The kingdom being divided into that of Judah and that of Israel, we must henceforward, in these books of Kings, expect and attend their separate history, the succession of their kings, and the affairs of their kingdoms, accounted for distinctly. In this chapter we have, I. The prophecy of the destruction of Jeroboam's house, ver. 7-16. The sickness of his child was the occasion of it (ver. 1-6), and the death of his child the earnest of it (ver. 17, 18), together with the conclusion of his reign, ver. 19, 20. II. The history of the declension and diminution of Rehoboam's house and kingdom (ver. 21-28) and the conclusion of his reign, ver. 29-31. In both we may read the mischievous consequences of sin and the calamities it brings on kingdoms and families.
Abijah's Sickness; the Prophet Ahijah Consulted. (b. c. 960.)