Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.

2 CHRONICLES 12:5KJV
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2 Chronicles 12:5 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 12:5 mean?

2 Chronicles 12:5 describes how the prophet Shemaiah delivers a message from God to King Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, telling them that because they have abandoned God, He has allowed them to fall under the power of Shishak, the Egyptian king. The verse shows a direct connection between the people's unfaithfulness and their current trouble.

Shemaiah, acting as a messenger, speaks to Rehoboam and the other officials who have gathered in Jerusalem because of the threat from Shishak. The message is clear and personal: their choice to "forsake" God (meaning to abandon or leave behind) has led to God "leaving" them in the hands of their enemy. This moment highlights the cause-and-effect relationship the chronicler sees between Israel’s loyalty to God and their national security.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 12:5

  • "forsaken" (עָזַב, ʿazav): This word means to leave, abandon, or desert. In this verse, it emphasizes that the people have actively turned away from God, not just drifted passively.
  • "left" (עָזַב, ʿazav): The same Hebrew word is used for both the people forsaking God and God leaving them. This repetition underlines a measure-for-measure response—what they did to God is now happening to them.
  • "hand" (יָד, yad): In Hebrew, being given into someone's "hand" means being placed under their power or control. Here, it stresses that Shishak’s dominance is not just military but allowed by God’s decision.

Why 2 Chronicles 12:5 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the invasion by Shishak is not just a political or military event but is directly tied to the people's spiritual choices, according to the chronicler’s perspective.
  • The use of the same Hebrew word for both forsaking and being left by God highlights a principle of reciprocity in the relationship between God and His people.
  • The verse sets up the rest of the chapter, where the leaders’ response to this message and their humility will shape what happens next, showing how prophetic warning can lead to change.

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.

“also” Hebrew H637 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
  • Deuteronomy 33:3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
  • 2 Kings 5:13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

“Shemaiah” Hebrew H8098 · used in 39 verses

  • 1 Kings 12:22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
  • 2 Chronicles 11:2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
  • Nehemiah 10:8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.

“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.