---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  2 Chronicles 16"
description: "CHAPTER 16   :-. ASA, BY A
LEAGUE WITH THE SYRIANS,
DIVERTS BAASHA
FROM BUILDING
RAMAH. 1-6. In the six and thirtieth year
of the reign of Asa, Baasha . ."
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/2-chronicles/16"
---

CHAPTER 16

. ASA, BY A
LEAGUE WITH THE SYRIANS,
DIVERTS BAASHA
FROM BUILDING
RAMAH.

**1-6. In the six and thirtieth year
of the reign of Asa, Baasha . . . came up against Judah**—Baasha
had died several years before this date (), and the best biblical critics are agreed in considering
this date to be calculated from the separation of the kingdoms, and
coincident with the sixteenth year of Asa's reign. This mode of
reckoning was, in all likelihood, generally followed in the book of
the kings of Judah and Israel, the public annals of the time (), the source from which the inspired historian drew his
account.
**Baasha . . . built Ramah**—that
is, fortified it. The blessing of God which manifestly rested at this
time on the kingdom of Judah, the signal victory of Asa, the freedom
and purity of religious worship, and the fame of the late national
covenant, were regarded with great interest throughout Israel, and
attracted a constantly increasing number of emigrants to Judah.
Baasha, alarmed at this movement, determined to stem the tide; and as
the high road to and from Jerusalem passed by Ramah, he made that
frontier town, about six miles north of Asa's capital, a military
station, where the vigilance of his sentinels would effectually
prevent all passage across the boundary of the kingdom (see on ; also [Jeremiah 41:9](../../../kjv/jeremiah/41/9)).

**4. Ben-hadad . . . sent the captains
of his armies . . . and they smote . . . Abelmaim**—"The
meadow of waters," supposed to have been situated on the marshy
plain near the uppermost lake of the Jordan. The other two towns were
also in the northern district of Palestine. These unexpected
hostilities of his Syrian ally interrupted Baasha's fortifications at
Ramah, and his death, happening soon after, prevented his resuming
them.

**1-6. In the six and thirtieth year
of the reign of Asa, Baasha . . . came up against Judah**—Baasha
had died several years before this date (), and the best biblical critics are agreed in considering
this date to be calculated from the separation of the kingdoms, and
coincident with the sixteenth year of Asa's reign. This mode of
reckoning was, in all likelihood, generally followed in the book of
the kings of Judah and Israel, the public annals of the time (), the source from which the inspired historian drew his
account.
**Baasha . . . built Ramah**—that
is, fortified it. The blessing of God which manifestly rested at this
time on the kingdom of Judah, the signal victory of Asa, the freedom
and purity of religious worship, and the fame of the late national
covenant, were regarded with great interest throughout Israel, and
attracted a constantly increasing number of emigrants to Judah.
Baasha, alarmed at this movement, determined to stem the tide; and as
the high road to and from Jerusalem passed by Ramah, he made that
frontier town, about six miles north of Asa's capital, a military
station, where the vigilance of his sentinels would effectually
prevent all passage across the boundary of the kingdom (see on ; also [Jeremiah 41:9](../../../kjv/jeremiah/41/9)).

**7-10. Hanani the seer came to Asa .
. . and said**—His object was to show the king his error in
forming his recent league with Ben-hadad. The prophet represented the
appropriation of the temple treasures to purchase the services of the
Syrian mercenaries, as indicating a distrust in God most blameable
with the king's experience. He added, that in consequence of this
want of faith, Asa had lost the opportunity of gaining a victory over
the united forces of Baasha and Ben-hadad, more splendid than that
obtained over the Ethiopians. Such a victory, by destroying their
armies, would have deprived them of all power to molest him in the
future; whereas by his foolish and worldly policy, so unworthy of
God's vicegerent, to misapply the temple treasures and corrupt the
fidelity of an ally of the king of Israel, he had tempted the
cupidity of the one, and increased the hostility of the other, and
rendered himself liable to renewed troubles (). This rebuke was pungent and, from its truth and justness,
ought to have penetrated and afflicted the heart of such a man as
Asa. But his pride was offended at the freedom taken by the honest
reprover of royalty, and in a burst of passionate resentment, he
ordered Hanani to be thrown into prison.

**10. Asa oppressed some of the people
the same time**—The form or degree of this oppression is not
recorded. The cause of his oppressing them was probably due to the
same offense as that of Hanani—a strong expression of their
dissatisfaction with his conduct in leaguing with Ben-hadad, or it
may have been his maltreatment of the Lord's servant.

**12. Asa . . . was diseased in his
feet**—probably the gout.
**yet his disease was exceeding
great**—better, "moved upwards" in his body, which
proves the violent and dangerous type of the malady.
**yet in his disease he sought
not to the Lord, but to the physicians**—most probably Egyptian
physicians, who were anciently in high repute at foreign courts, and
who pretended to expel diseases by charms, incantations, and mystic
arts. Asa's fault consisted in his trusting to such physicians, while
he neglected to supplicate the aid and blessing of God. The best and
holiest men have been betrayed for a time into sins, but through
repentance have risen again; and as Asa is pronounced a good man (), it may be presumed that he also was restored to a better
state of mind.

**14. they buried him in his own
sepulchres**—The tombs in the neighborhood of Jerusalem were
excavated in the side of a rock. One cave contained several tombs or
sepulchres.
**laid him in the bed . . .
filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices**—It is
evident that a sumptuous public funeral was given him as a tribute of
respect and gratitude for his pious character and patriotic
government. But whether "the bed" means a state couch on
which he lay exposed to public view, the odoriferous perfumes being
designed to neutralize the offensive smell of the corpse, or whether
it refers to an embalmment, in which aromatic spices were always used
in great profusion, it is impossible to say.
**they made a very great
burning for him**—according to some, for consuming the spices.
According to others, it was a magnificent pile for the cremation of
the corpse—a usage which was at that time, and long after,
prevalent among the Hebrews, and the omission of which in the case of
royal personages was reckoned a great indignity ([2 Chronicles 21:19](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/21/19);
[1 Samuel 31:12](../../../kjv/1-samuel/31/12); [Jeremiah 34:5](../../../kjv/jeremiah/34/5);
[Amos 6:10](../../../kjv/amos/6/10)).

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