Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 13:19
And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.
19. Beth-el ] Beth-el was apparently subsequently recovered by the Northern Kingdom; cp. 2Ki 10:29. Nothing is said, be it noted, of the capture of the golden calf. It may have been removed for safety before the city was taken.
Jeshanah ] Nothing is certainly known of this place, which is mentioned here only. It has been identified with Ain Snia, a little to the north of Beth-el.
Ephrain ] R.V. Ephron (following the C’thb, whereas A.V. agrees with the K’r). Ephrain is a later form of the name Ephron, as Shamrain (Ezr 4:10; Ezr 4:17) is of Shomron (Samaria). The place has been identified with e-aiyebeh, a place S.E. of Ain Snia and N.E. of Beitin (Beth-el). It was probably the city called Ephraim, to which our Lord retired after the raising of Lazarus (Joh 11:54).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Jeshanah is probably identical with the Isanas of Josephus, where a battle took place in the war between Antigonus and Herod; but its situation cannot be fixed. For Ephrain, see Jos 18:23 note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 19. Beth-el] “Beth-lehem.” – Targum.
Jeshanah] We know not where these towns lay.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Beth-el; which Jeroboam recovered afterwards, as appears by the course of the history, though it be not particularly mentioned, which is the case of many other considerable things. And in the mean time it is very probable, that when Jeroboams host was discomfited, and he expected that Abijah would pursue his victory, he removed the golden calf from Beth-el, which lay near Abijahs kingdom, to some safer place.
Ephrain; a city so called, possibly the same which is mentioned Joh 11:54, or that which is called Ophrah, Jdg 8:27.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19. Abijah pursued after Jeroboam,and took cities from himThis sanguinary action widened thebreach between the people of the two kingdoms. Abijah abandoned hisoriginal design of attempting the subjugation of the ten tribes,contenting himself with the recovery of a few border towns, which,though lying within Judah or Benjamin, had been alienated to the newor northern kingdom. Among these was Beth-el, which, with its sacredassociations, he might be strongly desirous to wrest fromprofanation.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam,…. As he and his army fled:
and took cities from him; the following ones:
Bethel with the towns thereof; the villages adjoining to it; here one of the calves was set up, which either Jeroboam took care to remove before this place fell into the hands of Abijah, or Abijah let it remain, and did not destroy it:
and Jeshanah with the towns thereof; which Reland x thinks is the same that is called by Jerom y Jethaba:
and Ephraim with the towns thereof; a city so called, thought to be the same that is mentioned in the passage, [See comments on Joh 11:54]; it is here called, in the Targum, Ephron; so Jerom z calls it, and says it was Sichem.
x Palestin. Illustrat. p. 861. y De loc. Heb. fol. 92. L. z Trad. Heb. fol. 85. A.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(19) Took cities from him.The three cities and their districts were only temporarily annexed to Judah. According to 1Ki. 15:17-21, Baasha, King of Israel, attempted in the next reign to fortify Ramah, which was only about five miles north of Jerusalem. He had probably recovered these towns before doing so (Bertheau).
Bethel.Beitin. (Gen. 12:8; Jos. 7:2.)
Jeshanah.Not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament. Probably identical with of Josephus (Ant. xiv. 15, 12); site unknown. Syriac, Shl; Arabic, Si.
Ephrain.So the Heb. margin; Heb. text, Ephron; and so LXX., Vulg., Syriac, Arabic. Mount Ephron (Jos. 15:9) was situated too far to the south to be intended here. Perhaps Ophrah, near Bethel (Jdg. 6:11), or the town called Ephraim (Joh. 6:54)especially if Ephrain be the right readingwhich also was near Bethel, according to Josephus (Bell. Jud. iv. 9, 9), is to be understood. Ophrah and Ephraim may be identical.
The Arabic adds: And Zghr with the towns thereof.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
19. Beth-el with the towns thereof It must have been a great humiliation to Jeroboam to lose this ancient city, the principal seat of his calf worship. It was subsequently recovered by the northern kingdom, but when and by whom is not recorded. The sites of Jeshanah and Ephraim are now unknown.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ch 13:19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.
Ver. 19. And took cities from him, Bethel. ] Where stood one of the golden calves, secured, haply, by the inhabitants before the enemy came, as idolaters’ main care is for their idols.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
took cities: Jos 10:19, Jos 10:39, Jos 11:12, 1Sa 31:7
Jeshanah: Jeshanah, according to the Talmud, was not far from Sephoris. Perhaps it is the Migdal-Senna of Eusebius, eight miles north of Jericho.
Ephrain: Ephrain, or Ephron, a city of Benjamin, is placed by Eusebius, eight miles north of Jerusalem, near Bethel. Josephus calls Ephrain and Bethel two little cities; and places the former in the tribe of Benjamin, near the wilderness of Judea, in the way to Jericho. 2Ch 15:8, Jos 15:9, Ephron, Joh 11:54
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 13:19. Abijah took cities from him, Beth-el, &c. Which, however, Jeroboam recovered afterward, as appears by the course of the history. What became of the golden calf at Beth-el, when that place came thus into the hands of the king of Judah, we are not told. Probably when Jeroboams host was discomfited, and he expected that Abijah would pursue his victory, he removed the golden calf from thence to some safer place. And Ephraim A city so called, possibly the same which is mentioned Joh 11:54; or that which is called Ophra, Jdg 8:27.