וַיְהִי כְּהָכִין מַלְכוּת רְחַבְעָם וּכְחֶזְקָתוֹ עָזַב אֶת־תּוֹרַת ה' וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עִמּוֹ

It was when the kingdom of Rehavam was established, and as he grew strong, after three years of proper leadership, that he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. The conduct of Aviya and his other sons may have contributed to his spiritual decline. Rehavam’s interest in God’s Torah waned, and the people, following his lead, neglected the observance and study of Torah.

וַיְהִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַחֲמִישִׁית לַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם עָלָה שִׁישַׁק מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם כִּי מָעֲלוּ בַּה'

It was in the fifth year of King Rehavam that Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against the Lord. Clearly, Shishak was not consciously motivated to attack Judah due to the people’s abandonment of the Torah. However, the chronicler is explaining that this is why God brought about these events.

בְּאֶלֶף וּמָאתַיִם רֶכֶב וּבְשִׁשִּׁים אֶלֶף פָּרָשִׁים וְאֵין מִסְפָּר לָעָם אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ עִמּוֹ מִמִּצְרַיִם לוּבִים סֻכִּיִּים וְכוּשִׁים

Shishak attacked Jerusalem with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen; there was no number for the people who came with him from Egypt: Libyans, Sukiyites, apparently the inhabitants of a province near Egypt, and Kushites, from modern-day northern Sudan.

וַיִּלְכֹּד אֶת־עָרֵי הַמְּצֻרוֹת אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה וַיָּבֹא עַד־יְרוּשָׁלִָם

He, Shishak, captured the fortified cities of Judah, and came to Jerusalem. Apparently, he did not intend to conquer the Land of Israel, and may not even have had the power to do so. Jerusalem was merely an attractive target for his campaign of looting and robbery, as King Solomon had amassed many treasures there.

וּשְׁמַעְיָה הַנָּבִיא בָּא אֶל־רְחַבְעָם וְשָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אַתֶּם עֲזַבְתֶּם אֹתִי וְאַף־אֲנִי עָזַבְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּיַד־שִׁישָׁק

Shemaya the prophet, who had earlier stopped Rehavam from waging war (11:2–5), came to Rehavam and the princes of Judah, who had gathered to Jerusalem due to Shishak. When all of the other cities had fallen, the people fled to Jerusalem, which was the largest fortified city. And he said to them: So said the Lord: You have forsaken Me; therefore I have forsaken you into the hand of Shishak.

וַיִּכָּנְעוּ שָׂרֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמְרוּ צַדִּיק ה'

The princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said: The Lord is righteous; we have indeed sinned, and we are deserving of this punishment.

וּבִרְאוֹת ה' כִּי נִכְנָעוּ הָיָה דְבַר־ה' אֶל־שְׁמַעְיָה לֵאמֹר נִכְנְעוּ לֹא אַשְׁחִיתֵם וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם כִּמְעַט לִפְלֵיטָה וְלֹא־תִתַּךְ חֲמָתִי בִּירוּשָׁלִַם בְּיַד־שִׁישָׁק

When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord was with Shemaya, saying: They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, and I will grant them a small measure of deliverance to preserve them. The kingdom will survive, and My wrath will not be poured upon Jerusalem by means of Shishak. The city will be plundered, but it will not be laid waste.

כִּי יִהְיוּ־לוֹ לַעֲבָדִים וְיֵדְעוּ עֲבוֹדָתִי וַעֲבֹדַת מַמְלְכוֹת הָאֲרָצוֹת

Rather, Judah will no longer be an independent kingdom. They will be servants to him, Shishak, and they will know the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the lands. Since they have turned away from God’s service, they will be exposed to the volatile nature of global politics, and they will experience the taste of subjugation to a foreign power.

וַיַּעַל שִׁישַׁק מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיִּקַּח אֶת־אֹצְרוֹת בֵּית־ה' וְאֶת־אֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־הַכֹּל לָקָח וַיִּקַּח אֶת־מָגִנֵּי הַזָּהָב אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה שְׁלֹמֹה

Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem and took the treasures of the House of the Lord and the treasures of the house of the king; he took everything; he took the shields of gold that Solomon had made. These shields, described earlier (9:16), were designed mainly for ornamental purposes and were valuable artistic works.

וַיַּעַשׂ הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם תַּחְתֵּיהֶם מָגִנֵּי נְחֹשֶׁת וְהִפְקִיד עַל־יַד שָׂרֵי הָרָצִים הַשֹּׁמְרִים פֶּתַח בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ

King Rehavam made bronze shields, meant to look similar to shields of gold from a distance, in their stead. And he entrusted them to the hand of the captains of the Runners, who guarded the entrance of the house of the king, a certain group of the king’s bodyguards.

וַיְהִי מִדֵּי־בוֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ בֵּית ה' בָּאוּ הָרָצִים וּנְשָׂאוּם והֱשִׁבוּם אֶל־תָּא הָרָצִים

It was, that each time the king entered the House of the Lord, the Runners who accompanied the king would come and bear them, the glittering and impressive shields. And afterward they would bring them back to the chamber of the Runners, where they were stored. Although these ornamental shields were not made of gold, they still required safekeeping.

וּבְהִכָּנְעוֹ שָׁב מִמֶּנּוּ אַף־ה' וְלֹא לְהַשְׁחִית לְכָלָה וְגַם בִּיהוּדָה הָיָה דְּבָרִים טוֹבִים

When he, King Rehavam, humbled himself before God, the anger of the Lord was withdrawn from him, not destroying him and his kingdom to the point of eradication. Although the king and the people had acted inappropriately, they ultimately humbled themselves before God. In Judah too, there were good things, which contributed to God’s decision not to destroy the kingdom. David and Solomon’s work had not been in vain, as the kingdom did not collapse all at once.

וַיִּתְחַזֵּק הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם בִּירוּשָׁלִַם וַיִּמְלֹךְ כִּי בֶן־אַרְבָּעִים וְאַחַת שָׁנָה רְחַבְעָם בְּמָלְכוֹ וּשֲׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִַם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר־בָּחַר ה' לָשׂוּם אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שָׁם מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ נַעֲמָה הָעַמֹּנִית

King Rehavam grew strong in Jerusalem and reigned, for Rehavam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to place His name there. It is likely that Rehavam was Solomon’s eldest son, as he assumed the throne at the age of forty-one and his father was approximately sixty when he died, meaning that Rehavam was born when his father was eighteen or even younger. His mother’s name was Naama the Amonitess.

וַיַּעַשׂ הָרָע כִּי לֹא הֵכִין לִבּוֹ לִדְרוֹשׁ אֶת־ה'

He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. No specific transgressions are attributed to Rehavam, but he did not act in a righteous, God-fearing manner. He lived at a pivotal juncture in history, but he was a weak man who yielded easily to pressure. Indeed, the son of a great king is often inferior to his father.

וְדִבְרֵי רְחַבְעָם הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְהָאַחֲרוֹנִים הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים בְּדִבְרֵי שְׁמַעְיָה הַנָּבִיא וְעִדּוֹ הַחֹזֶה לְהִתְיַחֵשׂ וּמִלְחֲמוֹת רְחַבְעָם וְיָרָבְעָם כָּל־הַיָּמִים

The early and the late matters concerning Rehavam, referring to the change in his general conduct over the years, are they not written in the chronicles of Shemaya the prophet and of Ido the seer, which were recorded to establish lineage? These writings, which included lists of genealogies, were not included in the biblical canon, and were ultimately lost. There were wars between Rehavam and Yorovam always, as also described in those accounts. The conflict between Rehavam and Yorovam persisted, although they did not engage in any major wars, because neither side had enough power to defeat the other decisively. Nevertheless, conflicts periodically arose between them, probably with regard to the border between their respective kingdoms.

וַיִּשְׁכַּב רְחַבְעָם עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֲבִיָּה בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

Rehavam lay with his fathers and was buried in the City of David; Aviya his son reigned in his stead.