Commentaria in III Regum
Chapter 15. Synopsis of the Chapter
To the impious Roboam succeeds his impious son Abiam, to him his pious son Asa, who, verse 12, takes away the idols and the effeminate; and Maacha his mother, priestess of Priapus. To the pious Asa succeeds his pious son Josaphat, verse 24. To Jeroboam, impious king of Israel, succeeds his impious son Nadab, whom Baasa kills, and cuts off all his family.
1. Now in the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, Abiam reigned over Juda.
2. He reigned three years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Maacha the daughter of Abessalom. 3. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. 4. But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, that he might raise up his son after him, and establish Jerusalem: 5. Because David had done right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, except the matter of Urias the Hethite. 6. But yet there was war between Roboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7. And the rest of the acts of Abiam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda? and there was war between Abiam and Jeroboam. 8. And Abiam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. 9. Therefore in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, reigned Asa king of Juda, 10. And he reigned one and forty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Maacha the daughter of Abessalom. 11. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father: 12. And he took away the effeminate out of the land, and removed all the filth of the idols, which his fathers had made. 13. He also removed Maacha his mother from being princess in the sacred rites of Priapus, and in his grove, which he had consecrated: and he destroyed his den, and broke in pieces the filthy idol, and burnt it at the brook Cedron. 14. But the high places he took not away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with the Lord all his days: 15. And he brought in those things that his father had vowed, and that he himself had vowed, into the house of the Lord, silver, and gold, and vessels. 16. And there was war between Asa and Baasa king of Israel all their days. 17. And Baasa king of Israel went up into Juda, and built Rama, that no man might go out or come in of the side of Asa king of Juda. 18. Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and gave it into the hands of his servants, and sent them to Benadad the son of Tabremon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying: 19. There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: therefore I have sent thee presents of silver and gold: and I beg thou wouldst come, and break thy league with Baasa king of Israel, that he may depart from me. 20. Benadad hearkening to king Asa sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they smote Ahion and Dan, and Abel-domus Maacha, and all Cenneroth, that is, all the land of Nephtali. 21. And when Baasa heard it, he left off building Rama, and returned to Thersa. 22. And king Asa sent word to all Juda, saying: Let no man be excused; and they took the stones from Rama …and its timber, with which Baasa had built, and King Asa built with them Gabaa of Benjamin, and Maspha. 23. But the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda? But in the time of his old age he had pain in his feet. 24. And he slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David his father. And Josaphat his son reigned in his stead. 25. And Nadab the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Juda: and he reigned over Israel two years. 26. And he did that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father, and in his sins, by which he made Israel to sin. 27. And Baasa the son of Ahias, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him, and struck him in Gebbethon, which is a city of the Philistines: for Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gebbethon. 28. So Baasa slew him in the third year of Asa king of Juda, and reigned in his stead. 29. And when he had reigned, he cut off all the house of Jeroboam: he left not so much as one soul of his seed, till he destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Ahias the Silonite, 30. for the sins of Jeroboam, who had sinned, and had made Israel to sin: and for the offence by which he had provoked the Lord the God of Israel. 31. And the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 32. And there was war between Asa and Baasa king of Israel all their days. 33. In the third year of Asa king of Juda, Baasa the son of Ahias reigned over all Israel in Thersa, twenty-four years. 34. And he did evil before the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sins, by which he made Israel to sin.
Verses 1–4. NOW IN THE EIGHTEENTH YEAR OF JEROBOAM THE SON OF NABAT (king of Israel) ABIAM (the son of Roboam) REIGNED OVER JUDA.
Verse 2. HE REIGNED THREE YEARS.—You will say: Abia is said to have died in the twentieth year of Jeroboam; therefore he reigned not three years but only two, for from the year 18 to 20 there are only two years. I answer that the year 18 is to be counted here, and that it was the first of Abiam’s reign, the second the 19th, and the third the 20th of Jeroboam’s reign. So Abulensis, Cajetan, Salianus and others. Here note that in chronology a year is sometimes reckoned from the beginning, sometimes from the end; hence one year added or taken away in chronology makes no difference. Moreover, Abulensis here assigns three other ways of reconciling the differing chronology, very useful and worth noting.