And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
After Solomon's death the ten tribes revolted from Rehoboam and followed Jeroboam, leaving Rehoboam with Judah, and the verse belongs to the history of that divided kingdom. It records that Rehoboam of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel remained at war and in strife throughout their reigns, reflecting the continuing conflict that followed the division. The division of Solomon's kingdom was thus followed by ongoing war and strife between Judah and Israel, set within the detailed account of the reigns of Rehoboam in Judah and Jeroboam in Israel.
This history treats the two separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel over about eighty years from the revolt of the ten tribes to the death of Jehoshaphat, comprising the reigns of several kings of both Judah and Israel. After Solomon's death Rehoboam retained Judah while a large part of the kingdom was taken from him, and Israel and Judah continued as separate kingdoms, sometimes at war and sometimes at peace, until Israel was destroyed in 721 B.C. In that setting Rehoboam of Judah was degenerate and effeminate, while Jeroboam of Israel was strong but not devoted to God.
The chapter containing the verse records an event also recorded more fully in 2 Chronicles 12, for which the Karnak inscription provides historical evidence.
After Solomon's death the ten tribes revolted from Rehoboam and followed Jeroboam, leaving Rehoboam with Judah, and the verse belongs to the history of that divided kingdom. It records that Rehoboam of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel remained at war and in strife throughout their reigns, reflecting the continuing conflict that followed the division. The division of Solomon's kingdom was thus followed by ongoing war and strife between Judah and Israel, set within the detailed account of the reigns of Rehoboam in Judah and Jeroboam in Israel.
This history treats the two separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel over about eighty years from the revolt of the ten tribes to the death of Jehoshaphat, comprising the reigns of several kings of both Judah and Israel. After Solomon's death Rehoboam retained Judah while a large part of the kingdom was taken from him, and Israel and Judah continued as separate kingdoms, sometimes at war and sometimes at peace, until Israel was destroyed in 721 B.C. In that setting Rehoboam of Judah was degenerate and effeminate, while Jeroboam of Israel was strong but not devoted to God.
The chapter containing the verse records an event also recorded more fully in 2 Chronicles 12, for which the Karnak inscription provides historical evidence.