⁵Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.
5. Now Shemaiah the prophet came] This intervention of Shemaiah is not mentioned in 1 Kings For an earlier appearance of the prophet see xi. 2 ff. = 1 Kings xii. 22 ff.
have I also left you in the hand] Rather, I also have forsaken you and delivered you into the hand.
⁶Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous.
6. princes of Israel] Called “princes of Judah” in verse 5; compare note on xi. 3.
humbled themselves] i.e. they fasted and put on sackcloth; compare 1 Kings xxi. 27, 29.
The Lord is righteous] Compare Pharaoh’s confession (Exodus ix. 27), and the Psalmist’s address to God, “That thou mayest be justified (literally ‘mayest be righteous’) when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Psalms li. 4). The “righteousness” of God is made known to man in His judgement, whether the judgement be of condemnation (as here) or of acquittal (as 1 John i. 9, Revised Version).
⁷And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them: but I will grant them some deliverance[¹], and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
[¹] Or, deliverance within a little while Or, a few that shall escape.
7. some deliverance] Render, as margin, deliverance within a little while.