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Nach YomiI Kings · מלכים א׳Chapter 15

I Kings 15

מלכים א׳ ׀ךק ט׮ו

Section: נביאים · נביאים ךאשונים | Book: I Kings | Chapter: 15 of 22 | Day: 115 of 742

Date: June 6, 2026

קלאוד על הנ׮ך

Chapter 15 inaugurates the synchronized double-track narrative that will structure the rest of Sefer Melakhim: each southern reign and each northern reign reported in turn, dated against the kings of the other house, with each king issued a verdict by a single yardstick — did he do “what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done,” or did he “walk in the way of Jeroboam.” Three kings are covered in this single chapter: Abijam and Asa of Judah, and Nadab of Israel. With Asa, we meet the first king of the divided monarchy who receives an unqualified positive verdict; with Nadab, we see the prophecy of Ahijah from chapter 14 fulfilled in less than a year.

Abijam’s account is jarringly brief — three years, and four verses of indictment summary. He walked in all the sins of his father Rehoboam, and “his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God like the heart of David his father” (verse 3). The chapter then pauses on what looks like a theological accounting: the only reason the Davidic line survived Abijam’s reign was למען דוד — for David’s sake. Verse 4’s striking image of the “ני׹” (lamp) of David in Jerusalem makes explicit a principle that will recur throughout Melakhim: the survival of the Davidic dynasty in this corrupt era is not earned by any current king but is a function of God’s prior covenant with David. Verse 5 gives the rare evaluation of David himself — he did right “all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” — a candid summary that Chazal famously soften (Metzudat David: in the matter of Bat-Sheva David did not sin, since soldiers in David’s army wrote provisional divorces; only the Uriah affair is the residue).

The chapter’s heart is Asa (verses 9-24). His forty-one-year reign begins by ridding Judah of two specific Canaanite-style abominations introduced in his father’s and grandfather’s day: he removes the kedeshim (cultic prostitutes) and the gillulim (idols, literally “dung-things”), and even deposes his own grandmother Maacah from the queen-mother’s office because she made a מ׀ל׊ת — a “horror” or “abomination” — for the asherah. Rashi, citing Avodah Zarah 44a, reads the מ׀ל׊ת as a phallic image with which Maacah ritually had relations daily. Asa cuts down the object himself and burns it in the Kidron Valley — the same wadi that will become a kind of dumping ground for idolatrous objects in later reforms (II Kings 23). One genuine flaw is named, however: “the bamot were not removed” (verse 14). Rashi distinguishes between the bamot of Israel (high places for foreign worship, which Asa did remove) and the private bamot — individual altars for sacrifice to the God of Israel that had been permitted between Shilo’s destruction and the Temple’s building, and which the people had grown accustomed to and resisted abandoning even after the Temple was built. Asa removed every public abomination but could not fully extirpate this popular folk-practice, and the narrator records this as the one residual mark on an otherwise straight reign.

The Baasha crisis (verses 16-22) is the chapter’s most morally complex episode. Baasha of Israel fortifies Ramah — just six miles north of Jerusalem — choking off Judah’s traffic from the north. Asa’s response is to empty the Temple and palace treasuries and send the silver and gold to Ben-Hadad of Aram in Damascus, paying him to break his pact with Israel and attack from the north. The strategy works: Ben-Hadad captures Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beit-Maacah, and all the Galilee. Baasha abandons Ramah, and Asa carts away its stones and timbers to fortify Geba and Mizpah in his own kingdom. But Chazal (cited by Rashi, Radak, and the parallel account in II Chronicles 16) read the episode as Asa’s signal failure — he trusted in the king of Aram rather than in God, and the conscription of “no man exempted” (אין נקי) included even Torah scholars, who were Biblically exempt from military service. The closing note that “in his old age he suffered in his feet” (verse 23) is read by the Gemara (Sotah 10a) as the punishment for forcing talmidei chakhamim into corvée labor. The reign that began with reform ends with a king whose name is great but whose feet — in old age, in literal infirmity, in midrashic moral imagery — could no longer carry him properly.

The chapter’s final movement returns to the north and watches Ahijah’s prophecy come true. Nadab, son of Jeroboam, reigns just two years before Baasha of Issachar conspires against him at the siege of Gibbethon (a Philistine city Israel had not retaken since the days of Joshua) and assassinates him. Baasha then exterminates every member of Jeroboam’s house, “as the word of the Lord spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite.” The man who carries out the divine sentence is no righteous reformer; he merely repeats Jeroboam’s sins and becomes the next king to be condemned. The northern kingdom has begun its long pattern of dynastic violence — one bloody coup begetting another, each new dynasty inheriting the sins of the last — a pattern that will continue all the way to the Assyrian exile two centuries on.

׀ךק ט׮ו · Chapter 15

׀סוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

ו֌ב֎שְׁנַת֙ שְׁמֹנֶ֣ה עֶשְׂךֵ֔ה לַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ י֞ךׇבְע֣֞ם ב֌ֶן֟נְב֑֞ט מ֞לַ֥ךְ אֲב֎י֌֖֞ם עַל֟יְהו֌ד֞֜ה׃

English:

In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah.

The chapter opens with the first regnal synchronization of the divided monarchy: Abijam, son of Rehoboam, begins to reign over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam. The classical commentators wrestle with the chronological details -- Rashi and Metzudat David note that since Rehoboam and Jeroboam began to reign in the same year and Rehoboam reigned seventeen years, Abijam's accession would naturally be in Jeroboam's eighteenth.
ךש׎יRashi
ו֌ב֎שְׁנַת שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂךֵה לַמ֌ֶלֶךְ י֞ך֞בְע֞ם. שׁ֞נ֞ה אַחַת אַחַך מוֹת ךְחַבְע֞ם, ו֌ב֎שְׁנַת עֶשְׂך֎ים לְי֞ך֞בְע֞ם מ֞לַךְ א֞ס֞א, שׁ֞נ֞ה הַש֌ְׁל֎ישׁ֎ית שֶׁל נ־ד־ב (אֲב֎י֌֞ם) נ֎מְנֵית לַמ֌ֶלֶךְ א֞ס֞א שׁ֞נ֞ה, וְלוֹ נַמ֌ֵי נ֎מְנֵית.
In the eighteenth year [of the reign] of King Yerovom. One year after Rechovom's death, in the twentieth year of Yerovom, Asa reigned. The third year of Nodov (Aviyam) is counted for King Asa as a year, and for him it is also counted.

׀סוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

שׁ֞לֹ֣שׁ שׁ֞נￜￜ֔ים מ֞לַ֖ךְ ב֌֎יךו֌שׁ֞ל֑֞͏֎ם וְשֵׁ֣ם א֎מ֌֔וֹ מַעֲכ֖֞ה ב֌ַת֟אֲב֎ישׁ֞ל֜וֹם׃

English:

He reigned three years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.aMaacah daughter of Abishalom Cf. 2 Chron. 13.2 “Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah,” and v. 10 below, where Maacah, daughter of Abishalom, appears as mother of Asa.

Abijam's reign lasts only three years -- and Metzudat David clarifies they were 'broken' years (מקוטעות), not full calendar years. His mother is named as Maacah daughter of Avishalom; Radak notes the mention is deliberate, since she will reappear in verse 13 as the maker of an idolatrous מ׀ל׊ת -- a clue that the son walked in his mother's spiritual footsteps.

׀סוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֵ֕לֶךְ ב֌ְכׇל֟חַט֌ֹ֥אות א־ב֖֮יו אֲשֶׁך֟ע֞שׂ֣֞ה לְ׀֞נ֑֞יו וְלֹא֟ה֞י֚֞ה לְב֞בրוֹ שׁ֞לֵם֙ ע֎ם֟יְהֹו֣֞ה אֱלֹה֞֔יו כ֌֎לְבַ֖ב ד֌֞ו֎֥ד א֞ב֎֜יו׃

English:

He continued in all the sins that his father before him had committed; he was not wholehearted with the ETERNAL his God, like his forefather David.

׀סוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

כ֌֎֚י לְמַ֣עַן ד֌֞ו֎֔ד נ֞תַן֩ יְהֹו֚֞ה אֱלֹה֥֞יו ל֛וֹ נ֖֮י׹ ב֌֎יךו֌שׁ֞ל֑֞͏֎ם לְה֞ק֎րים אֶת֟ב֌ְנוֹ֙ אַחֲך֞֔יו ו֌֜לְהַעֲמ֎֖יד אֶת֟יְךו֌שׁ֞ל֞֜͏֎ם׃

English:

Yet, for the sake of David, the ETERNAL his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by raising up his descendant after him and by preserving Jerusalem.

The Davidic line survives Abijam not because of his merits but לְמַעַן ד֞֌ו֎ד -- for the sake of David. The 'lamp in Jerusalem' is read by Metzudat David as the dynastic light preserved precisely so that the Temple in Jerusalem would remain standing under a son of its builder. This verse establishes one of the great recurring themes of Melakhim: the Davidic covenant operates as a brake against the destruction that the kings' own behavior would otherwise have brought.

׀סוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

אֲשֶׁ֚ך ע֞שׂ֥֞ה ד־ו֛֮ד אֶת֟הַי֌֞שׁ֖֞ך ב֌ְעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹו֑֞ה וְלֹא֟ס֞֞ך מ֎כ֌ֹ֣ל אֲשֶׁך֟׊֎ו֌֞֗הו֌ כ֌ֹ֚ל יְמֵ֣י חַי֌֞֔יו ךַ֕ק ב֌֎דְבַ֖ך או֌ך֎י֌֥֞ה הַ֜ח֎ת֌֎֜י׃

English:

For David had done what was pleasing to GOD and never turned throughout his life from all that had been commanded him, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

The verse offers a rare summary verdict on David himself: he did right in God's eyes all the days of his life, 'except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.' Metzudat David, following Chazal, defends David further -- in the matter of Bat-Sheva there was no sin since soldiers in David's army wrote provisional divorces before going to war; only the orchestration of Uriah's death remains as the singular blemish on his record.

׀סוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

ו֌מ֎לְח֞מ֚֞ה ה֞יְת֧֞ה בֵין֟ךְחַבְע֛֞ם ו֌בֵ֥ין י֞ךׇבְע֖֞ם כ֌ׇל֟יְמֵ֥י חַי֌֞֜יו׃

English:

There was war between AbijambAbijam So several mss.; most mss. and the editions read “Rehoboam.” and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

׀סוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וְיֶ֚תֶך ד֌֎בְךֵրי אֲב֎י֌֞ם֙ וְכׇל֟אֲשֶׁ֣ך ע֞שׂ֞֔ה הֲלוֹא֟הֵ֣ם כ֌ְתו֌ב֎֗ים עַל֟סֵ֛׀ֶך ד֌֎בְךֵ֥י הַי֌֞מ֎֖ים לְמַלְכֵ֣י ￜￜְהו֌ד֑֞ה ו֌מ֎לְח֞מ֥֞ה ה֞יְת֛֞ה ב֌ֵ֥ין אֲב֎י֌֖֞ם ו֌בֵ֥ין י֞ךׇבְע֞֜ם׃

English:

The other events of Abijam’s reign and all his actions are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Judah; there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

The narrator returns once more to record that war continued between Abijam and Jeroboam -- Metzudat David emphasizes that Abijam did not cease the conflict even in his own brief reign. The split kingdom is now a permanent state of warfare.

׀סוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎שְׁכ֌ַրב אֲב֎י֌֞ם֙ ע֎ם֟אֲבֹת֞֔יו וַי֌֎קְב֌ְך֥ו֌ אֹת֖וֹ ב֌ְע֎֣יך ד֌֞ו֎֑ד וַי֌֎מְלֹ֛ךְ א֞ס֥֞א בְנ֖וֹ ת֌ַחְת֌֞֜יו׃ {×€}

English:

Abijam rested with his ancestors; he was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa succeeded him as king.

׀סוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

ו֌ב֎שְׁנַ֣ת עֶשְׂך֎֔ים לְי֞ךׇבְע֖֞ם מֶ֣לֶךְ י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֑ל מ֞לַ֥ךְ א֞ס֖֞א מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהו֌ד֞֜ה׃

English:

In the twentieth year of King Jeroboam of Israel, Asa became king over Judah.

In the twentieth year of Jeroboam, Asa becomes king of Judah. The chronology threads together: Abijam reigned three (broken) years from Jeroboam's eighteenth, so Asa's accession in Jeroboam's twentieth fits exactly. The year is counted both as the end of Abijam's reign and the beginning of Asa's.

׀סוק י׮ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וְאַךְב֌֞ע֎րים וְאַחַת֙ שׁ֞נ֞֔ה מ֞לַ֖ךְ ב֌֎יךו֌שׁ֞ל֑֞͏֎ם וְשֵׁ֣ם א֎מ֌֔וֹ מַעֲכ֖֞ה ב֌ַת֟אֲב֎ישׁ֞ל֜וֹם׃

English:

He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

Asa's forty-one-year reign is announced -- one of the longest of any king of either kingdom. Strikingly, his 'mother' is given the same name as Abijam's mother, Maacah daughter of Avishalom. Metzudat David and Radak explain that this Maacah is actually Asa's grandmother (the queen mother of his father), and Scripture calls her 'mother' because she raised him. Radak adds the key thematic note: despite being raised by an idolatrous woman, Asa did right in God's eyes.

׀סוק י׮א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַ֧עַשׂ א֞ס֛֞א הַי֌֞שׁ֖֞ך ב֌ְעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹו֑֞ה כ֌ְד֞ו֎֖ד א֞ב֎֜יו׃

English:

Asa did what was pleasing to GOD, as his forefather David had done.

׀סוק י׮ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַעֲבֵ֥ך הַק֌ְדֵשׁ֎֖ים מ֎ן֟ה֞א֑֞ךֶץ וַי֌֞֙סַך֙ אֶת֟כ֌ׇל֟הַג֌֎ל֌ֻל֎֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ך ע֞שׂ֖ו֌ אֲבֹת֞֜יו׃

English:

He expelled the consecrated workerscconsecrated workers Or “retainers”; meaning of Heb. qedeshim uncertain. from the land, and he removed all the idols that his ancestors had made.

Asa's reforms begin: he expels the קְדֵש֎ׁים -- cultic prostitutes attached to pagan worship -- and removes all the gilulim ('dung-idols,' a contemptuous term for foreign images) that his ancestors Rehoboam and Abijam had introduced. The targum, cited by Rashi, renders kedeshim as 'prostitutes' (נ׀קת ב׹א), making the moral-cultic intertwining explicit.
ךש׎יRashi
וַי֌ַעֲבֵך הַק֌ְדֵשׁ֎ים. ת֌֎ךְג֌ֵם יוֹנ֞ת֞ן: ו֌׀ַל֌ֵי נ֞׀ְקַת ב֌ְך֞א.
And he rid [the land] of prostitutes. [Targum] Yonoson rendered, "and he abolished the prostitutes."

׀סוק י׮ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וְגַ֣ם ׀ אֶת֟מַעֲכ֣֞ה א֎מ֌֗וֹ וַיְס֎ךֶ֙ה֞֙ מ֎ג֌ְב֎יך֞֔ה אֲשֶׁך֟ע֞שְׂת֥֞ה מ֎׀ְלֶ֖׊ֶת ל֞אֲשֵׁך֑֞ה וַי֌֎כְךֹրת א֞ס֞א֙ אֶת֟מ֎׀ְלַ׊ְת֌֞֔ה֌ וַי֌֎שְׂךֹ֖ף ב֌ְנַ֥חַל ק֎דְך֜וֹן׃

English:

He also deposed his mother Maacah from the rank of queen mother, because she had made an abominable thingdan abominable thing Exact meaning of Heb. uncertain. for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable thing and burnt it in the Wadi Kidron.

Asa's most striking act of reform is deposing his own grandmother Maacah from the rank of גְב֮י׹־ה (queen mother) because she had made a מ֎׀ְלֶ׊ֶת -- a 'horror' or abomination -- for the asherah. Rashi cites Avodah Zarah 44a that the word puns on מ׀ליא לי׊נותא -- 'extreme lewdness' -- and that Maacah had fashioned a phallic image with which she committed daily acts of ritual obscenity. Asa cuts the object down and burns it in the Kidron Valley, throwing the ash there because the residue of idolatrous worship is forbidden in benefit. The Kidron will become a recurring locus for the disposal of pagan objects in later reforms.
ךש׎יRashi
וַיְס֎ךֶה מ֎ג֌ְב֎יך֞ה. מ֎הְיוֹת ג֌ְב֎יך֞ה. אֲשֶׁך ע֞שְׂת֞ה מ֎׀ְלֶ׊ֶת. א֞מְךו֌ ךַב֌וֹתֵינו֌ מַ׀ְל֎יא לֵי׊֞נו֌ת֞א, כ֌ְמ֎ין זַכְךו֌ת ע֞שְׂת֞ה ל֌֞ה֌, וְה֮יא ה֞יְת֞ה נ֎בְעֶלֶת לוֹ ב֌ְכ֞ל יוֹם.
He removed from her position of authority. From being queen. For she had made a fearful image. Our Rabbis stated [that מ׀ל׊ת is a combination of] מ׀ליא לי׊ונתא [=extreme lasciviousness]. She made for it a phallic symbol,1Alternatively, an image that casts fear and dread unto its worshipers.—Radak and she would copulate with it every day.2Maseches Avodah Zarah 44a.

׀סוק י׮ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וְהַב֌֞מ֖וֹת לֹא֟ס֑֞ךו֌ ךַ֣ק לְבַב֟א֞ס֞֗א ×”Öž×™ÖžÖ¥×” שׁ֞לֵ֛ם ע֎ם֟יְהֹו֖֞ה כ֌ׇל֟י֞מ֞֜יו׃ {ס}        

English:

The shrines, indeed, were not abolished; however, Asa was wholehearted with the Eternal his God all his life.

One imperfection mars the reform: the bamot were not removed. Rashi distinguishes carefully: these were not Canaanite idolatrous shrines (Asa removed those) but private altars used for sacrifice to the God of Israel -- legitimate before the Temple was built, but now forbidden, with karet as the penalty. Asa removed every overtly idolatrous abomination but could not extirpate this entrenched popular folk-practice. The verse nonetheless concludes that 'Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days' -- the qualifier of his reign without negating his fundamental righteousness.
ךש׎יRashi
וְהַב֌֞מוֹת לֹא ס֞ךו֌. ב֌֞מוֹת הַי֌֞ח֎יד, שֶׁהֻךְג֌ְלו֌ ל֎ק֌֞ךֵב עֲלֵיהֶן לַש֌ׁ֞מַי֎ם מ֎ש֌ֶׁח֞ךְב֞ה שׁ֎ילֹה עַד שֶׁנ֌֎בְנ֞ה הַב֌ַי֎ת שֶׁה֞יו֌ הַב֌֞מוֹת מֻת֌֞ךוֹת, לֹא ס֞ךו֌ עַת֌֞ה, וְאַף עַל ׀֌֎י שֶׁנ֌ֶאֶסְךו֌ מ֎ש֌ֶׁנ֌֎בְנ֞ה הַב֌ַי֎ת, וְה֞יו֌ עֲנו֌שׁ֎ים ע֞לֶיה֞ כ֌֞ךֵת.
[However] the [private] altars he did not remove. The private altars upon which they had become accustomed to sacrifice to Heaven since Shiloh had been destroyed until the Beis [Hamikdosh] was built, when private altars were permissible, were not removed now, even though they were forbidden once the Beis [Hamikdosh] was built, and they were punished by premature death because of it.

׀סוק ט׮ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וַי֌֞בֵא֙ אֶת֟קׇדְשֵׁ֣י א־ב֮֔יו (וקדשו) [וְקׇדְשֵׁ֖י] ב֌ֵ֣ית יְהֹו֑֞ה כ֌ֶ֥סֶף וְז־ה־֖ב וְכֵל֎֜ים׃

English:

He brought into the House of GOD all the consecrated things of his father and his own consecrated thingsehis own consecrated things So kethib and 2 Chron. 15.18.—silver, gold, and utensils.

Asa restores to the Temple the sacred items his father had consecrated (and apparently later reclaimed for himself, per Metzudat David), as well as his own consecrated silver, gold, and vessels. After Shishak's plunder in his grandfather's day, this is a deliberate act of restocking the depleted Temple treasury.

׀סוק ט׮ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

ו֌מ֎לְח֞מ֚֞ה ה֞יְת֞֜ה ב֌ֵ֣ין א֞ס֞֗א ו֌בֵ֛ין ב֌ַעְשׁ֥֞א מֶלֶךְ֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֖ל כ֌ׇל֟יְמֵיהֶ֜ם׃

English:

There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel all their days.

The narrative now turns to the political crisis of Asa's reign: continual war with Baasha, king of Israel. Metzudat David identifies Baasha as the successor of Nadab, whose assassination will be recounted at the end of the chapter -- a hint that Scripture is about to circle back chronologically.

׀סוק י׮ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַ֚עַל ב֌ַעְשׁ֞րא מֶ֜לֶךְ֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵל֙ עַל֟יְהו֌ד֞֔ה וַי֌֎֖בֶן אֶת֟ה֞ך֞מ֑֞ה לְב֎לְת֌֎֗י ת֌ֵ֚ת יֹ׊ֵ֣א ו־ב־֔א לְא֞ס֖֞א מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהו֌ד֞֜ה׃

English:

King Baasha of Israel advanced against Judah, and he fortified Ramah to prevent anyone belonging to King Asa of Judah from going out or coming in.

Baasha launches an aggressive move against Judah: he fortifies Ramah, just six miles north of Jerusalem, with the explicit aim of cutting off all movement in and out of Asa's kingdom. Metzudat David envisions a high tower from which stones could be hurled at travelers passing toward the gates of Jerusalem -- a strangulation of Judah's commerce and pilgrimage traffic at the border.

׀סוק י׮ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎ק֌ַ֣ח א֞֠ס֞֠א אֶת֟כ֌ׇל֟הַכ֌ֶ֚סֶף וְהַז֌֞ה֞֜ב הַנ֌וֹת֞ך֎֣ים ׀ ב֌ְאוֹ׊ְך֣וֹת ב֌ֵית֟יְהֹו֞֗ה וְאֶת֟א֜וֹ׊ְךוֹת֙ ב֌ֵ֣ית (מלך) [הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ] וַ֜י֌֎ת֌ְנֵ֖ם ב֌ְיַד֟עֲב֞ד֑֞יו וַי֌֎שְׁל֞חֵ֞ם הַמ֌ֶ֣לֶךְ א֞ס֞֗א אֶל֟ב֌ֶן֟הֲ֠דַ֠ד ב֌ֶן֟טַבְך֎מ֌ֹրן ב֌ֶן֟חֶזְיוֹן֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֲך֞֔ם הַי֌ֹשֵׁ֥ב ב֌ְדַמ֌ֶ֖שֶׂק לֵאמֹ֜ך׃

English:

So Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the House of GOD as well as the treasuries of the royal palace, and he entrusted them to his officials. King Asa sent them to King Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion of Aram, who resided in Damascus, with this message:

Asa's response is to empty the treasuries of both the Temple and the palace of the silver and gold that had remained after Shishak's earlier plunder, sending it as a bribe to Ben-Hadad of Aram in Damascus. Metzudat David and Radak both note the phrase 'what remained' (הנותךים) presupposes the earlier Shishak invasion of chapter 14 -- a king who lacked the gold his grandfather had inherited is now liquidating even the residue of the Temple's wealth for a foreign alliance.

׀סוק י׮ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

ב֌ְך֎ית֙ ב֌ֵינ֎֣י ו֌בֵינֶ֔ך֞ ב֌ֵ֥ין א־ב֖֮י ו֌בֵ֣ין א־ב֑֮יך־ ה֎נ֌ֵה֩ שׁ֞לַ֚חְת֌֎י לְך֥֞ שֹׁ֙חַד֙ כ֌ֶ֣סֶף וְז־ה־֔ב לֵ֣ךְ ה֞׀ֵ֗ך֞ה אֶת֟ב֌ְך֎֜יתְך֞֙ אֶת֟ב֌ַעְשׁ֣֞א מֶלֶךְ֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֔ל וְיַעֲלֶ֖ה מֵ֜ע֞ל֞֜י׃

English:

“There is a pact between you and me, and between your father and my father. I herewith send you a gift of silver and gold: Go and break your pact with King Baasha of Israel, so that he may withdraw from me.”

Asa appeals to a prior pact between his father and Ben-Hadad's father, sending a 'bribe' of silver and gold to persuade Aram to break its alliance with Baasha so that Israel will withdraw from Asa's northern border. The strategy is purely pragmatic; it makes no appeal to God. The parallel account in II Chronicles 16 has the prophet Hanani condemn Asa explicitly for relying on Aram rather than on the Lord.

׀סוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎שְׁמַ֚ע ב֌ֶן֟הֲדַ֜ד אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֣לֶךְ א֞ס֞֗א וַ֠י֌֎שְׁלַ֠ח אֶת֟שׂ֞ךֵ֚י הַחֲי֞ל֎րים אֲשֶׁך֟לוֹ֙ עַל֟ע֞ךֵ֣י י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֔ל וַי֌ַךְ֙ אֶת֟ע֎י֌֣וֹן וְאֶת֟ד֌֞֔ן וְאֵ֖ת א֞בֵ֣ל ב֌ֵ֜ית֟מַעֲכ֑֞ה וְאֵת֙ כ֌ׇל֟כ֌֎נְך֔וֹת עַ֖ל כ֌ׇל֟אֶ֥ךֶץ נַ׀ְת֌֞ל֎֜י׃

English:

Ben-hadad responded to King Asa’s request; he sent his army officers against the towns of Israel and captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, as well as all the land of Naphtali.

Ben-Hadad accepts the bribe and attacks the northern reaches of Israel -- Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beit-Maacah, all of Chinneroth (the entire Galilee, including the Kinneret region), and the whole territory of Naphtali. Radak observes that the Aramean assault devastates some of the most fertile land in the kingdom; the rabbinic tradition praises Chinneroth's produce extravagantly.

׀סוק כ׮א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וַ֜יְה֎י֙ כ֌֎שְׁמֹ֣עַ ב֌ַעְשׁ֞֔א וַי֌ֶחְד֌ַ֕ל מ֎ב֌ְנ֖וֹת אֶת֟ה֞ך֞מ֑֞ה וַי֌ֵ֖שֶׁב ב֌ְת֎ךְ׊֞֜ה׃

English:

When Baasha heard about it, he stopped fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah.

Baasha hears the news and immediately abandons the fortification of Ramah, retreating to his capital at Tirzah. Radak adds a striking note from the targum that reads בְת֎ךְ׊֞ה in light of the root meaning 'oppressed' (ך׊וץ) -- Baasha sat in Tirzah broken and afraid before the king of Aram, his northward war forcing him to abandon the southern campaign.

׀סוק כ׮ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וְהַמ֌ֶ֚לֶךְ א֞ס֞֜א ה֎שְׁמ֎րיעַ אֶת֟כ֌ׇל֟יְהו֌ד֞ה֙ אֵ֣ין נ־ק֮֔י וַי֌֎שְׂא֞ו֌ אֶת֟אַבְנֵրי ה֞֜ך֞מ֞ה֙ וְאֶת֟עֵ׊ֶ֔יה֞ אֲשֶׁ֥ך ב֌֞נ֖֞ה ב֌ַעְשׁ֑֞א וַי֌֎րבֶן ב֌֞ם֙ הַמ֌ֶ֣לֶךְ א֞ס֞֔א אֶת֟ג֌ֶ֥בַע ב֌֎נְי֞מ֎֖ן וְאֶת֟הַמ֌֎׊ְ׀֌֞֜ה׃

English:

Then King Asa mustered all Judah, with no exemptions; and they carried away the stones and timber with which Baasha had fortified Ramah. With these King Asa fortified Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

Asa exploits the moment to dismantle Ramah entirely: he conscripts all of Judah, אֵין נ־ק֮י -- 'no man exempted.' Rashi, citing Sotah 10a, notes that the exemption-less call-up violated the Torah's law in Devarim 24:5 that a new bridegroom is free from military service for a year. More gravely, the conscription drafted even Torah scholars into corvée labor, and the Gemara reads this as the cause of Asa's later foot-illness. The stones of Ramah are repurposed to fortify Geba and Mizpah within Judah.
ךש׎יRashi
אֵין נ־ק֮י. אֲ׀֎ל֌ו֌ ח֞ת֞ן מֵחֶדְךוֹ, שֶׁנ֌ֶאֱמַך ב֌וֹ: נ־ק֮י י֎הְיֶה לְבֵיתוֹ שׁ֞נ֞ה אֶח֞ת.
There will be no exceptions. Even a bridegroom from his chamber,3Not even Torah scholars were exempt and Asa was punished for this. See Maseches Sotah 10a. concerning whom it is stated, "he shall be free for his home one year."4Devarim 24:5.

׀סוק כ׮ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וְיֶ֣תֶך כ֌ׇל֟ד֌֎בְךֵ֜י֟א֞֠ס֞֠א וְכׇל֟ג֌ְב֚ו֌ך֞ת֜וֹ וְכׇל֟אֲשֶׁ֣ך ע֞שׂ֞֗ה וְהֶ֜ע֞ך֎ים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך ב֌֞נ֞֔ה הֲלֹא֟הֵ֣מ֌֞ה כְתו֌ב֎֗ים עַל֟סֵ֛׀ֶך ד֌֎בְךֵ֥י הַי֌֞מ֎֖ים לְמַלְכֵ֣י יְהו֌ד֑֞ה ךַ֚ק לְעֵ֣ת ז֎קְנ֞ת֔וֹ ח־ל־֖ה אֶת֟ךַגְל֞֜יו׃

English:

All the other events of Asa’s reign, and all his exploits, and all his actions, and the towns that he fortified, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Judah. However, in his old age he suffered from a foot ailment.

The reign is summarized: Asa was fundamentally successful in everything he did -- 'all his might, all that he did, and the cities that he built' -- but in his old age he suffered from a disease of the feet. The terse ending hints at the moral dimension classical sources develop: the king who pressed talmidei chakhamim into labor lost the use of his own legs.

׀סוק כ׮ד · Verse 24

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎שְׁכ֌ַրב א֞ס֞א֙ ע֎ם֟אֲבֹת֞֔יו וַי֌֎ק֌֞בֵך֙ ע֎ם֟אֲבֹת֞֔יו ב֌ְע֎֖יך ד֌֞ו֎֣ד א־ב֑֮יו וַי֌֎מְלֹ֛ךְ יְהוֹשׁ֞׀֥֞ט ב֌ְנ֖וֹ ת֌ַחְת֌֞֜יו׃ {×€}

English:

Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his forefather David. His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.

׀סוק כ׮ה · Verse 25

Hebrew:

וְנ֞ד֣֞ב ב֌ֶן֟י֞ךׇבְע֞֗ם מ֞לַךְ֙ עַל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֔ל ב֌֎שְׁנַ֣ת שְׁת֌ַ֔י֎ם לְא֞ס֖֞א מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהו֌ד֑֞ה וַי֌֎מְלֹ֥ךְ עַל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֖ל שְׁנ֞ת֞֜י֎ם׃

English:

Nadab son of Jeroboam had become king over Israel in the second year of King Asa of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.

The narrative now circles back chronologically to the north: Nadab, son of Jeroboam, became king of Israel in the second year of Asa and reigned just two years. Rashi and Metzudat David both clarify that 'two years' here means broken portions of two calendar years (the second and third of Asa), not a full two-year span.
ךש׎יRashi
שְׁנ֞תַי֎ם. הַש֌ְׁנ֎י֌֞ה וְהַש֌ְׁל֎ישׁ֎ית לְא֞ס֞א.
Two years. The second and the third [year] of Asa.

׀סוק כ׮ו · Verse 26

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַ֥עַשׂ ה֞ךַ֖ע ב֌ְעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹו֑֞ה וַי֌ֵ֙לֶךְ֙ ב֌ְדֶ֣ךֶךְ א־ב֮֔יו ו֌֚בְחַט֌֞את֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ך הֶחֱט֎֖יא אֶת֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֜ל׃

English:

He did what was displeasing to GOD; he continued in the ways of his father, in the sins that he caused Israel to commit.

׀סוק כ׮ז · Verse 27

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎קְשֹׁ֚ך ע֞ל֞֜יו ב֌ַעְשׁ֞րא בֶן֟אֲח֎י֌֞ה֙ לְבֵ֣ית י֎שׂ֌֞שכ֞֔ך וַי֌ַכ֌ֵ֣הו֌ בַעְשׁ֞֔א ב֌ְג֎ב֌ְת֖וֹן אֲשֶׁ֣ך לַ׀֌ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֑ים וְנ־ד־ב֙ וְכׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֔ל ש־׹֖֮ים עַ֜ל֟ג֌֎ב֌ְת֜וֹן׃

English:

Then Baasha son of Ahijah, of the House of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.

Baasha son of Ahijah of the tribe of Issachar conspires against Nadab and strikes him down at the siege of Gibbethon, a Philistine city. The detail that 'all Israel' was besieging Gibbethon is striking: this Philistine stronghold appears to have remained unconquered since the days of Joshua, and the assassination takes place at a military camp far from the capital.

׀סוק כ׮ח · Verse 28

Hebrew:

וַיְמ֎תֵ֣הו֌ בַעְשׁ֞֔א ב֌֎שְׁנַ֣ת שׁ֞לֹ֔שׁ לְא֞ס֖֞א מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהו֌ד֑֞ה וַי֌֎מְלֹ֖ךְ ת֌ַחְת֌֞֜יו׃

English:

Baasha killed him in the third year of King Asa of Judah and became king in his stead.

Baasha kills Nadab in the third year of Asa and ascends the throne in his place. Metzudat David spells out the chronology: since Nadab began in Asa's second year and reigned (broken) two years, the assassination falls in Asa's third year, with both reigns sharing that calendar year.

׀סוק כ׮ט · Verse 29

Hebrew:

וַיְה֎֣י כְמׇלְכ֗וֹ ה֎כ֌֞ה֙ אֶת֟כ֌ׇל֟ב֌ֵ֣ית י֞ךׇבְע֞֔ם לֹא֟ה֎שְׁא֎֧יך כ֌ׇל֟נְשׁ֞מ֛֞ה לְי֞ךׇבְע֖֞ם עַד֟ה֎שְׁמ֎ד֑וֹ כ֌֎דְבַ֣ך יְהֹו֞֔ה אֲשֶׁ֣ך ד֌֎ב֌ֶ֔ך ב֌ְיַד֟עַבְד֌֖וֹ אֲח֎י֌֥֞ה הַשׁ֌֎ילֹנ֎֜י׃

English:

As soon as he became king, he struck down all the House of Jeroboam; he did not spare a single soul belonging to Jeroboam until he destroyed it—in accordance with the word spoken through GOD’s servant Ahijah the Shilonite—

Baasha exterminates the entire house of Jeroboam, leaving no living soul belonging to that line -- the exact fulfillment of the prophecy Ahijah the Shilonite had delivered in chapter 14. The instrument of the prophecy is a usurper from a rival tribe, not a righteous reformer; the divine word is carried out, but by a man whose own house will eventually meet the same fate (chapter 16).

׀סוק ל׳ · Verse 30

Hebrew:

עַל֟חַט֌ֹրאות י֞֜ךׇבְע֞ם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך ח־ט־֔א וַאֲשֶׁ֥ך הֶחֱט֎֖יא אֶת֟י֎שְׂך֞ￜￜֵ֑ל ב֌ְכַעְס֕וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ך ה֎כְע֎֔יס אֶת֟יְהֹו֖֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֜ל׃

English:

because of the sins that Jeroboam committed and that he caused Israel to commit, thereby provoking the anger of the ETERNAL, the God of Israel.

The reason for the divine sentence is restated: the sins Jeroboam committed himself and the sins by which he led Israel to sin -- the golden calves of Dan and Bethel, the priesthood drawn from non-Levites, the alternative festival. Metzudat David draws out the indictment's most pointed phrase, בְ֌כַעְסוֹ -- Jeroboam knew his Master and deliberately set out to provoke Him, transforming what could have been ignorance into open rebellion.

׀סוק ל׮א · Verse 31

Hebrew:

וְיֶ֛תֶך ד֌֎בְךֵ֥י נ־ד־֖ב וְכׇל֟אֲשֶׁ֣ך ע֞שׂ֑֞ה הֲלֹא֟הֵ֣ם כ֌ְתו֌ב֎֗ים עַל֟סֵ֛׀ֶך ד֌֎בְךֵ֥י הַי֌֞מ֎֖ים לְמַלְכֵ֥י י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֜ל׃

English:

The other events of Nadab’s reign and all his actions are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

The chapter pauses to note that further details of Nadab's reign are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. Metzudat David, however, reads the comment ahead to verse 32 about the war between Asa and Baasha: even though Baasha had performed God's will by destroying Jeroboam's house, Asa rightly refused to credit him for it -- Baasha himself was a sinner, and the assassination conferred no merit on him.

׀סוק ל׮ב · Verse 32

Hebrew:

ו֌מ֎לְח֞מ֚֞ה ה֞יְת֞֜ה ב֌ֵ֣ין א֞ס֞֗א ו֌בֵ֛ין ב֌ַעְשׁ֥֞א מֶ֜לֶךְ֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֖ל כ֌ׇל֟יְמֵיהֶ֜ם׃ {×€}

English:

There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel all their days.

׀סוק ל׮ג · Verse 33

Hebrew:

ב֌֎שְׁנַ֣ת שׁ֞לֹ֔שׁ לְא֞ס֖֞א מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהו֌ד֑֞ה מ֞֠לַ֠ךְ ב֌ַעְשׁ֚֞א בֶן֟אֲח֎י֌֞րה עַל֟כ֌ׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵל֙ ב֌ְת֎ךְ׊֞֔ה עֶשְׂך֎֥ים וְאַךְב֌ַ֖ע שׁ֞נ֞֜ה׃

English:

In the third year of King Asa of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king in Tirzah over all Israel—for twenty-four years.

Baasha's full reign is dated and summarized: from the third year of Asa, he reigned twenty-four years over all Israel from Tirzah. Radak's lengthy comment wrestles with a famous chronological problem: II Chronicles 16 places Baasha's fortification of Ramah in Asa's thirty-sixth year, but Baasha only reigned twenty-four years total, dying in Asa's twenty-seventh. Radak resolves it by distinguishing two systems of counting: 'in the days of Asa' versus 'in the years of Asa's wars' -- with the dating in this book reflecting the years of Asa's military activity rather than his full reign.
ךש׎יRashi
ב֌֎שְׁנַת שׁ֞לשׁ לְא֞ס֞א מֶלֶךְ יְהו֌ד֞ה מ֞לַךְ ב֌ַעְשׁ֞א. שׁ֞נ֞ה הַש֌ְׁל֎ישׁ֎ית לְא֞ס֞א, נ֎מְנֵית לְנ־ד־ב ו֌לְב֌ַעְשׁ֞א.
It was during the third year of Asa king of Yeudah, Bashah son of Achiyoh became king. The third year of Asa is counted for Nodov and Bashah.5The in year in which Basha killed Nodov was during the third year of Asa's [above v. 28] reign, and it is counted for both kings.

׀סוק ל׮ד · Verse 34

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַ֥עַשׂ ה֞ךַ֖ע ב֌ְעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹו֑֞ה וַי֌ֵ֙לֶךְ֙ ב֌ְדֶ֣ךֶךְ י֞ךׇבְע֞֔ם ו֌֚בְחַט֌֞את֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ך הֶחֱט֎֖יא אֶת֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֜ל׃ {ס}        

English:

He did what was displeasing to GOD; he followed the ways of Jeroboam and the sins that he caused Israel to commit.

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