Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 10:5
Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people departed.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Rehoboam addresses the northern tribes who have just petitioned him to lighten the heavy yoke his father Solomon imposed on them. He responds by ordering them to disperse and return to him after three days.
The words — The Hebrew imperative שׁוּבוּ (shuvu) literally means "return," paired with the fixed time phrase שְלֹשֶׁת יָמִים (shelo-shet yamim), "three days." This construction establishes a strict deadline for the people's reassembly rather than an open-ended postponement.
The thread — The identical delay instruction appears in 1 Kings 12:5, where Rehoboam gives the northern delegates the same three-day return order. The pattern of deferring a promised provision also surfaces in Proverbs 3:28 as a practical warning against unnecessary delay.
Why it lands — The text records a calculated pause that allows the king to consult advisors before answering a direct demand. It asks a reader to observe how leaders use time to manage pressure without immediately yielding to or rejecting a petition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 12:5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.
- Proverbs 3:28 Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—when you already have the means.