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THE MESSAGE

2 Chronicles 13:4

Abijah took a prominent position on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and gave this speech: "Listen, Jeroboam and all Israel! Don't you realize that God , the one and only God of Israel, established David and his sons as the permanent rulers of Israel, ratified by a ‘covenant of salt'— God 's kingdom ruled by God 's king? And what happened? Jeroboam, the son of Solomon's slave Nebat, rebelled against his master. All the riffraff joined his cause and were too much for Rehoboam, Solomon's true heir. Rehoboam didn't know his way around—besides he was a real wimp; he couldn't stand up against them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Faithfulness;   War;   Zemaraim;   Thompson Chain Reference - Abijah;   Abijam;   Jeroboam;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abijah;   Jeroboam;   King, Kings;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abijah (abijam);   Jeroboam;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Chronicles, Theology of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Zemaraim;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Judah, Kingdom of;   Zemaraim;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Chronicles, Books of;   Zemaraim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Mount, Mountain;   Zemaraim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Abijah ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Mount, Mountain;   Zemaraim, Mount;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Judah the kingdom of;   War;   Smith Bible Dictionary - E'phra-Im, Mount,;   Zemara'im;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Zemaraim;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abijah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel, hear me.
Hebrew Names Version
Aviyah stood up on Mount Tzemaryim, which is in the hill-country of Efrayim, and said, Hear me, Yarov`am and all Yisra'el:
King James Version
And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
English Standard Version
Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!
New Century Version
Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the mountains of Ephraim and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me!
New English Translation
Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!
Amplified Bible
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
New American Standard Bible
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
World English Bible
Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Abiiah stood vp vpon mount Zemeraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and sayde, O Ieroboam, and all Israel, heare you me,
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Abijah rose up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
Berean Standard Bible
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!
Contemporary English Version
Abijah went to the top of Mount Zemaraim in the hills of Ephraim and shouted: Listen, Jeroboam and all you Israelites!
Complete Jewish Bible
Aviyah, standing on Mount Z'marayim, in the hills of Efrayim, cried, "Yarov‘am and all Isra'el! Listen to me!
Darby Translation
And Abijah stood up on the top of mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam, and all Israel!
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me!
George Lamsa Translation
And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the border of mount Ephraim, and said. Hear me, O Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and all Israel;
Good News Translation
The armies met in the hill country of Ephraim. King Abijah went up Mount Zemaraim and called out to Jeroboam and the Israelites: "Listen to me!" he said.
Lexham English Bible
Then Abijah stood up on top of Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!
Literal Translation
And Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim in the hills of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Abia gatt him vp vpon the hyll Zemaraim, which lyeth vpon mount Ephraim and sayde: Herken vnto me thou Ieroboam and all Israel:
American Standard Version
And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel:
Bible in Basic English
And Abijah took up his position on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Give ear to me, O Jeroboam and all Israel:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Abia stoode vp vpon Zemaraim, an hill which is in mount Ephraim, and saide: Heare me thou Ieroboam and al Israel.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said: 'Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel;
King James Version (1611)
And Abiiah stood vp vpon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and sayde, Heare mee thou Ieroboam, and all Israel:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Abia rose up from the mount Somoron, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear ye, Jeroboam, and all Israel:
English Revised Version
And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Abia stood on the hil Semeron, that was in Effraym, and seide, Here thou, Jeroboam and al Israel;
Update Bible Version
And Abijah stood up on mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel:
Webster's Bible Translation
And Abijah stood upon mount Zemaraim, which [is] in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
New King James Version
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, "Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
New Living Translation
When the army of Judah arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim and shouted to Jeroboam and all Israel: "Listen to me!
New Life Bible
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!
New Revised Standard
Then Abijah stood on the slope of Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Abijah stood up upon Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, - and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Abia stood upon mount Semeron, which was in Ephraim, and said: Hear me, O Jeroboam, and all Israel:
Revised Standard Version
Then Abi'jah stood up on Mount Zemara'im which is in the hill country of E'phraim, and said, "Hear me, O Jerobo'am and all Israel!
Young's Literal Translation
And Abijah riseth up on the hill of Zemaraim that [is] in the hill-country of Ephraim, and saith, `Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel:

Contextual Overview

1In the eighteenth year of the rule of King Jeroboam, Abijah took over the throne of Judah. He ruled in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah started out with 400,000 of his best soldiers; Jeroboam countered with 800,000 of his best. Abijah took a prominent position on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and gave this speech: "Listen, Jeroboam and all Israel! Don't you realize that God , the one and only God of Israel, established David and his sons as the permanent rulers of Israel, ratified by a ‘covenant of salt'— God 's kingdom ruled by God 's king? And what happened? Jeroboam, the son of Solomon's slave Nebat, rebelled against his master. All the riffraff joined his cause and were too much for Rehoboam, Solomon's true heir. Rehoboam didn't know his way around—besides he was a real wimp; he couldn't stand up against them. "Taking advantage of that weakness, you are asserting yourself against the very rule of God that is delegated to David's descendants—you think you are so big with your huge army backed up by the golden-calf idols that Jeroboam made for you as gods! But just look at what you've done—you threw out the priests of God , the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests to suit yourselves, priests just like the pagans have. Anyone who shows up with enough money to pay for it can be a priest! A priest of No-God! "But for the rest of us in Judah, we're sticking with God . We have not traded him in for the latest model—we're keeping the tried-and-true priests of Aaron to lead us to God and the Levites to lead us in worship by sacrificing Whole-Burnt-Offerings and aromatic incense to God at the daily morning and evening prayers, setting out fresh holy bread on a clean table, and lighting the lamps on the golden Lampstand every night. We continue doing what God told us to in the way he told us to do it; but you have rid yourselves of him. "Can't you see the obvious? God is on our side; he's our leader. And his priests with trumpets are all ready to blow the signal to battle. O Israel—don't fight against God , the God of your ancestors. You will not win this battle." While Abijah was speaking, Jeroboam had sent men around to take them by surprise from the rear: Jeroboam in front of Judah and the ambush behind. When Judah looked back, they saw they were attacked front and back. They prayed desperately to God , the priests blew their trumpets, and the soldiers of Judah shouted their battle cry. At the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The army of Israel scattered before Judah; God gave them the victory. Abijah and his troops slaughtered them—500,000 of Israel's best fighters were killed that day. The army of Israel fell flat on its face—a humiliating defeat. The army of Judah won hands down because they trusted God , the God of their ancestors. Abijah followed up his victory by pursuing Jeroboam, taking the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron with their surrounding villages. Jeroboam never did recover from his defeat while Abijah lived. Later on God struck him down and he died. Meanwhile Abijah flourished; he married fourteen wives and ended up with a family of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. The rest of the history of Abijah, what he did and said, is written in the study written by Iddo the prophet. 3King Abijah In the eighteenth year of the rule of King Jeroboam, Abijah took over the throne of Judah. He ruled in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah started out with 400,000 of his best soldiers; Jeroboam countered with 800,000 of his best. 4Abijah took a prominent position on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and gave this speech: "Listen, Jeroboam and all Israel! Don't you realize that God , the one and only God of Israel, established David and his sons as the permanent rulers of Israel, ratified by a ‘covenant of salt'— God 's kingdom ruled by God 's king? And what happened? Jeroboam, the son of Solomon's slave Nebat, rebelled against his master. All the riffraff joined his cause and were too much for Rehoboam, Solomon's true heir. Rehoboam didn't know his way around—besides he was a real wimp; he couldn't stand up against them. 8"Taking advantage of that weakness, you are asserting yourself against the very rule of God that is delegated to David's descendants—you think you are so big with your huge army backed up by the golden-calf idols that Jeroboam made for you as gods! But just look at what you've done—you threw out the priests of God , the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests to suit yourselves, priests just like the pagans have. Anyone who shows up with enough money to pay for it can be a priest! A priest of No-God! 10"But for the rest of us in Judah, we're sticking with God . We have not traded him in for the latest model—we're keeping the tried-and-true priests of Aaron to lead us to God and the Levites to lead us in worship by sacrificing Whole-Burnt-Offerings and aromatic incense to God at the daily morning and evening prayers, setting out fresh holy bread on a clean table, and lighting the lamps on the golden Lampstand every night. We continue doing what God told us to in the way he told us to do it; but you have rid yourselves of him. 12 "Can't you see the obvious? God is on our side; he's our leader. And his priests with trumpets are all ready to blow the signal to battle. O Israel—don't fight against God , the God of your ancestors. You will not win this battle."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Zemaraim: Zemaraim could not be, as some have supposed, the same as the hill of Samaria, שמרון [Strong's H8111], so called from Shemer, in the days of Omri; but was probably a hill on the confines of Ephraim, near Zemaraim, a city of Benjamin, near Bethel. Genesis 10:18, Joshua 18:22

Hear me: 2 Chronicles 15:2, Judges 9:7

Reciprocal: Isaiah 40:9 - get Jeremiah 31:6 - upon

Cross-References

Genesis 13:1
So Abram left Egypt and went back to the Negev, he and his wife and everything he owned, and Lot still with him. By now Abram was very rich, loaded with cattle and silver and gold.
Genesis 13:3
He moved on from the Negev, camping along the way, to Bethel, the place he had first set up his tent between Bethel and Ai and built his first altar. Abram prayed there to God .
Genesis 13:8
Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have fighting between us, between your shepherds and my shepherds. After all, we're family. Look around. Isn't there plenty of land out there? Let's separate. If you go left, I'll go right; if you go right, I'll go left."
Genesis 13:18
Abram moved his tent. He went and settled by the Oaks of Mamre in Hebron. There he built an altar to God .
Psalms 26:8
God , I love living with you; your house glows with your glory. When it's time for spring cleaning, don't sweep me out with the quacks and crooks, Men with bags of dirty tricks, women with purses stuffed with bribe-money.
Psalms 84:10
One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin. All sunshine and sovereign is God , generous in gifts and glory. He doesn't scrimp with his traveling companions. It's smooth sailing all the way with God -of-the-Angel-Armies.
Psalms 107:1
Oh, thank God —he's so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God , tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, Then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas.
Psalms 145:18
God 's there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it.
Jeremiah 29:12
"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen.
Zephaniah 3:9
"In the end I will turn things around for the people. I'll give them a language undistorted, unpolluted, Words to address God in worship and, united, to serve me with their shoulders to the wheel. They'll come from beyond the Ethiopian rivers, they'll come praying— All my scattered, exiled people will come home with offerings for worship. You'll no longer have to be ashamed of all those acts of rebellion. I'll have gotten rid of your arrogant leaders. No more pious strutting on my holy hill! I'll leave a core of people among you who are poor in spirit— What's left of Israel that's really Israel. They'll make their home in God . This core holy people will not do wrong. They won't lie, won't use words to flatter or seduce. Content with who they are and where they are, unanxious, they'll live at peace."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Abijah stood upon Mount Zemaraim, which is in Mount Ephraim,.... Which might have its name from a city of Benjamin of this name, to which it was near, though within the borders of Ephraim, Joshua 18:22 formerly inhabited by the Zemarites, from whence it might have its name, Genesis 10:18 here Abijah stood, that he might be the better heard by the armies pitched in the valley; and very probably he desired a parley, and it was granted, otherwise he would not have been safe in the position in which he was;

and said, hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; as many as were now gathered together, and which were a great number.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 13:4. Stood up upon Mount Zemaraim — "Which was a mount of the tribe of the house of Ephraim."-Targum. Jarchi thinks that Abijah went to the confines of the tribe of Ephraim to attack Jeroboam. It could not be Shomeron, the mount on which Samaria was built in the days of Omri king of Israel, 1 Kings 16:24.


 
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