(21) But Abijah waxed mighty.--And Abijah strengthened himself, after his life-and-death struggle with Jeroboam. (See on 2Chronicles 12:13.)

And married fourteen wives, and begat twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.--Abijah reigned only three years altogether. He must, therefore, have had most of these wives and children before his accession. (2Chronicles 11:21-23 may be said to imply this; see Note on 2Chronicles 11:23.) A stop should be placed after the first clause, thus: "And Abijah strengthened himself. And he took him fourteen wives, and begat twenty-two sons," etc. The two facts are merely placed side by side, though a tacit contrast may be suggested between the number of Abijah's off-spring, and the speedy extirpation of the house of Jeroboam.

Verse 21. - Waxed mighty. For this our Authorized Version reads, "waxed fat and wanton" (Hebrew, יִתְחַזֵּק), and grew too like his father Rehoboam and his grandfather Solomon, forgetting the "Law" (Deuteronomy 17:17).

13:1-22 Abijah overcomes Jeroboam. - Jeroboam and his people, by apostacy and idolatry, merited the severe punishment Abijah was permitted to execute upon them. It appears from the character of Abijah, 1Ki 15:3, that he was not himself truly religious, yet he encouraged himself from the religion of his people. It is common for those that deny the power of godliness, to boast of the form of it. Many that have little religion themselves, value it in others. But it was true that there were numbers of pious worshippers in Judah, and that theirs was the more righteous cause. In their distress, when danger was on every side, which way should they look for deliverance unless upward? It is an unspeakable comfort, that our way thither is always open. They cried unto the Lord. Earnest prayer is crying. To the cry of prayer they added the shout of faith, and became more than conquerors. Jeroboam escaped the sword of Abijah, but God struck him; there is no escaping his sword.But Abijah waxed mighty,.... In his kingdom, increasing in riches and numbers, power and authority, and in his family:

and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons and sixteen daughters; not after the above battle, nor since he began to reign; for he reigned but three years; but he, no doubt, married wives and had children before he came to the throne, as he might have others after.