Benjamin, in reality, belonged to the Northern Kingdom until, after the fall of Samaria, its territory was included in the Judean kingdom (see 1 Kings xii. 20). Later, the idea prevailed that it had been one with the Southern Kingdom from the beginning――as appears here, and apparently in 1 Kings xi. 31. At any rate the phrase, Judah and Benjamin, came to be used as a general expression denoting the Southern Kingdom. How long any sense of its partial inaccuracy remained is uncertain. ¹²And in every several city _he put_ shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. And Judah and Benjamin belonged to him. =12.= _And Judah and Benjamin belonged to him_] If the view, discussed in the note on verse 5, that Rehoboam’s military precautions were carried through to suppress or prevent rebellion in Judah, then this phrase should be rendered =And so Judah and Benjamin became his=. ¹³And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border. =13.= _resorted to him_] Literally _took their stand by him_. ¹⁴For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office unto the LORD: =14.= _suburbs_] See note on 1 Chronicles v. 16. _cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office unto the LORD_] The point is in the concluding words “_unto the LORD_” (i.e. _Jehovah_). Jeroboam did not abandon the worship of Jehovah, although later generations thought so and could not conceive that the famous “calves wherewith he made Israel to sin” were images symbolic of Jehovah. The Chronicler regards him as having lapsed into gross idolatry (see verse 15) and as having ejected all the Levites from his kingdom. A less stringent opinion as to his treatment of the priests of Jehovah is expressed in 1 Kings xii. 31, xiii. 33 where it is not said that Jeroboam rejected the tribe of Levi, but only that he allowed men of any tribe to become priests; “he ... made priests from among all the people” (Revised Version). Comparison of Kings and Chronicles is here very valuable as an illustration of the care with which the history in Chronicles has been adapted to indicate that the Northern Kingdom was wholly wicked and apostate from the start. The Chronicler’s hostility to the North is really directed against the Samaritans: see Introduction § 6. ¹⁵and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats¹, and for the calves which he had made. ¹⁶And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the LORD, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto the LORD, the God of their fathers. ¹ Or, _satyrs_ See Leviticus xvii. 7.