Rehoboam’s Family
Rehoboam’s marriages and children are listed, with special attention to Maacah, whom he loves more than his other wives and concubines. The size of his household underscores both royal abundance and the prominence of the favored line.
A18nd Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19She bore sons to him: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20After her, he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
Rehoboam marks out Abijah, Maacah’s son, as chief prince with kingship in view, then disperses his other sons through Judah and Benjamin’s fortified cities with provisions and wives. He secures the dynasty by managing both honor and distance.
22Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, intending to make him king. 23Rehoboam also acted wisely by dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and sought many wives for them.