Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 13:19
Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their villages.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative recounts King Abijah's military advance against Jeroboam immediately following the battle described in 2 Chronicles 13:18. It occurs at the moment of Judah's victory, detailing the specific towns seized after the pursuit.
The words — וַ/יִּרְדֹּ֣ף (va/i.yir.Dof) means "and he pursued" and וַ/יִּלְכֹּ֤ד (va/i.yil.Kod) means "and he captured" are the primary verbs structuring the verse. These terms establish the sequential, aggressive nature of Abijah's offensive against Jeroboam's territory.
The thread — The pursuit motif parallels Joshua 10:19's instruction to prevent enemies from retreating to their cities, while the captured location Ephron corresponds to the boundary marker in Joshua 15:9. The pattern of territorial consolidation reappears in 2 Chronicles 15:8, where Asa similarly acts on prophetic words to secure the land.
Why it lands — The text records a concrete historical advance without theological commentary, leaving the reader to observe the direct link between sustained pursuit and territorial gain. It asks the reader to recognize the practical outcome of pressing an advantage against entrenched opposition.
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 Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth–el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.
Cross-references
- Joshua 15:9 From the hilltop the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, proceeded to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then bent around toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).
- 2 Chronicles 15:8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.
- Joshua 10:19 But you, do not stop there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”
- Joshua 10:39 And they captured Debir, its king, and all its villages. They put them to the sword and devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. Joshua did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and as he had done to Libnah and its king.
- Joshua 11:12 Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and put them to the sword. He devoted them to destruction, as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded.
- 1 Samuel 31:7 When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
- John 11:54 As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.