Introduction: Rechavam After the Division of the Kingdom
Chapter 11 of Divrei HaYamim II continues the narrative of the division of the kingdom. As recalled, following the split, a significant portion of the nation followed Yarov'am, and Rechavam - the son of Shlomo - found it difficult to accept the situation. His father had ruled over the entire world, yet he was losing the lion's share of the nation all at once: ten tribes. Consequently, he set out for war to restore the realm to himself. The chapter chronicles his steps: refraining from war following the prophecy of Shemayahu, fortifying the cities, his strengthening among the people due to the arrival of the Kohanim and Levi'im, and finally, matters concerning his wives, sons, and the appointment of his successor.
"To Restore the Realm" - Mamlachah Rather Than Meluchah
וַיָּבֹא רְחַבְעָם יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וַיַּקְהֵל אֶת־בֵּית יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן מֵאָה וּשְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף בָּחוּר עֹשֵׂה מִלְחָמָה לְהִלָּחֵם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהָשִׁיב אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה לִרְחַבְעָם׃ - "And Rechavam came to Yerushalayim, and he assembled the house of Yehudah and Binyamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors, to fight with Yisrael, to restore the realm to Rechavam."
The Malbim notes a precise detail: here it says "to restore the mamlachah (realm)," whereas in the parallel passage in Melachim, hameluchah (kingship) is mentioned. The Malbim already explained in Melachim I (chapter 12) that there is a distinction between the two. Meluchah relates to the king himself, as it is said of Shlomo, "and his kingdom was firmly established" - Shlomo reigned without any challenge to his royal standing. Mamlachah relates to the kingdom and the subjects: Do they accept him? Is he desired by the people? So too here: in terms of meluchah, Rechavam was reigning, but he lacked the nation - ten tribes had followed Yarov'am. Therefore, he set out to restore the mamlachah to himself, not the meluchah; he was already king, and merely wanted the people to accept his rule as well.
Shemayahu's Prophecy: "Do Not Go Up and Do Not Fight Against Your Brothers"
וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־שְׁמַעְיָהוּ אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר׃ אֱמֹר אֶל־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וְאֶל כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּיהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן לֵאמֹר׃ - "And the word of Hashem came to Shemayahu the man of God, saying: Speak to Rechavam son of Shlomo, king of Yehudah, and to all Yisrael in Yehudah and Binyamin, saying:"
Shemayahu was sent to Rechavam to dissuade him from initiating a war. The prophecy is addressed to Rechavam and to "all Yisrael in Yehudah and Binyamin," because the initiative to wage war came from their side - from Yehudah and Binyamin, who constituted Rechavam's kingdom.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה לֹא־תַעֲלוּ וְלֹא־תִלָּחֲמוּ עִם־אֲחֵיכֶם שׁוּבוּ אִישׁ לְבֵיתוֹ כִּי מֵאִתִּי נִהְיָה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי יְהֹוָה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ מִלֶּכֶת אֶל־יָרׇבְעָם׃ - "Thus said Hashem: You shall not go up and you shall not fight against your brothers; return, every man to his house, for this matter is from Me. And they listened to the words of Hashem and turned back from going against Yarov'am."
The emphasis is on "against your brothers": Are you not the sons of one man? Shall a man go and kill his own brother? "Do not go up" - do not advance against their cities; "and do not fight" - do not provoke them to come fight against you either. These are two possibilities, and he warns against both. "Return, every man to his house" - do not remain mobilized and prepared as if bracing for an attack under the assumption that if they attack, you will defend immediately, for there is no fear that they will come to wage war against you. In response to these words: "And they turned back from going against Yarov'am" - this corresponds to "do not go up," meaning they turned back from marching forth. In Melachim it is written, "and they turned back to go," which corresponds to "return, every man to his house," each returning home to his tent.
Building the Fortified Cities
וַיֵּשֶׁב רְחַבְעָם בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וַיִּבֶן עָרִים לְמָצוֹר בִּיהוּדָה׃ - "And Rechavam dwelt in Yerushalayim, and he built cities for defense in Yehudah."
Rechavam resides in Jerusalem and builds cities around him in Judah. The commentary attributed to Rashi explains that he surrounded them with water, following the custom of castle builders who would construct water barriers - a kind of moat surrounding the area - so that anyone seeking to attack would encounter an obstacle. Proof of this comes from the verse in Yeshayahu: "I have dug and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet I dried up all the moats of siege" - which indicates that they would make a canal for a siege, a moat that surrounds and hinders anyone seeking to conquer the palace or the city.
The Malbim explains: Just as Sefer Melachim relates how Yarov'am sought various plans to fortify his kingdom, the verse here comes to relate that Rechavam likewise devised plans for what to do with the few people remaining with him against Yarov'am. There is a difference, however: Yarov'am had to build Shechem and establish it as a royal city, since he was inaugurating a new monarchy. Rechavam, by contrast, did not need to build Jerusalem - Jerusalem was already built, "as a city bound firmly together," since the days of his father and grandfather. Rather, because he feared Yarov'am, who held ten tribes - and who knows what madness might seize him tomorrow - he went and built fortified cities that would serve as a defense should an attack come from the direction of the kingdom of Yarov'am.
וַיִּבֶן אֶת־בֵּית־לֶחֶם וְאֶת־עֵיטָם וְאֶת־תְּקוֹעַ׃ וְאֶת־בֵּית־צוּר וְאֶת־שׂוֹכוֹ וְאֶת־עֲדֻלָּם׃ וְאֶת־גַּת וְאֶת־מָרֵשָׁה וְאֶת־זִיף׃ וְאֶת־אֲדוֹרַיִם וְאֶת־לָכִישׁ וְאֶת־עֲזֵקָה׃ וְאֶת־צׇרְעָה וְאֶת־אַיָּלוֹן וְאֶת־חֶבְרוֹן אֲשֶׁר בִּיהוּדָה וּבְבִנְיָמִן עָרֵי מְצֻרוֹת׃ - "He built Beit Lechem, Eitam, and Tekoa; and Beit Tzur, Socho, and Adullam; and Gat, Mareshah, and Ziph; and Adorayim, Lachish, and Azekah; and Zorah, Ayalon, and Chevron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities."
"Fortified cities (arei metzurot)" - all of these were fortress cities, related to the word matzor (siege). He fortified them and turned them into cities that could serve as a barrier against any potential attacker.
וַיְחַזֵּק אֶת־הַמְּצוּרוֹת וַיִּתֵּן בָּהֶם נְגִידִים וְאֹצְרוֹת מַאֲכָל וְשֶׁמֶן וָיָיִן׃ - "He fortified the strongholds and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine."
Metzudat David explains that "he fortified" means that he reinforced them continuously. He did three things: he placed commanders in them - officers and leaders who would oversee the cities and ensure they were properly maintained, so that they would not fall into disrepair and cease to function as defensive strongholds; and he placed stores of food, oil, and wine in them, so that they could sustain themselves during a siege.
וּבְכׇל־עִיר וָעִיר צִנּוֹת וּרְמָחִים וַיְחַזְּקֵם לְהַרְבֵּה מְאֹד וַיְהִי־לוֹ יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן׃ - "And in every city he put large shields and spears, and strengthened them exceedingly; and Judah and Benjamin remained his."
"Tzinot" (large shields) - as in the pair magen vetzinah (buckler and shield). As previously explained, the difference between a magen and a tzinah is that a magen protects from the front, while a tzinah encloses from three sides. This is reflected in the verse, "You crown him with favor as with a shield (katzinah)" - meaning the tzinah encircles a person - and likewise, "His truth is a shield and a buckler (tzinah vesocheirah)," from the root meaning to encircle, as a tzinah shields a person on three sides. "And spears (remachim)" - a type of lance. All this was so that every city could defend itself during an attack, serving as the front line of defense so the enemy would not reach Jerusalem. Thus, he built the cities of Judah as a primary defensive perimeter against anyone attempting to march on Jerusalem.
The Malbim adds that "in every city" goes beyond what was mentioned previously regarding the fortified cities: not only in the fortress cities, but in every single city he placed weapons so they could prepare for the day of battle. From here, Scripture proceeds to describe how he was strengthened on the part of the people as well: "And Judah and Benjamin remained his" - they were entirely loyal to him. As we will see shortly, the same could not be said of Yarov'am; although he ruled over ten tribes, not all of them accepted his sovereignty.
The Kohanim and Levi'im Abandon Yarov'am
וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם אֲשֶׁר בְּכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הִתְיַצְּבוּ עָלָיו מִכׇּל־גְּבוּלָם׃ - "And the kohanim and the Levi'im who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all their territory."
Here Scripture relates how the kohanim and Levi'im came to bolster the kingdom of Rechavam. Here is an example: part of Yarov'am's population, from the ten tribes, abandoned him and went over to accept Rechavam's rule. The reason is immediately explained:
כִּי־עָזְבוּ הַלְוִיִּם אֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם וַאֲחֻזָּתָם וַיֵּלְכוּ לִיהוּדָה וְלִירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם כִּי־הִזְנִיחָם יָרׇבְעָם וּבָנָיו מִכַּהֵן לַיהֹוָה׃ - For the Levites left their open lands and their possession, and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons cast them off from serving as priests to the Lord.
The Levites possessed forty-eight cities, and they abandoned their cities and open lands throughout all of Jeroboam's territory - that is, throughout the entire realm of the ten tribes - and went to Judah and Jerusalem. The reason: "Because Jeroboam and his sons cast them off from serving as priests to the Lord" - that he prevented them from serving Hashem as Kohanim. Jeroboam set up roadblocks and sentries to prevent the people from making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. His fear was that if they went on pilgrimage, he, as a king of Israel, would not be permitted to sit in the Temple Courtyard - for sitting in the Courtyard is permitted only to the kings of the House of David - whereas Rehoboam son of Solomon would sit. The people would then say: Apparently this one is the true king, and the other is merely a puppet; this one sits, while that one stands. And if Jeroboam were to sit, they would put him to death, for anyone unauthorized who sits in the Courtyard is liable to death. Therefore, he preferred to block them from making the pilgrimage altogether.
As explained previously based on the Malbim, at first Jeroboam thought that if he spared them the pilgrimage, the people would be more content, since traveling up for the festivals was a great exertion. In the next stage, he realized that the people were genuinely seeking the service of Hashem and yearning for spirituality. He said: If so, let us find them a substitute - and that was the rationale behind the golden calves.
וַיַּעֲמֶד־לוֹ כֹּהֲנִים לַבָּמוֹת וְלַשְּׂעִירִים וְלָעֲגָלִים אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃ - And he appointed for himself priests for the high places, and for the satyrs, and for the calves that he had made.
First Jeroboam cast off the Kohanim from serving, leaving them no choice but to abandon his kingdom and move to Rehoboam's realm. Afterward, he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the satyrs, and for the calves he had made - priests who, notice carefully, were not from the descendants of Aaron. He sought people who would serve at the altars without giving him trouble. If he were to take Kohanim from the sons of Aaron, who had served in the Beit HaMikdash, he would have problems with them; he evidently feared they were too devout and scrupulous. He therefore recruited priests of a different sort, people who had long been waiting for an opportunity to become priests, and appointed them to serve at the high places and for the satyrs. These satyrs (se'irim) are demonic spirits that appear in the form of goats, and they are called se'irim because they are covered with hair.
"Those Who Set Their Hearts to Seek Hashem"
וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנֹּתְנִים אֶת־לְבָבָם לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לִזְבּוֹחַ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם׃ - And after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those who set their hearts to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
It was not only the Kohanim who abandoned Jeroboam's kingdom, the northern realm of Samaria, and moved to the kingdom of Judah and Benjamin. They were followed by people from all the tribes of Israel - those "who set their hearts to seek Hashem," who wished to come to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Hashem. Thus Jeroboam did not succeed in taking full control over all the ten tribes, and many of their people abandoned him and crossed over to Rehoboam's kingdom.
וַיְחַזְּקוּ אֶת־מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה וַיְאַמְּצוּ אֶת־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה לְשָׁנִים שָׁלוֹשׁ כִּי הָלְכוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ דָּוִיד וּשְׁלֹמֹה לְשָׁנִים שָׁלוֹשׁ׃ - So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and fortified Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
All of these newcomers strengthened Rehoboam's kingdom until it became powerful through a multitude of people, and they also fortified him against Jeroboam. The word "va-ye'ammtzu" denotes courage of heart, meaning that they bolstered his spirits: until now he had been terrified of Jeroboam, but now he saw a vast population arriving to him from the northern kingdom. It turned out that what Jeroboam had done - attempting to secure his throne by using the calves as a substitute - not only failed to strengthen him, but actually weakened him. Many people saw this, were repulsed by it, and deliberately went and allied themselves with Rehoboam son of Solomon.
Yet all this lasted for only three years. During the first three years, they still walked in the path of the Davidic dynasty, and we will soon see how eventually the House of David weakened as well. "For they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years" - for only three years did the kingdom continue to grow strong in David's path, with people coming to Rehoboam's kingdom to serve Hashem and rejecting Jeroboam's way. This certainly does not refer to all the people of the ten tribes, but rather to those individuals who joined the Kohanim and left. The text does not specify how many there were, but it was a substantial group that continued to reinforce Rehoboam's realm.
Rehoboam's Wives
וַיִּקַּח־לוֹ רְחַבְעָם אִשָּׁה אֶת־מָחֲלַת בַּת־יְרִימוֹת בֶּן־דָּוִיד אֲבִיהַיִל בַּת־אֱלִיאָב בֶּן־יִשָׁי׃ - "And Rechav'am took for himself a wife: Machalat daughter of Yerimot son of David, [and] Avihayil daughter of Eliav son of Yishai."
The Radak notes that the letter vav is missing here, and the verse should be read: "Machalat daughter of Yerimot son of David, and Avihayil daughter of Eliav son of Yishai," for otherwise it sounds as though it were referring to a single person. That is, he first married Machalat daughter of Yerimot, and afterward he also took Avihayil daughter of Eliav. Yerimot is not mentioned earlier in the list of David's sons; it is possible that he is one of the sons listed there under a different name, as people often had two names, but in any case, he is not mentioned by this name.
The commentary attributed to Rashi offers a fascinating insight here. Regarding Shemuel, we find that when he saw Eliav, he thought, "Surely Hashem's anointed is before Him," and felt certain that Eliav was fit for royalty. What led him to this mistake? He saw through ruach hakodesh that kingship would emerge from Eliav - for it was Avihayil daughter of Eliav son of Yishai who became queen, marrying Rechav'am, and her descendants were kings. He therefore reasoned: if royalty is destined to emerge from him, he must be the one chosen as king. However, this error stemmed from what our Sages taught elsewhere: when Shaul went looking for the donkeys and asked, "Where is the seer?", Shemuel answered, "I am the seer," phrasing that hints at pride. He should have asked: What do you need? How may I help you? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: In the end, you will prove not to see. And this was the error here - he perceived a vision that ultimately misled him.
וַתֵּלֶד לוֹ בָּנִים אֶת־יְעוּשׁ וְאֶת־שְׁמַרְיָה וְאֶת־זָהַם׃ - "And she bore him sons: Ye'ush, Shemaryah, and Zaham."
The Radak asks: "And she bore him" - which of the two gave birth? After all, two wives were mentioned here. He answers: only one of them, because the other passed away without bearing him any sons. The Malbim explains that Rechav'am wanted to establish an unequivocal heir apparent to prevent succession wars among his sons. He therefore initially married a woman of Davidic descent, so that the royal firstborn would descend from David on both sides: paternally through Rechav'am son of Shlomo son of David, and maternally as well. However, Machalat daughter of Yerimot son of David did not bear him children. He was therefore compelled to marry Avihayil daughter of Eliav son of Yishai, who was not a direct descendant of the monarchy, since Eliav was the king's brother rather than his son, whereas Yerimot was David's son. For this reason Machalat had been preferred; but because she bore no children, he married the daughter of Eliav, and she bore him sons.
From this we can observe a practical principle: today, any aspiring Admor knows that if one wants to avoid family strife and chaos, every son is appointed an Admor. If a Rebbe has five sons, one is established in Petach Tikva, one in Jerusalem, another somewhere else, and there is never a shortage of locations. When the position is given to only one, arguments inevitably follow: who said so, why is he more deserving than the others, leading directly to dispute. Rechav'am was concerned about this very issue. He therefore wanted an heir apparent whose status as successor was unmistakably clear from the father, while simultaneously ensuring that his other sons were granted honorable positions, as we will see further on.
וְאַחֲרֶיהָ לָקַח אֶת־מַעֲכָה בַּת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם וַתֵּלֶד לוֹ אֶת־אֲבִיָּה וְאֶת־עַתַּי וְאֶת־זִיזָא וְאֶת־שְׁלֹמִית׃ - "And after her he took Ma'achah daughter of Avshalom, and she bore him Aviyah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomit."
Ma'achah was of common birth, and it was not fitting for her to become the primary queen, the Gevirah.
וַיֶּאֱהַב רְחַבְעָם אֶת־מַעֲכָה בַת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם מִכׇּל־נָשָׁיו וּפִילַגְשָׁיו כִּי נָשִׁים שְׁמוֹנֶה־עֶשְׂרֵה נָשָׂא וּפִילַגְשִׁים שִׁשִּׁים וַיּוֹלֶד עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמוֹנָה בָּנִים וְשִׁשִּׁים בָּנוֹת׃ - "And Rechav'am loved Ma'achah daughter of Avshalom more than all his wives and concubines, for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters."
Because he loved Ma'achah above all his wives and concubines - despite having numerous wives, concubines, sons, and daughters - he specifically wanted her to be the Gevirah. Even though she carried no royal rank from her family background, had no noble pedigree, and lacked prestigious lineage, he loved her more than anyone else and therefore sought to elevate her as the foremost queen.
Appointing Aviyah as Heir
וַיַּעֲמֵד לָרֹאשׁ רְחַבְעָם אֶת־אֲבִיָּה בֶן־מַעֲכָה לְנָגִיד בְּאֶחָיו כִּי לְהַמְלִיכוֹ׃ - "And Rechav'am appointed Aviyah son of Ma'achah as head, as ruler among his brothers, for he intended to make him king."
He wished to crown him during his lifetime. He set Abijah the son of Maacah as the head and gave him the right of primogeniture: he would be the head of the household, and because of this, a ruler among his brothers as a governor, with the goal being to crown him afterward. In this way, the monarchy would not go to the sons of Abihail, but rather to the son of Maacah. For naturally the sons of Abihail had precedence, as she was the first and of high lineage, whereas Maacah was the daughter of a commoner; nevertheless, out of his love for her, he wanted her son specifically to reign.
וַיָּבֶן וַיִּפְרֹץ מִכׇּל־בָּנָיו לְכׇל־אַרְצוֹת יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן לְכֹל עָרֵי הַמְּצֻרוֹת וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם הַמָּזוֹן לָרֹב וַיִּשְׁאַל הֲמוֹן נָשִׁים׃ - And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fortified city; and he gave them food in abundance, and he sought many wives.
Radak explains: "And he dealt wisely" (vayaven) - he understood the matter and feared rebellion. What did he do? He dispersed all his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin so that the kingdom would be strengthened in his hand, and he gave them food in abundance so that they would not be dependent on the people. "And he sought many wives" - according to Radak, this refers to his sons, in order to multiply his seed, for regarding himself it has already been said that he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, so the abundance of wives could only be for his sons.
Distributing to Everyone and Preventing Conflict
Malbim explains that Rehoboam feared the other sons would rise up against Abijah. As long as he was alive, he could smooth things over, but after his death, an all-out war might erupt. Therefore, he dispersed his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin and gave each one authority over a specific region - each received a post, each received a measure of governance. This aligns with what Chazal taught, that a person should not favor one son over the other sons, and "do not transfer an inheritance" - do not disinherit a son from the estate, because doing so causes tremendous strife. Ensure that everyone receives a portion, that everyone has something, and thereby prevent resentment. If one is completely excluded, he will later cause trouble for everyone. Why invite that? It is terribly destructive and will lead to disputes and quarrels. Therefore, on the one hand, he gave the kingship to one son, but on the other hand, he ensured the rest were satisfied by giving them positions of authority as well.
At the time, they told a story about Halperin, who, when dividing his estate, wrote a will detailing what each person would receive, allocating a portion to everyone. And he added a condition: anyone who challenges the will, files a lawsuit, or the like - with the very first action he takes, he immediately forfeits his share in the will. In doing so, he ensured total peace: no one disputed, no one appealed, no one filed a lawsuit. To this day there are legal battles over inheritances, whereas there, nothing occurred, because he created a situation where everyone received something, and anyone who opened his mouth would immediately disinherit himself.
An elderly Jew from Petach Tikva used to attend the midrasha for years. He was alone, having never married and having no children, and his sister took care of him. He had severe quarrels with his nephews. The sister recounted that during the shivah, a nephew came to ask her: "Tell me, did he leave a will?" About his uncle, with whom he had constantly fought and made his life miserable - during the shivah he came to ask! May Hashem have mercy. In short, these are troubles that feed lawyers, who make quite a living out of it.
Rav Shteinman would always say: One who concedes never loses. All those who enter into endless arguments and disputes - what is coming to you, you will receive; what is decreed for you from Heaven, you will receive. And what remains? The bad blood, the arguments, the quarrels, the running around, and the toll on health. You run to a lawyer, go to court, another hearing and another session - what about a person's health? At such an age, is it worth getting into all this? Therefore, a sensible person says to himself: I do my hishtadlut (due diligence), and whatever is concluded is concluded; whatever is meant for me, the Holy One, Blessed is He, will provide for me.
Malbim's Interpretation: "And He Dealt Wisely" Refers to Abijah
Thus, Rehoboam appointed his sons over the fortified cities and gave them food in abundance. However, Malbim explains the verse in another way: "and he sought many wives" refers to Abijah. "And he understood" (vayaven) - Abijah understood that the monarchy was entrusted to him; "and he burst forth more than all his sons" (vayifrotz mikol banav) - he broke out more than all the sons of Rehoboam, meaning Abijah prevailed over them all; "throughout all the territories of Judah" - he asserted dominance throughout all the territories of Judah and prepared food in abundance. The meaning is not, as explained earlier, that Rehoboam dispersed his sons throughout all the territories of Judah, but that Abijah himself did so.
In this way, Abijah made sure to establish facts on the ground: I am the ruler. For if it is not clearly evident during the father's lifetime - we saw what happened to Rehoboam himself: during Solomon's lifetime, Rehoboam's future kingship was not prominent, and when he tried to take hold of the kingdom after Solomon's passing, it was already too late. Therefore Abijah, while his father Rehoboam was still alive, went ahead and seized the monarchy with strength and power, so that it would be clear to all who the king was and who set the tone here, and everyone saw that he would be the ruler. And immediately "he sought many wives," since he knew he would reign, and it is the way of a king to take many wives; it turns out that marrying many wives was also part of establishing his royal authority and demonstrating it.
In summary: Chapter 11 describes the stabilization of Rehoboam's reign following the division of the kingdom: he sets out to recover the realm - the acceptance of the people, not the kingship itself - and refrains from war following the prophecy of Shemaiah, "for this thing is from Me." From there he turns to fortification: fortified cities, commanders, food stores, shields, and spears in every city. Simultaneously, his kingdom is strengthened from the populace, as the Kohanim and Levites abandon Jeroboam, who excluded them from serving as priests to Hashem, followed by all those who set their hearts to seek Hashem - and it turns out that the golden calves intended to bolster Jeroboam only weakened him. Walking in the way of David and Solomon lasted only three years. Finally, his wives and sons are described, along with the appointment of Abijah son of Maacah as heir, from which we learned the vital principle of preventing inheritance disputes: ensure that everyone receives a portion, and remember that "one who concedes never loses" - what is decreed from Heaven will arrive regardless.