1 Kings 15:1-32

Abijam and Asa of Judah, and Nadab and Baasha of Israel. Abijam, called Abijah (2 Chronicles 13:1), had a short and evil reign. It would appear, notwithstanding 1 Kings 15:8, that he was succeeded by his brother Asa, as both are said to have had the same mother, Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. Josephus says the granddaughter of Absalom; see 2 Chronicles 11:20). Except that Asa could not remove the high places he is said to have done right during his long reign of forty-one years. Asa deposed Maacah from the position of queen-mother for her idolatry. She had made (1 Kings 15:13) an abominable image (Heb. a horror of an image) for an Asherah. The AV renders an idol in a grove. The Heb. word Asherah (p. 100) is translated in the LXX by the word Halsos, a grove. It was a sacred pole set up by an altar (Deuteronomy 16:21), probably to represent a tree. Two roots are suggested for this word: (a) one meaning happy, (b) upright. (a) would mean the happy woman, i.e. Ashtoreth, (b) upright. In the latter case it may have been an unseemly emblem almost universal in idolatrous worship. Asa also purified the Temple by putting away the dedicated men who under the name of religion encouraged vice. The high places continued till the end of the seventh century B.C.

Three kinds of false worship are mentioned in Kings: (a) The schismatical worship of N. Israel, which was, however, condemned only after the days of the Deuteronomic revival in the time of Josiah. (b) The high places, Asherim (groves), pillars (maçç eboth), and sacrifices under trees. These were used, with the exception, perhaps, of the groves, in patriarchal times, but by the prophetic era (eighth century) they had come to be regarded as idolatrous by the more religious spirits in the nation. In both these cases Yahweh was professedly worshipped. (c) Apostasy, forsaking Yahweh for the gods of other nations, e.g. the Baal of Tyre.

1 Kings 15:16. The Syrians of Damascus now made their appearance as the chief enemies of Israel (pp. 68f.). Owing to the pressure exercised on Asa by his rival Baasha in Israel, the king of Judah called in the aid of Ben-hadad, son of Tabrimmon. son of Hezion (1 Kings 11:23 *). Ben-hadad ravaged northern Israel down to the Sea of Galilee or Chinneroth (1 Kings 15:20). Asa is said by the Chronicler to have been delivered from Zerah the Ethiopian (2 Chronicles 14:9), and to have been rebuked by the seer Hanani for his unpatriotic action in calling in the help of Ben-hadad (2 Chronicles 16:7).

1 Kings 15:25 ; Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, was killed by Baasha in accordance with Ahijah's prophecy. The complete extirpation of the king's family happened at every change of dynasty in Israel. The males of the houses of Jeroboam, Baasha, Ahab, were all of them put to the sword.