וַיָּבֹא רְחַבְעָם יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיַּקְהֵל אֶת־בֵּית יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן מֵאָה וּשְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף בָּחוּר עֹשֵׂה מִלְחָמָה לְהִלָּחֵם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהָשִׁיב אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה לִרְחַבְעָם

For several decades the children of Israel had lived under a monarchy, and they realized that they could not return to the anarchy that had characterized the period of the Judges. Therefore, they sought to establish an alternative kingdom, headed by Yorovam son of Nevat. Rehavam came to Jerusalem, and he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand select warriors, to wage war against Israel, in order to restore the kingdom to Rehavam. He planned to subdue the uprising by military force. Although the population of the other tribes together was greater than that of Judah, and they may have wielded greater economic power as the land inherited by the tribe of Judah was not as fertile as some of the other portions, nevertheless, Rehavam had an organized and well-prepared army at his disposal.

וַיְהִי דְּבַר־ה' אֶל־שְׁמַעְיָהוּ אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with Shemayahu, the man of God, a prophet who was apparently from the land of Judah and who is not mentioned in any other context, saying:

אֱמֹר אֶל־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וְאֶל כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּיהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן לֵאמֹר׃

Say to Rehavam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying:

כֹּה אָמַר ה' לֹא־תַעֲלוּ וְלֹא־תִלָּחֲמוּ עִם־אֲחֵיכֶם שׁוּבוּ אִישׁ לְבֵיתוֹ כִּי מֵאִתִּי נִהְיָה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי ה' וַיָּשֻׁבוּ מִלֶּכֶת אֶל־יָרָבְעָם

So said the Lord: You shall not go up, and you shall not wage war against your brethren; return, each military man to his house, as this matter is from Me. Do not treat this like any other rebellion, as it is ordained by God. They heeded the word of the Lord and refrained from going to war against Yorovam.

וַיֵּשֶׁב רְחַבְעָם בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וַיִּבֶן עָרִים לְמָצוֹר בִּיהוּדָה

Rehavam dwelled in Jerusalem and built fortified cities in Judah in recognition of the new reality of tense relations with the emerging Kingdom of Israel. Relations between the two kingdoms were often antagonistic and occasionally deteriorated into outright war.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־בֵּית־לֶחֶם וְאֶת־עֵיטָם וְאֶת־תְּקוֹעַ

He built Bethlehem, Eitam, Tekoa,

וְאֶת־בֵּית־צוּר וְאֶת־שׂוֹכוֹ וְאֶת־עֲדֻלָּם

Beit Tzur, Sokho, Adulam,

וְאֶת־גַּת וְאֶת־מָרֵשָׁה וְאֶת־זִיף

Gat, Maresha, Zif,

וְאֶת־אֲדוֹרַיִם וְאֶת־לָכִישׁ וְאֶת־עֲזֵקָה

Adorayim, Lakhish, and Azeka,

וְאֶת־צָרְעָה וְאֶת־אַיָּלוֹן וְאֶת־חֶבְרוֹן אֲשֶׁר בִּיהוּדָה וּבְבִנְיָמִן עָרֵי מְצֻרוֹת

as well as Tzora, which had previously been part of the territory of Dan before that tribe had migrated northward, Ayalon, and Hebron, which are all in Judah and in Benjamin; that is, all these cities were in one or the other of those tribal portions. They were built as fortified cities.

וַיְחַזֵּק אֶת־הַמְּצוּרוֹת וַיִּתֵּן בָּהֶם נְגִידִים וְאֹצְרוֹת מַאֲכָל וְשֶׁמֶן וָיָיִן

He strengthened the fortifications, and he installed rulers over them, and built storehouses of food, oil, and wine, for times of siege.

וּבְכָל־עִיר וָעִיר צִנּוֹת וּרְמָחִים וַיְחַזְּקֵם לְהַרְבֵּה מְאֹד וַיְהִי־לוֹ יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן

In each and every city were shields and spears, and he strengthened them greatly. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin were his, and he fortified their borders.

וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם אֲשֶׁר בְּכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הִתְיַצְּבוּ עָלָיו מִכָּל־גְּבוּלָם

The priests and the Levites who were throughout Israel presented themselves to him; they came to him from their every border.

כִּי־עָזְבוּ הַלְוִיִּם אֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם וַאֲחֻזָּתָם וַיֵּלְכוּ לִיהוּדָה וְלִירוּשָׁלִָם כִּי־הִזְנִיחָם יָרָבְעָם וּבָנָיו מִכַּהֵן לַה'

For the Levites left their tracts and their ancestral portions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Yorovam and his sons had displaced them from serving the Lord, which meant, in practice, that they had no source of livelihood.

וַיַּעֲמֶד־לוֹ כֹּהֲנִים לַבָּמוֹת וְלַשְּׂעִירִים וְלָעֲגָלִים אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה

He appointed for himself priests for the shrines, and for the satyrs, demonic rituals, and for the calves that he had made. It is clear from descriptions elsewhere that Yorovam did not engage in full-fledged idolatry; rather, the calves that he made were meant to represent God. In any event, he stripped the priests and Levites of their status, replacing them with any person who was willing and able to fill the role, regardless of their lineage.

וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנֹּתְנִים אֶת־לְבָבָם לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאוּ יְרוּשָׁלִַם לִזְבּוֹחַ לַה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם

After them, the Levites, came those from all the tribes of Israel who had set their hearts to seek the Lord, God of Israel. They came to Jerusalem to slaughter to the Lord, God of their fathers. These individuals from the various tribes maintained their devotion and connection to the Temple in Jerusalem and to the service of God, which was practiced there.

וַיְחַזְּקוּ אֶת־מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה וַיְאַמְּצוּ אֶת־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה לְשָׁנִים שָׁלוֹשׁ כִּי הָלְכוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ דָּוִיד וּשְׁלֹמֹה לְשָׁנִים שָׁלוֹשׁ

They strengthened the Kingdom of Judah and bolstered Rehavam son of Solomon for three years, for they followed the way of David and Solomon for three years.

וַיִּקַּח־לוֹ רְחַבְעָם אִשָּׁה אֶת־מָחֲלַת בַּת־יְרִימוֹת בֶּן־דָּוִיד אֲבִיהַיִל בַּת־אֱלִיאָב בֶּן־יִשָׁי

Rehavam took for himself a wife, Mahalat, daughter of Yerimot son of David. There is no record that David had a son of this name; perhaps he was born at the end of David’s life or is mentioned elsewhere by another name. And he also married Avihayil, daughter of Eliav son of Yishai. Thus, Rehavam married women of royal lineage. Alternatively, the verse is referring to one woman, Mahalat, whose father was Yerimot son of David, and whose mother was Avihayil daughter of Eliav, son of Yishai. She was descended from the house of Yishai from both her mother’s and father’s sides.

וַתֵּלֶד לוֹ בָּנִים אֶת־יְעוּשׁ וְאֶת־שְׁמַרְיָה וְאֶת־זָהַם

And she, one of his wives, bore him sons: Yeush, Shemarya, and Zaham.

וְאַחֲרֶיהָ לָקַח אֶת־מַעֲכָה בַּת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם וַתֵּלֶד לוֹ אֶת־אֲבִיָּה וְאֶת־עַתַּי וְאֶת־זִיזָא וְאֶת־שְׁלֹמִית

After her he took another wife, Maakha daughter of Avshalom, also from his own extended family, and she bore him Aviya, Atai, Ziza, and Shelomit.

וַיֶּאֱהַב רְחַבְעָם אֶת־מַעֲכָה בַת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם מִכָּל־נָשָׁיו וּפִילַגְשָׁיו כִּי נָשִׁים שְׁמוֹנֶה־עֶשְׂרֵה נָשָׂא וּפִילַגְשִׁים שִׁשִּׁים וַיּוֹלֶד עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמוֹנָה בָּנִים וְשִׁשִּׁים בָּנוֹת

Rehavam loved Maakha the daughter of Avshalom more than all his other wives and his concubines, as he took eighteen wives and also had sixty concubines, and he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

וַיַּעֲמֵד לָרֹאשׁ רְחַבְעָם אֶת־אֲבִיָּה בֶן־מַעֲכָה לְנָגִיד בְּאֶחָיו כִּי לְהַמְלִיכוֹ

As Maakha was his favorite wife, Rehavam appointed Aviya son of Maakha as head, as ruler among his brethren, in order to make him king. Although Aviya was not the eldest son, Rehavam decided that he would take his place and inherit the throne.

וַיָּבֶן וַיִּפְרֹץ מִכָּל־בָּנָיו לְכָל־אַרְצוֹת יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן לְכֹל עָרֵי הַמְּצֻרוֹת וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם הַמָּזוֹן לָרֹב וַיִּשְׁאַל הֲמוֹן נָשִׁים

Aviya was granted great power by his father from a young age. He was prudent and understood his position. And he dispersed all his sons, throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities, meaning that he grew stronger and expanded his reach through his many sons, and he gave them food in abundance. He too built or strengthened fortified cities industriously. And as his ambition was unrestrained and he craved power and status, he sought for himself a multitude of wives.