2 Chronicles 10 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

This begins a section on King Rehoboam. (2 Chronicles 10–12)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Rehoboam’s taxes

The people asked Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, to reduce the heavy taxes and the forced labor Solomon had demanded but Rehoboam refused. He lacked the wisdom to follow the advice of the men who had been councilors of his father Solomon. So the ten northern tribes broke off and made Jeroboam their king. They were called “Israel” and Rehoboam’s kingdom was called Judah. This will cause confusion between the northern kingdom of Israel and the whole nation of Israel. (See: wise)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Metaphor

The people use the metaphor of a yoke to complain about the high taxes and forced labor Solomon demanded from the people. They said, “Your father made our yoke difficult.” (See: figs-metaphor)