בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וָשֵׁשׁ לְמַלְכוּת אָסָא עָלָה בַּעְשָׁא מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל־יְהוּדָה וַיִּבֶן א ֶת־הָרָמָה לְבִלְתִּי 16:1
תֵּת יוֹצֵא וָבָא לְאָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃
2Chr. 16:1 In year thirty-six in the reign of Asa Baasha, king of Israel, came up against Judah, and rebuilt what had been Ramah in order to not permit going out or coming in for Asa, king of Judah.
Verses 16:1 to 16:6 are similar to 1Kin. 15:17 to 15:22.
Remarkably, this verse contains a glaring error that appears to have escaped discussion of any kind. Baasha was long dead by the 36th year in Asa’s reign. In 1Ki. 15:33 we are told that Baasha became king in Asa’s 3rd year and reigned for 24 years. So he died in Asa’s 27th year. How could he have warred against Asa in the latter’s 36th year? I have to say that would be impossible. I imagine the only way to eliminate this error would be to assume either 1Ki. 15:33 is wrong or this verse is wrong. Either Baasha reigned for 34 years, not 24, or he warred against Asa in the latter’s 26th year, not the 36th. I can’t imagine how this inconsistency escaped notice all these centuries.
וַיֹּצֵא אָסָא כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב מֵאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית יְהוָה וּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל־בֶּן־הֲדַד מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם הַיּוֹשֵׁב 16:2
בְּדַרְמֶשֶׂק לֵאמֹר׃
2Chr. 16:2 And Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the house of the king, and sent to Ben-hadad, king of Aram, who was dwelling in Damascus, saying,
בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וּבֵין אָבִי וּבֵין אָבִיךָ הִנֵּה שָׁלַחְתִּי לְךָ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב לֵךְ הָפֵר בְּרִיתְךָ אֶת־בַּעְשָׁא מֶלֶךְ 16:3
יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיַעֲלֶה מֵעָלָי׃
2Chr. 16:3 “An alliance is between me and you as was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent to you silver and gold. Go break your pledge with Baasha, king of Israel, so he departs from me.”
וַיִּשְׁמַע בֶּן הֲדַד אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אָסָא וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֲשֶׁר־לֹו אֶל־עָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־עִיֹּון 16:4
וְאֶת־דָּן וְאֵת אָבֵל מָיִם וְאֵת כָּל־מִסְכְּנֹות עָרֵי נַפְתָּלִי׃
2Chr. 16:4 And Ben-hadad listened to the king, Asa, and he sent he leaders of the forces that were his to the cities of Israel, and they smote Ijon and Dan and Abel-maim and all the storehouses of the cities of Naphtali.
וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ בַּעְשָׁא וַיֶּחְדַּל מִבְּנוֹת אֶת־הָרָמָה וַיַּשְׁבֵּת אֶת־מְלַאכְתּוֹ׃ 16:5
2Chr. 16:5 And it was when Baasha heard, that he ceased building what had been Ramah, and brought his work to an end.
וְאָסָא הַמֶּלֶךְ לָקַח אֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָה וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־אַבְנֵי הָרָמָה וְאֶת־עֵצֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בַּעְשָׁא וַיִּבֶן בָּהֶם 16:6
אֶת־גֶּבַע וְאֶת־הַמִּצְפָּה׃
2Chr. 16:6 And Asa, the king, took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timbers of what Baasha had built, and he rebuilt Geba and what had been Mizpah with them.
וּבָעֵת הַהִיא בָּא חֲנָנִי הָרֹאֶה אֶל־אָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו בְּהִשָּׁעֶנְךָ עַל־מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם וְלֹא 16:7
נִשְׁעַנְתָּ עַל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ עַל־כֵּן נִמְלַט חֵיל מֶלֶךְ־אֲרָם מִיָּדֶךָ׃
2Chr. 16:7 Then at that time Hanani, the seer, came to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, “Because of your relying on the king of Aram and you had not relied on the Lord, your God, therefore the host of the king of Aram has slipped away from your hand.”
Verses 16:7 through 16:12 are not found elsewhere. This verse and the next two raise some vital questions. See my remarks after v. 16:9 below
הֲלֹא הַכּוּשִׁים וְהַלּוּבִים הָיוּ לְחַיִל לָרֹב לְרֶכֶב וּלְפָרָשִׁים לְהַרְבֵּה מְאֹד וּבְהִשָּׁעֶנְךָ עַל־יְהוָה נְתָנָם 16:8
בְּיָדֶךָ׃
2Chr. 16:8 “Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a host as great, having chariots and horsemen more abundant than most? Yet because of your reliance on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand.”
כִּי יְהוָה עֵינָיו מְשֹׁטְטוֹת בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ לְהִתְחַזֵּק עִם־לְבָבָם שָׁלֵם אֵלָיו נִסְכַּלְתָּ עַל־זֹאת כִּי מֵעַתָּה 16:9
יֵשׁ עִמְּךָ מִלְחָמוֹת׃
2Chr. 16:9 “For the Lord, His ‘eyes’ are roving throughout all the earth to show the strength of a people whose heart is whole toward Him. You have been so foolish by this, that from now on there will be wars against you.”
The chronicler’s belief that one must rely exclusively on the Lord, as exhibited in these last three verses, makes me wonder how we may accomplish this. Are we never to rely on others or ourselves? How do we do that? Hanani, the seer, says that because Asa made the mistake of going to the king of Aram for help, he -- and the innocent of Judah -- will have to suffer wars in the future. Would the Lord really do this? Is the lesson worth it? In fact, what is the lesson? How are we to know when we are supposed to act on our own behalf and when to only seek the help of the Lord? Are we to rely only on the Lord and do nothing, no matter what? Are we never to act on our own behalf? Or must we always consult the Lord and do only what we hear from Him? These are vital questions!!! And the simplest answer, and according to the chronicler the only answer, is that we should always consult the Lord and follow His instructions as we hear them. But is this answer too simple? What shall we do when the Lord’s instructions are not clear? Or when we don’t hear from Him? A real dilemma!
וַיִּכְעַס אָסָא אֶל־הָרֹאֶה וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ בֵּית הַמַּהְפֶּכֶת כִּי־בְזַעַף עִמּוֹ עַל־זֹאת וַיְרַצֵּץ אָסָא מִן־הָעָם 16:10
בָּעֵת הַהִיא׃
2Chr. 16:10 But Asa was angry toward the seer, and he had him delivered to the stock house because of indignation with him over this. Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.
וְהִנֵּה דִּבְרֵי אָסָא הָרִאשׁוֹנִים וְהָאַחֲרוֹנִים הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר הַמְּלָכִים לִיהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל׃ 16:11
2Chr. 16:11 And behold, the acts of Asa, the first as well as the last, behold them recorded on the book of the kings for Judah and Israel.
וַיֶּחֱלֶא אָסָא בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלוֹשִׁים וָתֵשַׁע לְמַלְכוּתוֹ בְּרַגְלָיו עַד־לְמַעְלָה חָלְיוֹ וְגַם־בְּחָלְיוֹ לֹא־דָרַשׁ 16:12
אֶת־יְהוָה כִּי בָּרֹפְאִים׃
2Chr. 16:12 Then Asa became diseased in his feet in his reign's thirty-ninth year; his symptoms were up to the top, but even with his disease he did not consult the Lord, but with the doctors.
וַיִּשְׁכַּב אָסָא עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיָּמָת בִּשְׁנַת אַרְבָּעִים וְאַחַת לְמָלְכוֹ׃ 16:13
2Chr. 16:13 And Asa slept with his ancestors when he died in his reign's forty-first year.
Asa’s death is mentioned in 1Kin. 15:24.
וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בְקִבְרֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר כָּרָה־לוֹ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיַּשְׁכִּיבֻהוּ בַּמִּשְׁכָּב אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא בְּשָׂמִים וּזְנִים 16:14
מְרֻקָּחִים בְּמִרְקַחַת מַעֲשֶׂה וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ־לוֹ שְׂרֵפָה גְּדוֹלָה עַד־לִמְאֹד׃
2Chr. 16:14 And they buried him among his own tombs that he had excavated for himself in the city of David, and laid him on a bed that was filled with spices and diverse kinds of ointments according to perfumer work. Then they made a great burning for him, even to excess.
The information in this verse is not found anywhere else in the bible.
[Return to 2Chronicles Chapters] [Prev.: 2Chr. 15] [Next: 2Chr. 17]
