2 Chronicles 11:18-23
Rehoboam Strengthens Judah
Read the passage
18And Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
19She bore sons to him: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20After her, he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, intending to make him king.
23Rehoboam also acted wisely by dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and sought many wives for them.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Rehoboam takes Mahalath as a wife, and she bears him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. He later marries Maacah, called the daughter of Absalom in this passage, and she bears Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
The king loves Maacah more than his other wives and makes Abijah chief among the princes, intending to make him king. Rehoboam has eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons, and sixty daughters. Chronicles records the household plainly, without presenting its size as a sign of wisdom.
He distributes his sons throughout the fortified cities, supplies them with abundant provisions, and seeks many wives for them. The narrator calls his dispersal of the sons wise. That practical judgment does not cancel Deuteronomy 17:17, which warns a king against taking many wives. A ruler can organize one part of life sensibly while making other choices that conflict with God's commands.
The details are family details, yet they are also political details. A royal household is being organized around succession, provision, and influence. The names remind us that decisions made by a ruler affect real sons and daughters, not only a line on a throne.
Questions
1 Who was Rehoboam's favored wife?
AnswerRehoboam loved Maacah more than his other wives and concubines.
2 Which son did Rehoboam choose as chief among the princes?
AnswerHe chose Abijah as chief among the princes and intended to make him king.
3 How many sons and daughters did Rehoboam have?
AnswerChronicles records that Rehoboam had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
4 What did Rehoboam provide for his sons?
AnswerHe placed them in fortified cities, supplied them with provisions, and sought many wives for them.
What This Means for Us
Chronicles does not turn a large household into a model simply because it belongs to a king. Family relationships, favoritism, provision, and succession are all mixed together, and the people involved are more important than the royal arrangement.
Our choices about attention, resources, and responsibility teach a household what matters. Provide generously, but watch for favoritism and for plans that treat people as pieces in a larger strategy.
Prayer
God, make our homes places of fairness and faithful care. Help us notice when preference, ambition, or control is shaping our relationships, and teach us to honor each person entrusted to us. Amen.