Shelomith
Shelomith, of King Rehoboam with Absalom's daughter Maacah.
Biography
Shelomith was a daughter of King Rehoboam of Judah and his favored wife Maacah, daughter (or granddaughter) of Absalom, recorded in 2 Chronicles 11:20. She was a sister of Abijah, who succeeded Rehoboam as king, and was thus a member of the Davidic royal household in its first generation following the division of the united monarchy. Rehoboam had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, but Maacah held a position of special favor, and her children, including Shelomith, belonged to the primary royal family. As a princess of Judah in the early Divided Monarchy period, Shelomith lived in a time of profound political and religious turmoil following the secession of the northern tribes.
Significance
Shelomith's genealogical position as daughter of Rehoboam and granddaughter through Maacah of Absalom connects several of the most turbulent threads of Davidic history. Rehoboam's reign witnessed the catastrophic fracture of the united kingdom, and his family's lineage through Absalom, David's rebellious son, adds further complexity to the Davidic narrative. Yet through all these familial and political upheavals, God preserved the Davidic line according to His promise. Shelomith represents the human reality of the royal family living through covenant crisis and kingdom division, reminding readers that redemptive history moves forward not through human virtue but through divine faithfulness to unconditional promise.
Verse Appearances (1)
2Chr
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]