Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 13

Verses 1-22

2 Chronicles 13:1-22 . The Reign of Abijah.— Most of this section has nothing corresponding to it in 1 K., though references to the history of this reign occur in 1 Kings 15:1-8.

2 Chronicles 13:1 f. Cf. 1 Kings 15:1 f., where the name of Abijah’ s mother is given as Maacah; so, too, 2 Chronicles 11:20.

2 Chronicles 13:4 ff. The representation of Abijah here (contrast 1 Kings 15:3) as a God-fearing champion of the Levitical worship is a good illustration of the Chronicler’ s idealising tendency.

2 Chronicles 13:22 . the commentary of the prophet Iddo: the Hebrew word for “ commentary” here is midrash, which in Rabbinical literature means inquiry into the meaning of Scripture and its exposition; the word comes from a root meaning to “ search,” so that a midrash represents the results of a search that has been made into the traditional text of Scripture, and the consequent exposition is intended to elucidate the text. In the case of Iddo’ s midrash it is, of course, impossible to say upon what text it was based. The Chronicler makes it clear that it was a source entirely different from the Book of Kings (see 2 Chronicles 20:34), but as its name implies, it was a late production (this is the first mention of a midrash in the OT), and cannot be regarded as having been of any historical value.