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2 Chronicles 10:1-11:23

The Kingdom Was Divided

Lyrics · 2 Chronicles

The Kingdom Was Divided

2 Chronicles 10:1-11:23

Lyrics

About this song

About this song

This song belongs to the 2 Chronicles collection. One recording is available to play here, with the complete lyrics below.

Bible book
2 Chronicles
Collection
2 Chronicles
Musical styles
Uncategorized
[Verse 1] Rehoboam goes to Shechem, where Israel gathers to crown him. The nation asks relief from Solomon's grievous service and heavy yoke. The old counselors urge kindness and service toward the people. They recommend thicker burdens and scorpion chastisement. [Pre-Chorus] The warning stood where no one wished to see, And every hidden root became a tree. [Chorus] The Kingdom Was Divided, let the warning remain, Hidden sin still flowers into pain. The word of the LORD exposed what men concealed, And judgment stood where every heart was revealed. [Verse 2] Hadoram is stoned, and Rehoboam escapes by chariot. Judah and Benjamin gather one hundred eighty thousand men for war. Shemaiah declares that the division is from God and forbids battle. Fifteen fortified cities are built throughout Judah and Benjamin. [Bridge] Priests and Levites leave northern lands after Jeroboam rejects them. Faithful worshippers from every tribe come to Jerusalem to seek God. Their devotion strengthens Judah for three years. Rehoboam establishes his household, appoints Abijah, and disperses his sons through fortified cities. [Final Chorus] The Kingdom Was Divided, let the warning remain, Hidden sin still flowers into pain. The word of the LORD exposed what men concealed, And judgment stood where every heart stood revealed. [Outro] The warning did not vanish with the dust. The final line remembered judgment, fear, and trust.

Named in this songRehoboamShechemSolomonJerusalem

About the passage

2 Chronicles 10: An inherited throne meets an unanswered burden

Rehoboam reaches Shechem to receive a kingdom and instead hears a burden. The people do not begin by rejecting David's house. They offer continued service if Solomon's heavy yoke is eased. Rehoboam asks for time, consults men who served his father, and receives counsel that kindness and good words could secure lasting allegiance. He rejects it and chooses the advice of his companions, turning a negotiable grievance into a public promise of heavier service and harsher chastisement. The Book of 2 Chronicles also identifies the division as the fulfilment of God's earlier word through Ahijah, but it does not erase Rehoboam's decision-making. Advice is heard, alternatives are available, and one is chosen. When the people finally reject David's house, Rehoboam sends the tribute officer Hadoram into the crisis, Hadoram is killed, and the king flees to Jerusalem.

Study 2 Chronicles 10 in depth

2 Chronicles 11: A smaller kingdom receives more than soldiers

The divided kingdom does not immediately become a battlefield. Rehoboam assembles 180,000 men to recover Israel, but Shemaiah's word names the northern tribes as brethren and forbids the campaign. This time the king obeys, and the army goes home. Rehoboam then turns from attempted recovery to strengthening what remains, fortifying towns across Judah and Benjamin with commanders, provisions, shields, and spears. Another kind of strengthening follows. Priests and Levites leave possessions in Israel after Jeroboam excludes them from service, and people from the tribes who set their hearts to seek the LORD come to Jerusalem with them. Their arrival strengthens Judah for three years. The chapter finally moves inside the royal household, where Rehoboam's preference for Maachah helps explain Abijah's elevation and the distribution of royal sons among fortified cities. Military, religious, and dynastic consolidation all share the page.

Study 2 Chronicles 11 in depth