronicles 12:9 stands as a stark testament to the principle of divine retribution. Shishak's comprehensive plunder of Jerusalem's most sacred and most opulent treasuries—both the Temple and the royal palace—is portrayed as the immediate and severe consequence of King Rehoboam and Judah's abandonment of the Lord. The meticulous detailing of "everything" being taken, especially the gold shields made by Solomon, powerfully communicates the tangible loss of national glory and divine favor. These shields, once emblems of Solomon's wisdom, wealth, and God-given peace, are now taken by a foreign king, emphasizing the tragic decline from unparalleled prosperity to humiliation. This loss underscored not just economic devastation, but a profound theological message: obedience leads to blessing and security, while disobedience results in vulnerability and the withdrawal of God's protection. God demonstrates His sovereignty even over the greatest earthly powers, using them as instruments of His righteous judgment. The verse's brevity, coupled with its specificity, conveys the shock and completeness of Judah's sudden reversal of fortune, serving as a timeless warning against spiritual complacency and unfaithfulness.