Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 Chronicles 11:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse opens the thought unit and establishes its first action or speech: “And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “Priests and Levites migrate from the north.”
Priests and Levites leave their pastures because Jeroboam excludes them
This verse is one part of that explanation in 2 Chronicles 11:13–17. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 2 Chronicles 11:13–17
Read 2 Chronicles 11:13 with 11:13–17. The selected wording supplies one opening in the thought unit and establishes its first action or speech; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Priests and Levites leave their lands after Jeroboam excludes them, and worshipers from all tribes follow them to Jerusalem, strengthening Rehoboam for three years.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “Priests and Levites migrate from the north,” 2 Chronicles 11:13 opens the thought unit and establishes its first action or speech through the wording “And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: The Chronicler turns political division into a story of cultic migration and all-Israel continuity around Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 11:5–12 has just established this prior movement: Rehoboam builds and provisions fortified cities, appoints commanders, and stores arms to secure Judah and Benjamin. Together those details explain why “Priests and Levites migrate from the north” belongs here rather than merely following a database record.
Read 2 Chronicles 11:13–17 together
Why these verses belong together: 2 Chronicles 11:13–17 forms the complete movement “Priests and Levites migrate from the north”: Priests and Levites leave their lands after Jeroboam excludes them, and worshipers from all tribes follow them to Jerusalem, strengthening Rehoboam for three years.
Verse 13. 13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.
Verse 14. 14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD:
Verse 15. 15 And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.
Verse 16. 16 And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.
Verse 17. 17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.
Follow the Context
- Priests and Levites leave their lands after Jeroboam excludes them, and worshipers from all tribes follow them to Jerusalem, strengthening Rehoboam for three years.
- The Chronicler turns political division into a story of cultic migration and all-Israel continuity around Jerusalem.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
2 Chronicles 11:13 does not permit the wording “And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. The migration does not make northern Israelites apostates by ethnicity, justify antisemitism, or permit coercing people to abandon home and livelihood.
What Remains True
Leadership that refuses a just burden complaint can fracture a community, while restraint and humility can limit further harm without erasing responsibility. This unit tests that truth through the narrated movement: Priests and Levites leave their lands after Jeroboam excludes them, and worshipers from all tribes follow them to Jerusalem, strengthening Rehoboam for three years. In 2 Chronicles 11:13, the concrete line “And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
Teach It Back
Explain why 2 Chronicles 11:13 brings priests and Levites from all Israel to Rehoboam. Use 11:13–17, paraphrase “And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their…,” state one source or reconstruction limit, identify one person or group power can obscure, and reject one conclusion this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 2 Chronicles 11:13–17 — Priests and Levites migrate from the northSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The account reflects the Chronicler's temple-centered perspective; its scale, chronology, and relationship to northern worship require historical caution.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: 2 Chronicles 11:13–17, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Chronicles
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clauses, regnal formulas, temple vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Chr.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 11:13–17
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Full Notes: 2 Chronicles
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; STEP Bible presentation, 2019 edition; current web presentation
Supports: Unit-bounded translation comparisons and only those lexical, textual, grammatical, numerical, historical, and parallel-passage notes attached to these verses.
Exact location: STEP Bible NET2full, 2 Chronicles 11:13–17, verse-attached translation and translator notes
Open source ↗