And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)
Rehoboam loved Maachah, who was Absalom's daughter, more than all his other wives and concubines. He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and together they had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
This verse tells us that King Rehoboam had many wives and concubines but loved one woman, Maachah, more than all the others, and had a very large family with nearly 100 children.
📚 Historical Context
Rehoboam was the king of Judah after the kingdom of Israel divided following Solomon's death, marking a period of political instability and separation from the northern tribes. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, it was common for kings to have multiple wives and concubines as a display of wealth and power, though this practice often led to family rivalries and was not in line with God's ideal for marriage as seen in earlier biblical teachings. This verse highlights Rehoboam's personal life, showing how such arrangements reflected the excesses of royal courts during that era.
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