Chapter 13 in Divrei HaYamim II is devoted entirely to the brief reign of Aviyah son of Rechav'am, and primarily to the major war he waged against Yarov'am son of Nevat. In the Book of Melachim, this war is mentioned only briefly. Here, however, as Malbim notes, Scripture recounts it at length: the great rebuke delivered by Aviyah atop Mount Tzemarayim, the progression of the battle, and the miraculous victory that came not by strength or might, but because they relied on Hashem. Let us follow the verses in order.
בִּשְׁנַת שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לַמֶּלֶךְ יָרׇבְעָם וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֲבִיָּה עַל־יְהוּדָה׃ - In the eighteenth year of King Yarov'am, Aviyah became king over Yehudah.
Radak raises a difficulty: Rechav'am and Yarov'am began ruling at the very same time, and Rechav'am reigned for seventeen years. If so, at the moment Rechav'am's reign ended, Yarov'am was in his seventeenth year, and Rechav'am's son should have begun reigning in the seventeenth year, not the eighteenth. Why, then, does it state the eighteenth year? Radak explains: Rechav'am actually lived slightly into his eighteenth year. Those partial years that were not completed are not credited to Rechav'am as full years, but they are reckoned for Yarov'am according to the standard convention. To what may this be compared? A person who is thirteen years and one day old is already considered to have entered his fourteenth year. So too here, since he entered slightly into the eighteenth year, Scripture counts it as the eighteenth year.
שָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִַם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ מִיכָיָהוּ בַת־אוּרִיאֵל מִן־גִּבְעָה וּמִלְחָמָה הָיְתָה בֵּין אֲבִיָּה וּבֵין יָרׇבְעָם׃ - Three years he reigned in Yerushalayim, and his mother's name was Michayahu daughter of Uriel from Giv'ah; and there was war between Aviyah and Yarov'am.
The commentary attributed to Rashi notes that he did not even complete three full years. For in the Book of Melachim it is stated that in the twentieth year of Yarov'am king of Yisrael, Asa became king of Yehudah - and Asa was Aviyah's successor. If Aviyah began in the eighteenth year and his successor was already reigning in the twentieth year, you learn that he did not even complete three full years.
Who was Michayahu daughter of Uriel? In the Book of Melachim it is clarified that this refers to Ma'akhah daughter of Avshalom. She had two names, and her father also had two names: Avshalom and Uriel. This should come as no surprise, for we frequently find a person referred to by multiple names, appearing under one name here and another name there. However, Malbim explains further: her original name was Ma'akhah, and the name Michayahu was bestowed upon her after she became the Queen Mother (Gevirah). Following this, they also changed her father's name for praise - Uriel, a name containing the divine element 'El'.
There are numerous precedents for this: when an individual attained authority and high office, their name would be altered to an honorific name. With Yosef, "and he called his name Tzafenat Pa'neach." With Miriam and Yocheved, their names were changed to Shifrah and Pu'ah. Likewise with Daniel and his companions, Mishael and Azaryah, who were given names such as Belteshazzar. Such was the custom: the one bestowing the appointment changes the name. Even in our own era, when the state government was established here, Ben-Gurion requested that officials adopt Hebrew names. In any event, once she became the Gevirah, her name was changed from Ma'akhah to Michayahu, and her father's name from Avshalom to Uriel.
וַיֶּאְסֹר אֲבִיָּה אֶת־הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּחַיִל גִּבּוֹרֵי מִלְחָמָה אַרְבַּע־מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר וְיָרׇבְעָם עָרַךְ עִמּוֹ מִלְחָמָה בִּשְׁמוֹנֶה מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר גִּבּוֹר חָיִל׃ - "Aviyah joined battle with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men; and Yarovam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, mighty men of valor."
The Metzudat David explains that the commander of the war is called oser (one who binds), for he stations the warriors and binds them with warnings and commands concerning the warfare. One frequently finds the expression "who will join [bind] the battle," and the term for binding here denotes tying - binding them with commands and warnings.
The Malbim does not comment on this word here, but in Sefer HaCarmel - a kind of lexicon collecting the Malbim's word explanations from all his works in alphabetical order - he distinguishes under the entry asar between asirah (binding/imprisoning) and keshirah (tying). Asar always indicates that the one bound is restrained under compulsion and against his will, resisting the one binding him, as in "and they bound him in fetters" (vaya'asruhu bi-nchushtayim). It is related to the root yasar (with a yud) - "the Lord has severely chastised me" (yasor yisrani Yah) - which denotes compulsory confinement of the soul, and afflictions (yisurim) are often anguish of the spirit. From there, the verb is applied to matters of warfare: "who will join [bind] the battle" - refers to the general who obligates them by his command against their will. They march out to battle under orders, which is why it is termed asirah.
On a simpler level, one might understand this as akin to "and he harnessed his chariot" (vaye'esor et rikvo) said of Yosef - harnessing his chariot in the literal sense of tying, where they would harness horses to the chariot. Since part of the preparation for war is hitching horses to the chariots, preparing for battle is called "binding [harnessing] the war."
וַיָּקׇם אֲבִיָּה מֵעַל לְהַר צְמָרַיִם אֲשֶׁר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמָעוּנִי יָרׇבְעָם וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - "And Aviyah stood up upon Mount Tzemarayim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, 'Hear me, Yarovam and all Israel!'"
Aviyah went to fight against Yarovam right in Yarovam's own territory, in Mount Ephraim. He was not merely standing at a distance; he had already advanced deep into his territory. "Tzemarayim" was a high place, as Metzudat Tzion explains from the phrase "the treetop of the cedar" (tzameret ha'erez), the branch that rises above all the others - what we call a treetop or apex today. From that elevated vantage point, Aviyah delivered a sharp mussar discourse.
הֲלֹא לָכֶם לָדַעַת כִּי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נָתַן מַמְלָכָה לְדָוִיד עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעוֹלָם לוֹ וּלְבָנָיו בְּרִית מֶלַח׃ - "Ought you not to know that Hashem, God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?"
Aviyah, son of Rechavam son of Shlomo, carried on the Davidic dynasty, and he opened with something everyone knew. The Malbim explains that there are three principles here that demonstrate the immensely firm foundation of the Davidic dynasty. First, it is from Hashem; David received the kingdom from Hashem. Second, it was granted to him and to his descendants. Third, it is a "covenant of salt": just as salt never spoils, and no one ever says salt has gone bad, so too the monarchy will never cease even if his descendants sin. As it is written: if his sons forsake My Torah, I will discipline them, but "My steadfast love I will not withdraw from him." By contrast, when Yarovam ben Nevat abandoned Hashem's path, he was permitted to degenerate until he was completely ruined and eliminated, leaving not a single male heir behind. With the House of David, however, it is guaranteed that if they sin, He will chastise them but will not destroy them.
וַיָּקׇם יָרׇבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט עֶבֶד שְׁלֹמֹה בֶן־דָּוִיד וַיִּמְרֹד עַל־אֲדֹנָיו׃ - "Yet Yarovam the son of Nevat, the servant of Shlomo the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master."
וַיִּקָּבְצוּ עָלָיו אֲנָשִׁים רֵקִים בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל וַיִּתְאַמְּצוּ עַל־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה וּרְחַבְעָם הָיָה נַעַר וְרַךְ־לֵבָב וְלֹא הִתְחַזַּק לִפְנֵיהֶם׃ - "And there gathered to him worthless men, base fellows, and they emboldened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon; and Rehoboam was young and faint-hearted, and did not strengthen himself against them."
After recounting the strength of the Davidic dynasty, Abijah enumerates the vulnerabilities of Jeroboam's reign. The Malbim explains that the beginning of Jeroboam's kingship was like a root out of dry ground. First - a servant who rebelled against his master, and it is a profound disgrace when a servant rises against his master to rule. Second - the people who gathered to him were not men of stature, but worthless men, scoundrels.
Third - "and they emboldened themselves" (vayitametzu). The Malbim distinguishes between chizuk (strengthening) and imutz (emboldening): imutz is in the heart, while chizuk is in action. A person fortifies his heart, and then actively strengthens his grip and his military campaign. This is what he told them: You never actually prevailed over us in real battle; you only emboldened yourselves in your hearts and displayed insolence against us. Had you truly fought, my father would have conquered you and overcome you. But he was "young and faint-hearted" and took no active steps to stand firm against them, and therefore your strength against us was never truly tested.
And what does "young" (na'ar) mean? Radak asks: Was he not forty-one years old when he became king? Rather, he was like a youth who lacked the courage of heart to wage war; he was not yet accustomed to battle and was like an inexperienced youth lacking the boldness to go out and fight. Interestingly, Abijah makes no mention at all of the fact that the prophet was the one who prevented Rehoboam from going to war. He essentially reframes history somewhat, attributing the matter to his father not yet being firmly established in his kingdom to march out to battle.
וְעַתָּה אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים לְהִתְחַזֵּק לִפְנֵי מַמְלֶכֶת יְהֹוָה בְּיַד בְּנֵי דָוִיד וְאַתֶּם הָמוֹן רָב וְעִמָּכֶם עֶגְלֵי זָהָב אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לָכֶם יָרׇבְעָם לֵאלֹהִים׃ - "And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are the golden calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods."
Now you propose to withstand - actively, in battle - the kingdom of Hashem in the hands of the descendants of David, when Hashem is with us. And upon what do you rely? If you say: upon the sheer size of the population, for you are ten tribes and we are only two and a half - you are merely "a great multitude" (hamon rav). The word hamon always connotes noise and tumult, as well as disarray; there is noise and commotion, but no orderly army. You are not a kingdom of valiant warriors with an organized military.
And if you claim that you will rely on heavenly assistance, for the battle belongs to Hashem - behold, with you are golden calves, which is idolatry, and you have forsaken Hashem. And if you argue: "We have not forsaken Hashem; rather, we serve Him through the golden calves, as an intermediary," just as was said regarding the Golden Calf in the wilderness, that its primary intent was to serve Hashem - regarding this the verse says, "which Jeroboam made for you as gods." For you, the calf is not an intermediary, but an end in itself; he made them for you as gods.
הֲלֹא הִדַּחְתֶּם אֶת־כֹּהֲנֵי יְהֹוָה אֶת־בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְהַלְוִיִּם וַתַּעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם כֹּהֲנִים כְּעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת כׇּל־הַבָּא לְמַלֵּא יָדוֹ בְּפַר בֶּן־בָּקָר וְאֵילִם שִׁבְעָה וְהָיָה כֹהֵן לְלֹא אֱלֹהִים׃ - "Have you not banished the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of the lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods."
First, from the perspective of the officiants: You banished the priests of Hashem, the sons of Aaron and the Levites. If your true desire were to serve Hashem, you would have retained His priests. Why did you banish His priests and appoint other people? Because you do not truly wish to serve Hashem.
Second, from the perspective of the service itself: "Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams." With us, there is an orderly service commanded by Hashem - a lamb, a goat, a bull, each offering having its specific laws, whether female or male, with entire portions in the Torah detailing what each sacrifice is and for what it atones. If all of this was truly intended to serve Hashem, you would have brought the offerings prescribed in the Torah. The very fact that you fabricated different offerings proves that this is not the service of Hashem, but an entirely new ritual of your own invention - the worship of the calf.
Third, from the perspective of the object of worship: "and become a priest of no-gods" - there is no god here at all; rather, you are worshiping the calf itself, and the spirit of Hashem is not upon it. It turns out that all this proves the calf is not an instrument for the service of Hashem, but a substitute for God. And if God is with us - what chance do you have against us?
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains "and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of the lands" - just like the gentiles; whoever wanted to become a priest would bring a young bull and seven rams and become a priest. In plain words: the priesthood was bought with money. Bring a bull and seven rams, they hold a big celebration, and you too become a priest. Anyone who pays receives the priesthood.
וַאֲנַחְנוּ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְלֹא עֲזַבְנֻהוּ וְכֹהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתִים לַיהֹוָה בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְהַלְוִיִּם בַּמְלָאכֶת׃ - "But as for us, Hashem is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests ministering to Hashem are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites are at their work."
The Malbim shows that Aviyah responds to these three points with precision. Regarding the object of worship - "But as for us, Hashem is our God, and we have not forsaken Him." Regarding the worshipers - "and the priests ministering to Hashem are the sons of Aaron," those whom the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded to serve, "and the Levites are at their work" - as gatekeepers and singers.
וּמַקְטִרִים לַיהֹוָה עֹלוֹת בַּבֹּקֶר־בַּבֹּקֶר וּבָעֶרֶב־בָּעֶרֶב וּקְטֹרֶת־סַמִּים וּמַעֲרֶכֶת לֶחֶם עַל־הַשֻּׁלְחָן הַטָּהוֹר וּמְנוֹרַת הַזָּהָב וְנֵרֹתֶיהָ לְבָעֵר בָּעֶרֶב בָּעֶרֶב כִּי־שֹׁמְרִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶרֶת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאַתֶּם עֲזַבְתֶּם אֹתוֹ׃ - "And they burn to Hashem burnt-offerings morning by morning and evening by evening, and sweet incense, and the arrangement of bread upon the pure table, and the golden candlestick with its lamps to burn evening by evening; for we keep the charge of Hashem our God, but you have forsaken Him."
And this corresponds to the third aspect - regarding the service itself: with us, everything is done precisely as written in the Torah and the book. Burnt offerings morning and evening, sweet spice incense, the arrangement of bread, the golden Menorah and its lamps. We keep the charge of Hashem our God - while you have forsaken Him.
וְהִנֵּה עִמָּנוּ בָרֹאשׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וְכֹהֲנָיו וַחֲצֹצְרוֹת הַתְּרוּעָה לְהָרִיעַ עֲלֵיכֶם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַל־תִּלָּחֲמוּ עִם־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי־אֲבֹתֵיכֶם כִּי־לֹא תַצְלִיחוּ׃ - "And behold, God is with us at our head, and His priests with the trumpets of blast to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against Hashem, God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper."
With whom is the Holy One, blessed be He - with those who serve Him, or with those who went to worship calves? In accordance with the three points explained above, these are the ones leading at our head: First - God Himself, for we burn offerings to Hashem. Second - His priests, those true priests who serve Hashem are with us. Third - the trumpets of blast, with which we blast during the service, as a sign that we have kept the service properly as Hashem commanded. The Malbim explains that "to sound an alarm against you" refers to a blast of victory: since we hold all the winning cards, your war is against Hashem, and we will surely sound the blast of victory over you.
Incidentally, it is written that the priest anointed for war would speak words of exhortation to the army heading into battle: you are not fighting your own war but Hashem's war, and whoever goes out intending to sacrifice his life for Hashem - the Holy One, blessed be He, saves him. Words of encouragement. And that is exactly what we see here. Indeed, it is hard to say whether these words were meant to persuade the opposing camp, Jeroboam's people, or primarily to give strength and courage to Aviyah's own men, so they would be confident in their power and fight with great vigor.
וְיָרׇבְעָם הֵסֵב אֶת־הַמַּאְרָב לָבוֹא מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּהְיוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוּדָה וְהַמַּאְרָב מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם׃ - "And Yarov'am directed the ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Yehudah, and the ambush was behind them."
Yarov'am concealed men in an ambush. This was a very well-known tactic in their day - warfare using a pincer movement: one force in front and one behind. "So they were" - Yarov'am and the army with him confronted them from the front, while the ambush struck from the rear, and through this they sought to guarantee their victory.
וַיִּפְנוּ יְהוּדָה וְהִנֵּה לָהֶם הַמִּלְחָמָה פָּנִים וְאָחוֹר וַיִּצְעֲקוּ לַיהֹוָה וְהַכֹּהֲנִים מַחְצְרִים בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת׃ - "When Yehudah turned, behold, the battle was before them and behind them; and they cried out to Hashem, and the Kohanim sounded the trumpets."
The men of Yehudah turned and realized that there was an enemy force behind them as well; "the battle" refers to the warriors, who were now confronting them from both front and back. Three things then took place: they cried out to Hashem, the Kohanim sounded the trumpets, and the men of Yehudah raised a shout.
וַיָּרִיעוּ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וַיְהִי בְּהָרִיעַ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְהָאֱלֹהִים נָגַף אֶת־יָרׇבְעָם וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי אֲבִיָּה וִיהוּדָה׃ - "And the men of Yehudah raised a shout; and as the men of Yehudah shouted, God struck Yarov'am and all Yisrael before Aviyah and Yehudah."
There was an outcry and a blast to Hashem here - and then Hashem delivered them.
וַיָּנוּסוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִפְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וַיִּתְּנֵם אֱלֹהִים בְּיָדָם׃ - "And the children of Yisrael fled before Yehudah, and God delivered them into their hand."
וַיַּכּוּ בָהֶם אֲבִיָּה וְעַמּוֹ מַכָּה רַבָּה וַיִּפְּלוּ חֲלָלִים מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר׃ - "And Aviyah and his people struck them with a great blow, and there fell slain of Yisrael five hundred thousand chosen men."
It is staggering to read what is written here: half a million Jews perished, with Jews killing Jews. And this has precedent in our history - we saw hundreds of thousands die in the episode of the Concubine of Giv'ah. Anyone who looks back through history sees that it was drenched in blood. In this respect, one might say that the generations have improved: Baruch Hashem, today there is far greater sensitivity to human life than there was back then. In those days, kings would behead people over the slightest infraction, decree death, and think nothing of annihilating entire villages and cities in one fell swoop, as occurred with Nov, the city of Kohanim. Today, Baruch Hashem, there is a much greater regard for the sanctity of life - not that this sways Putin in Ukraine, but in any event, the reality has shifted somewhat.
What is meant by "a great blow"? According to the plain meaning, the Radak explains that this refers to the five hundred thousand casualties. Yet this begs the question: if the number is stated immediately afterward, one already understands on his own that five hundred thousand is an immense toll, so why did the verse need to preface it by calling it "a great blow"?
Our Sages expound: Why does it say "a great slaughter"? Meaning, something beyond their death - that their wives would not be eligible to remarry. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: He removed the recognizable features of their faces, as it is written, "The look of their faces witnesses against them" - this refers to the nose; he cut off their noses. In plain terms: he created a situation where their wives would be unable to remarry and would remain agunot, for he mutilated their faces so that they could not be identified. In those days, identification could not be made through dental bite impressions or dog tags; and once facial features are lost and there are no witnesses testifying that a specific person died, his wife cannot be permitted to remarry. And Rabbi Ami said: He kept guard over the bodies for three days until their facial form deteriorated, as it is written, "Their widows have multiplied before Me more than the sand of the seas" - the widows multiplied because of the waiting days. "Kept guard over them for three days" means he did not allow them to be buried for three days, thereby distorting their facial features so that they could not be identified.
It is unclear what justification there was for doing such a thing, and whether it was proper. In plain terms, what was done in this matter does not seem proper. Later on we will see, "and the Lord struck him, and he died," and we will mention that some expound that Hashem struck Abijah - yet we have not seen it cited that this was due to this deed. And what was the point of preventing their wives from remarrying? On the surface, it seems improper, unless it was intended as a deterrence for the future so they would not do this again, or to diminish their reproduction so the wicked would not multiply. Yet even this is puzzling: Did they even uphold the institution of marriage? After all, they were idolaters. However, it is possible that even gentiles observed the prohibition against marrying a married woman, and perhaps they were meticulous about this as well. This matter requires further study.
וַיִּכָּנְעוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיֶּאֶמְצוּ בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה כִּי נִשְׁעֲנוּ עַל־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם׃ - Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord, God of their fathers.
"Thus... were subdued" - come and see that they did not conquer by their own strength, not by might nor by power. Israel was subdued because Hashem subdued them; do not imagine it was through human might and valor. Similarly, "and the children of Judah prevailed" - why did they prevail? Not through their own strength, but rather "because they relied upon the Lord, God of their fathers."
וַיִּרְדֹּף אֲבִיָּה אַחֲרֵי יָרׇבְעָם וַיִּלְכֹּד מִמֶּנּוּ עָרִים אֶת־בֵּית־אֵל וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶיהָ וְאֶת־יְשָׁנָה וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶיהָ וְאֶת־עֶפְרַיִן וּבְנֹתֶיהָ׃ - And Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and took cities from him: Bethel with its towns, and Jeshanah with its towns, and Ephron with its towns.
"Its daughters" refers to its villages - the settlements surrounding it, what we would call satellite towns today. Incidentally, this is also the meaning of the verse, "Let the daughters of Judah rejoice" - it does not mean the female daughters of Judah, but rather the satellite towns surrounding the cities of Judah.
וְלֹא־עָצַר כֹּחַ־יָרׇבְעָם עוֹד בִּימֵי אֲבִיָּהוּ וַיִּגְּפֵהוּ יְהֹוָה וַיָּמֹת׃ - And Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the Lord struck him, and he died.
"Did not recover strength" - he no longer had the strength to return and wage war again. In the plain understanding, "and the Lord struck him" refers to Jeroboam. However, this poses a chronological difficulty: Abijah reigned for three years, beginning in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam, and his son Asa became king in the twentieth year of Jeroboam. It turns out that Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years and lived into the reign of Asa. How, then, does Scripture state here, during the period of Abijah, that the Lord struck him and he died?
There are two approaches to this. The first approach, which aligns closer to the peshat: "And the Lord struck him" - He struck him with an affliction, but he did not die immediately; from that blow he fell ill until he eventually died at the end of his twenty-two-year reign. The phrase "and the Lord struck him, and he died" does not denote an immediate death.
The second approach is the homiletic exposition of Chazal cited by the Radak in the name of Bereishit Rabbah and Seder Olam, who interpret "and the Lord smote him, and he died" as referring to Aviyah: Jeroboam could not muster strength anymore in the days of Aviyahu, and Hashem smote Aviyahu and he died. This requires understanding, for "and He smote him" (vayigpehu) connotes death by plague, which comes as a result of some sin, yet the sinner here according to the plain meaning of the text is Jeroboam, not Aviyah.
Therefore, Chazal cited sins that were found in Aviyah. One sin was that he captured Beit El and did not eradicate the idol worship from it. In Beit El stood one of the golden calves, and Aviyah, having captured Beit El, ought to have eradicated the calf, but he did not do so.
The Radak cites another Midrash as well, noting that it is far-fetched: "'And the Lord smote him' - lest you think it refers to Jeroboam, it was none other than Aviyah, and he was smitten only because he publicly shamed Jeroboam, as it is written: 'and with you are the golden calves,' etc." This Midrash is difficult to understand, for on the contrary, one is supposed to disgrace transgressors! These people were idolaters, and what he told them was an address of exhortation and mussar: you are wicked, you set up idolatry, you abandoned Hashem, the Holy One, Blessed be He, is with us, do not wage war against us. What flaw is there in this? Can it be said of someone who shames an idol worshiper on account of his worship that he wronged him? Therefore, the Radak wrote that this is a homiletic interpretation, and far-fetched.
The Malbim notes that Chazal explained that Hashem smote Aviyah for not eliminating the calves, but according to the peshat - to which the Malbim is more faithful - the verse indicates that this refers back to Jeroboam: from that moment on he fell ill until he met his death. Even though he outlived Aviyah, he was afflicted with a grievous illness.
וַיִּתְחַזֵּק אֲבִיָּהוּ וַיִּשָּׂא־לוֹ נָשִׁים אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה וַיּוֹלֶד עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם בָּנִים וְשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה בָּנוֹת׃ - "Aviyahu grew strong, and took for himself fourteen wives, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters."
The Malbim observes: Come and see that Aviyah grew even stronger and took wives until he had fourteen. This connects to what was seen earlier in chapter 11, "and he sought a multitude of wives," according to the second explanation presented there, which applies it to Aviyah. According to the interpretation that "and the Lord smote him, and he died" refers to Jeroboam, the text flows remarkably well as a direct contrast: Hashem smote Jeroboam, while on the other hand, Aviyahu grew strong. However, according to the interpretation that it refers to Aviyahu, it is perplexing how the very next verse states, "Aviyahu grew strong, and took for himself fourteen wives." One would have to say that the Torah is not strictly chronological, and that he died as punishment for the war because he captured Beit El, but until his death he grew strong and married fourteen wives. Still, in terms of the flow of the verses, this verse seems out of place if we explain that "and He smote him" refers to Aviyahu's death.
Regarding the criticism of Aviyah's conduct toward Jeroboam and his men, one must remember: regarding the wicked, one lowers them and does not bring them up (moridin ve-ein ma'alin). If one saw one of them near a pit, one casts him down and does not bring him up; this is an explicit halachah in the Shulchan Aruch, not merely words of mussar. Naturally, this is not to be applied in practice, but that is the formal halachah, and here we are dealing with actual idolaters. Whoever did not want to participate in wickedness had crossed over to Rehoboam, and we have already seen that many defected to him. Thus, it is very possible that the goal here was not to allow evildoers to multiply. In the end, where are they today? Hashem wiped them out, and they are gone. There is a dispute in Chazal whether the Ten Tribes are destined to return or not, but where are they today? In Tora Bora? We do not know where they are.
וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי אֲבִיָּה וּדְרָכָיו וּדְבָרָיו כְּתוּבִים בְּמִדְרַשׁ הַנָּבִיא עִדּוֹ׃ - "The rest of the acts of Aviyah, his ways, and his words are written in the Midrash of the prophet Iddo."
What is the "Midrash of the prophet Iddo"? The Radak explains that it was called a sefer midrash because it was constantly consulted (nidrash) to examine the affairs of the kings - it was called midrash because people would investigate, inquire, and study the matters of the kings from it, and not in the sense we are accustomed to, of Chazal's homiletic expositions on verses of the Torah.
The Malbim adds: In the Book of Kings it states that the rest of the acts of Abijah and all that he did are written in the Book of Chronicles, referring to the chronicle of his wars. This does not refer to the biblical Books of Chronicles (Divrei HaYamim I and II) that we possess, but rather to the royal annals that each king would keep - his autobiography, usually heavily embellished, each king according to his own perspective. Here, however, Ezra informs us that the king's ways and deeds are recorded in the Midrash of the prophet Iddo, which is a different work.
וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֲבִיָּה עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיִּמְלֹךְ אָסָא בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו בְּיָמָיו שָׁקְטָה הָאָרֶץ עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים׃ - Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David, and Asa his son reigned in his place; in his days the land was tranquil for ten years.
"The land was tranquil" - in the sense that there were no wars for ten years.