Asa (Hastings' Dictionary)

1. King of Judah r. B.C. 91,S-S77. The history of his reign as given in 1 K 15""-. when compared with that in 2 Ch 14- 10, presents an excellent illustration of the diH'erent view-]ioints of the two writers. For convenience we shall keep the two narratives apart. (A) Ace. to 1 K If)""- A. did what was right in the ej'es of the Lord, opposing every form o( idolatry, putting away tlio /ci'drx/iim or lepuSovKot out of the land, and removing the iilols which his fathers had made. He eren degraded the queen- 160 ASADIAS ASAEA mother because of ' an abominable image ' (n>';^v) which she had made for (an) Asheran. Being attacked by Baasha, king of Israel, he used the treasures of the temple and the palace to buy the alliance of Benhadad, king of Syria, who, by the vigour of his attack upon the N. kingdom, speedily compelled Baasha to leave Judah in peace. With the materials of Baasha's abandoned works at Itamah, A. built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. (In Jer 41 there is mention of a pit at Mizpah which A. had made ' for fear of Baasha, king of Isr.') In his old age A. suH'ered from a disease in his feet. He died in the 41st year of his reign, and was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat. (B) In 2 Ch 14-16 Asa's reforming zeal is placed in a still more favourable light. Cf. 2 Ch 14' (but see 15") with I K 15'^. As a reward for this zeal A. enjoyed peace and prosperity in the early years of his reign, and during this period he built fortresses and made other warlike preparations, assembling an army of 580,000 men {H^'-). He was thus enabled to meet and conquer Zerah the Ethiopian (which see). (The historicity of this campaign there is no reason to call in question, although tlie uumbera must be excessive). After this victory A. was met by the prophet Azariah, the son of Oded, who exhorted him to carry out further religious reforms (15'"). In obedience to this call, a popular assembly, representing not only Judah, but oertain districts of the N. kingdom, was held at Jems, in the 3rd month of the 15th year of A.'s reier. A solemn covenant was entered into to seek the Lord with all their heart and all their Boul (15"). On account of A.'s conduct in this matter, another period of peace was enjoyed by the land, which continued till the 35th year of his reign (15'»). In his 36th year (16"'-) war broke out with Baasha, king of Israel, and A. hired the help of the king of Syria. This action was viewed by Ilanani the seer as indicating a want of faith in God, and he addressed reproacnes and threatenings to the king, who thereupon cast the faithful pro- phet into prison, and at the same time began to oppress some of his subjects (16"''). As a punish- mentfor this he was, in hb 39th year, attacked by a disease in his feet, which led him to seek not to the Lord, but to physicians (IC). Upon his death in the 41st year of his reign he was buried w^ith most gorgeous funeral rites (16'''). The Chronicler's additions to the earlier narrative comprise, then, A.'s building of fortresses and other warlike preparations, his victory over the Ethiop. king, more detailed specifications of time, his severity towards Hanani and others, and the details as to his obsequies. The subjectivity of the Chronicler is marked throughout, but there is no reason to doubt that for the basis at least of these additions he had documentary authority, although very serious difficulties, whicn have never been satisfactorily explained, attach to the chrono- logy of his narrative. These are fully discussed in the literature cited below. 2. A Levite, the father of Berechiah (1 Ch 9"). See Genealogy. LrnnuTURK.— Omf, Qet. BUeh. d. A.T. 137 ff. ; W. B. Smith, OTJC 141, 147 ; Savce, HCM S63 f., 46St. ; WelUiausen, Gm. !»r. (1878) p. 212 ; Kittel, Hiat. of Heb. ii. 248 ff. J. A. Selbie.