Rehoboam Fortifies Judah: 11:5–12   This section does not occur in the source text in Kings or anywhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Some scholars suggest that the city list provided here should rather be associated with the time of Hezekiah. Although the content of this section would probably not fit into the historical-geographic context of Rehoboam, it is quite clear what the Chronicler’s intention was with these verses. After the conclusion of the schism in the previous section, it was necessary to emphasize the consolidation of the kingdom of Judah again. It confirms Jerusalem as capital of the kingdom, as well as the inclusion of Judah and Benjamin under Rehoboam’s dominion.

11:13–17   This subsection, which also belongs to the Chronicler’s own material, continues the trend set in the pr…