Bible Strands

2 Chronicles 12:8

Nevertheless, they will become his servants, so that they may learn the difference between serving Me and serving the kings of other lands.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God speaks through the prophet Shemaiah to Judah and Jerusalem immediately after their humbling and before Shishak’s full plunder of the temple and palace.

The words — The Hebrew יִהְיוּ (yih.yu) means "they will become," and עֲבָדִים ('a.va.Dim) translates literally to "servants" or "subjects."

The thread — The text places political subjugation within a pattern of divine discipline, echoing the testing nations in Judges 3:1, the covenant curse in Deuteronomy 28:47, and the confession of foreign rule in Isaiah 26:13.

Why it lands — The passage states that forced servitude will teach Judah to distinguish God’s service from earthly kingship, requiring readers to identify where divine authority ends and human rule begins.

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

כִּ֥יkiforיִהְיוּ־yih.yu-they will becomeל֖וֹl/oof/ himלַעֲבָדִ֑יםla./'a.va.Dim<into>/ subjectsוְיֵדְעוּ֙ve./ye.de.'Uso/ they may knowעֲב֣וֹדָתִ֔יa.Vo.da.T/iservice/ myוַעֲבוֹדַ֖תva./'a.vo.Datand/ [the] service ofמַמְלְכ֥וֹתmam.le.Khot[the] kingdoms ofהָאֲרָצֽוֹת׃ סha./'a.ra.Tzotthe/ lands

King James Version

Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.

Cross-references