· Translation: KJV

2 Chronicles 11:21Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.)

The setting

Jerusalem, ~930 BC. King Rehoboam's palace with multiple family quarters for his extensive household. Modern Jerusalem, Israel.

The emotion here: recording with concern about royal family patterns

The original word

ahab (אָהַב) — to love deeply, often used for covenant love but here for romantic preference

Why it matters

Maacah was granddaughter of King David through Absalom, making this a politically strategic marriage

Read with care

What most readers miss in 2 Chronicles 11:21

Rehoboam's favoritism toward Maacah echoed his grandfather David's family dysfunction

Common misconceptionPeople assume this endorses polygamy, but Chronicles is actually documenting the dysfunction and political complications that arose from these arrangements.

Bible Genome reading

2 Chronicles 11:21 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotiondeciding
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability30%
Memorability40%
Crisis relevance20%
Standalone30%
Themes:lovepolygamyroyal excess

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 2 Chronicles 11

2 Chronicles 11:21 comes from the book of 2 Chronicles, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include love, polygamy, royal excess. Notable phrases: Rehoboam loved; eighteen wives; sixty concubines.

Your reflection

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