And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:
The verse records that in the fifth year of Rehoboam son of Solomon, after the division of the kingdom, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, defeated him and took the city. In the attack he robbed the treasures of Solomon's temple and of the royal palace, carrying away much treasure including the gold shields, for which Rehoboam made brass shields in their place. The robbery was God's judgment for idolatry and sin that brought His wrath upon Rehoboam, and when he humbled himself God turned from His wrath against him. The account is confirmed by Shishak's sculptured record on the wall of the temple at Karnak, which lists his conquered towns and names Jerusalem, making the event a secure point from which later chronology can be traced. The loss of the gold and its brass substitute shows how precious blessings are often neglected until they are lost, then guarded in inferior form with regretful zeal that cannot restore what was surrendered.
Context and Invasion
The verse belongs to the history after Solomon's death and the division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel, covering Rehoboam's reign in Judah. It stands in the record of the two separate kingdoms for about eighty years, from the revolt of the ten tribes to the death of Jehoshaphat, covering the reigns of several kings of both Judah and Israel. It falls within a sad record of moral decline under a degenerate ruler, though the period also had times of revival when the people sought God.
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, defeated him, and took the city. The attack is recorded as an invasion and assault upon Jerusalem in Rehoboam's fifth year.
In that attack Shishak robbed the treasures of Solomon's temple and of the royal palace and carried away much treasure. This was the first taking of the treasures of Solomon's temple, when Shishak declared war, came up against Jerusalem, took the city and carried away the treasures of the temple. The temple kept its original splendor for only thirty-three years before this calamity. Its treasures were taken thirty-four years after its dedication in B.C. 1005, in B.C. 971 in the fifth year of Rehoboam, four years after Solomon's death.
Shishak is Sheshonk I, also called Sheshenk and Shashang in Egyptian, the founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt. Shishak took Solomon's gold shields, after which Rehoboam made copper or brass shields in their place. Guards carried them with him when he went to the Lord's house and then returned them to the guard chamber.
Archaeology and Chronology
The invasion in Rehoboam's fifth year is corroborated and confirmed by Shishak's own sculptured record at Karnak, where the history is engraved in stone as archaeological testimony to the biblical account. The sculptured account includes images of captives bearing several place names and perhaps Jerusalem, providing confirmation of the campaign against Rehoboam. The carved rows of conquered cities include figures and names identified with Israel.
The record stands on Shishak's triumphal monument at Karnak a little north of Luxor, where the Bible history is engraved in stone. It is inscribed on a wall of the great sun temple at Karnak dedicated to Ammon-Ra, specifically on the southern wall of the temple. The monument shows the large form of Ammon wearing the double crown, grasping in his right hand the sword of victory and in his left cords binding five rows of captives taken in Palestine. It also contains a full description in pictures of the ancient processional of the priests of Ammon.
The Karnak inscription describes Shishak's conquest of Judah and Jerusalem and lists the conquered towns and districts. His campaign also included the capture of numerous towns and fortresses, which he recorded in the inscription at Karnak. The conquests are presented in carved rows with figures and names identified with Israel, and the Egyptian records add that the invasion reached cities in both Israel and Judah, expanding the biblical account. The inscription names Jerusalem among the places Shishak captured, and he listed there the places he captured in Palestine.
The agreement of the biblical account with the Egyptian record sculptured at Karnak establishes the event as a secure chronological point from which the order of later kings can be traced. The dating of Shishak's invasion of Jerusalem to the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign helps verify Egyptian chronology.
Judgment and Moral Lesson
The coming of Shishak to rob the treasures of the temple and of the royal palace was punishment for idolatry. The invasion was a judgment of God for the sins that brought His wrath upon Rehoboam. The loss of the temple's treasures was a calamity caused by sin, after the temple had retained its original splendor for only thirty-three years. When Rehoboam humbled himself and turned from those sins, God turned from His wrath against him and His anger was turned away.
The verse belongs to a sad record of moral decline after Solomon, covering Rehoboam's reign and the division of the kingdom. Rehoboam was a degenerate ruler, and Shishak's attack on Jerusalem falls within the account of his reign. The period also had times of revival when the people sought God.
The Egyptian attack cost the kingdom the gold shields Solomon had made and other treasure, which Rehoboam replaced with brass. That loss began lasting financial trouble, which continued until the nation ceased to be independent.
The lost gold illustrates how blessings and precious treasures are often neglected and valued only after they are lost. After the golden shields were lost, Rehoboam replaced them with copper shields, which were carried to the temple when he worshiped and then returned to the guard chamber. People then guard an inferior substitute with regretful zeal, carefully preserving what remains after losing something greater. The copper stood in place of the lost gold but could not restore its value, and inferior substitutes cannot match what was surrendered.
The verse records that in the fifth year of Rehoboam son of Solomon, after the division of the kingdom, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, defeated him and took the city. In the attack he robbed the treasures of Solomon's temple and of the royal palace, carrying away much treasure including the gold shields, for which Rehoboam made brass shields in their place. The robbery was God's judgment for idolatry and sin that brought His wrath upon Rehoboam, and when he humbled himself God turned from His wrath against him. The account is confirmed by Shishak's sculptured record on the wall of the temple at Karnak, which lists his conquered towns and names Jerusalem, making the event a secure point from which later chronology can be traced. The loss of the gold and its brass substitute shows how precious blessings are often neglected until they are lost, then guarded in inferior form with regretful zeal that cannot restore what was surrendered.
Context and Invasion
The verse belongs to the history after Solomon's death and the division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel, covering Rehoboam's reign in Judah. It stands in the record of the two separate kingdoms for about eighty years, from the revolt of the ten tribes to the death of Jehoshaphat, covering the reigns of several kings of both Judah and Israel. It falls within a sad record of moral decline under a degenerate ruler, though the period also had times of revival when the people sought God.
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, defeated him, and took the city. The attack is recorded as an invasion and assault upon Jerusalem in Rehoboam's fifth year.
In that attack Shishak robbed the treasures of Solomon's temple and of the royal palace and carried away much treasure. This was the first taking of the treasures of Solomon's temple, when Shishak declared war, came up against Jerusalem, took the city and carried away the treasures of the temple. The temple kept its original splendor for only thirty-three years before this calamity. Its treasures were taken thirty-four years after its dedication in B.C. 1005, in B.C. 971 in the fifth year of Rehoboam, four years after Solomon's death.
Shishak is Sheshonk I, also called Sheshenk and Shashang in Egyptian, the founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt. Shishak took Solomon's gold shields, after which Rehoboam made copper or brass shields in their place. Guards carried them with him when he went to the Lord's house and then returned them to the guard chamber.
Archaeology and Chronology
The invasion in Rehoboam's fifth year is corroborated and confirmed by Shishak's own sculptured record at Karnak, where the history is engraved in stone as archaeological testimony to the biblical account. The sculptured account includes images of captives bearing several place names and perhaps Jerusalem, providing confirmation of the campaign against Rehoboam. The carved rows of conquered cities include figures and names identified with Israel.
The record stands on Shishak's triumphal monument at Karnak a little north of Luxor, where the Bible history is engraved in stone. It is inscribed on a wall of the great sun temple at Karnak dedicated to Ammon-Ra, specifically on the southern wall of the temple. The monument shows the large form of Ammon wearing the double crown, grasping in his right hand the sword of victory and in his left cords binding five rows of captives taken in Palestine. It also contains a full description in pictures of the ancient processional of the priests of Ammon.
The Karnak inscription describes Shishak's conquest of Judah and Jerusalem and lists the conquered towns and districts. His campaign also included the capture of numerous towns and fortresses, which he recorded in the inscription at Karnak. The conquests are presented in carved rows with figures and names identified with Israel, and the Egyptian records add that the invasion reached cities in both Israel and Judah, expanding the biblical account. The inscription names Jerusalem among the places Shishak captured, and he listed there the places he captured in Palestine.
The agreement of the biblical account with the Egyptian record sculptured at Karnak establishes the event as a secure chronological point from which the order of later kings can be traced. The dating of Shishak's invasion of Jerusalem to the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign helps verify Egyptian chronology.
Judgment and Moral Lesson
The coming of Shishak to rob the treasures of the temple and of the royal palace was punishment for idolatry. The invasion was a judgment of God for the sins that brought His wrath upon Rehoboam. The loss of the temple's treasures was a calamity caused by sin, after the temple had retained its original splendor for only thirty-three years. When Rehoboam humbled himself and turned from those sins, God turned from His wrath against him and His anger was turned away.
The verse belongs to a sad record of moral decline after Solomon, covering Rehoboam's reign and the division of the kingdom. Rehoboam was a degenerate ruler, and Shishak's attack on Jerusalem falls within the account of his reign. The period also had times of revival when the people sought God.
The Egyptian attack cost the kingdom the gold shields Solomon had made and other treasure, which Rehoboam replaced with brass. That loss began lasting financial trouble, which continued until the nation ceased to be independent.
The lost gold illustrates how blessings and precious treasures are often neglected and valued only after they are lost. After the golden shields were lost, Rehoboam replaced them with copper shields, which were carried to the temple when he worshiped and then returned to the guard chamber. People then guard an inferior substitute with regretful zeal, carefully preserving what remains after losing something greater. The copper stood in place of the lost gold but could not restore its value, and inferior substitutes cannot match what was surrendered.