· Translation: KJV

2 Chronicles 11:3"Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

The setting

Jerusalem, ~930 BC. Prophet Shemaiah stands before King Rehoboam's war council. The northern tribes have just revolted. Rehoboam has assembled 180,000 warriors to force reunification. The prophet interrupts the military planning with God's word.

The emotion here: trembling with divine authority against human power

The original word

dābār (דָּבָר) — authoritative word or decree, not mere suggestion but divine command

Why it matters

This was the first recorded instance of divine intervention preventing civil war in Israel's history

Read with care

What most readers miss in 2 Chronicles 11:3

Shemaiah addressed 'all Israel in Judah and Benjamin' — even the southern tribes were questioning Rehoboam's leadership

Common misconceptionPeople think this is about political neutrality, but God was specifically preventing brothers from killing brothers. It's about family preservation, not pacifism.

Bible Genome reading

2 Chronicles 11:3 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerShemaiah
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotionseeking
Literary typeprophecy
MarkCommand
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power30%
Quotability30%
Memorability40%
Crisis relevance70%
Standalone30%
Themes:prophetic messagedivine instruction

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 2 Chronicles 11

2 Chronicles 11:3 comes from the book of 2 Chronicles, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Shemaiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include prophetic message, divine instruction. Notable phrases: Speak to Rehoboam; all Israel in Judah and Benjamin. This verse contains a command. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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