And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,

2 CHRONICLES 12:2KJV
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2 Chronicles 12:2 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 12:2 mean?

2 Chronicles 12:2 says that in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak, the king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem because the people had been unfaithful to the LORD. The verse connects this foreign invasion directly to the people’s disobedience against God.

This verse is part of a historical account where the chronicler explains why trouble came upon Jerusalem. King Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, is ruling, and the people’s actions—specifically, their “transgression” against the LORD—are given as the reason for Shishak’s attack. The verse sets up the events that follow, showing a cause-and-effect relationship between the nation’s behavior and the challenges they face.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 12:2

  • “Transgressed” (מָעַל, ma‘al) means to act unfaithfully or break trust, especially in a spiritual or covenant sense. This word emphasizes that the people’s failure was not just a mistake but a serious breach of their relationship with God.
  • “LORD” (יְהוָה, YHWH) is the personal name of Israel’s God, highlighting that the offense was against their own covenant God, not just a generic deity.

Why 2 Chronicles 12:2 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the invasion by Shishak was not random political trouble but was understood as a direct consequence of the people’s unfaithfulness to God.
  • It highlights a theme found throughout Chronicles: the link between the people’s loyalty to God and their national security or well-being.
  • The verse prepares the reader for the events that follow, helping to frame the historical narrative as more than just a record of wars and kings—it is also a spiritual commentary on cause and effect in Israel’s history.

Where else these words appear

“Shishak” Hebrew H7895 · used in 6 verses

  • 1 Kings 11:40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
  • 1 Kings 14:25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:
  • 2 Chronicles 12:7 And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

“transgressed” Hebrew H4603 · used in 35 verses

  • Leviticus 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
  • 1 Chronicles 2:7 And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
  • Ezra 10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.

“Rehoboam” Hebrew H7346 · used in 41 verses

  • 1 Kings 11:43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
  • 1 Kings 14:29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
  • 2 Chronicles 11:1 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

“fifth” Hebrew H2549 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
  • Numbers 29:26 And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:
  • 1 Chronicles 26:3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Elioenai the seventh.