2 Chronicles — Chapter 16

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1In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

2Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

3There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

4And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.

5And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.

6Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.

7And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.

8Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.

9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

10Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

11And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.

13And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

14And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and they made a very great burning for him.

1In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

2Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the king`s house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

3[There is] a league between me and thee, as [there was] between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

4And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali.

5And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building Ramah, and let his work cease.

6Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.

7And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on Jehovah thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.

8Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on Jehovah, he delivered them into thy hand.

9For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

10Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison-house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

11And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to Jehovah, but to the physicians.

13And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

14And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and divers kinds [of spices] prepared by the perfumers` art: and they made a very great burning for him.

1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah.

2Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message:

3“I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.”

4Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.

5When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned the project.

6King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. He used the materials to build up Geba and Mizpah.

7At that time Hanani the prophet visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.

8Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you!

9Certainly the Lord watches the whole earth carefully and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him. You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war.”

10Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.

11The events of Asa’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a foot disease, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease, he did not seek the Lord, but only the doctors.

13Asa passed away in the forty-first year of his reign.

14He was buried in the tomb he had carved out in the City of David. They laid him to rest on a platform covered with spices and assorted mixtures of ointments. They made a huge bonfire to honor him.

1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

2Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of Yahweh’s house and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben Hadad king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying,

3“Let there be a treaty between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.”

4Ben Hadad listened to king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they struck Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.

5When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and let his work cease.

6Then Asa the king took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Rama, and its timber, with which Baasha had built; and he built Geba and Mizpah with them.

7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on Yahweh your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped out of your hand.

8Weren’t the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge army, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? Yet, because you relied on Yahweh, he delivered them into your hand.

9For Yahweh’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. You have done foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars.”

10Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in the prison; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

11Behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was diseased in his feet. His disease was exceedingly great: yet in his disease he didn’t seek Yahweh, but just the physicians.

13Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the forty-first year of his reign.

14They buried him in his own tomb, which he had dug out for himself in David’s city, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumers’ art; and they made a very great fire for him.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

In his later years, Asa relies on Syria rather than God to counter Israel's aggression, and the seer Hanani rebukes him for it. Asa angrily imprisons the prophet and oppresses some of the people; he dies diseased in his feet, having sought physicians rather than the Lord.

Authorship & Background

Author: Traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe. Originally one book with 1 Chronicles. Written post-exile (approximately 450-400 BC). 2 Chronicles covers Solomon's reign through the Babylonian exile and Cyrus's decree of return (approximately 970-538 BC). The Chronicler focuses exclusively on Judah (ignoring the northern kingdom) and emphasizes Temple worship, reform movements, and the principle of 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people... shall humble themselves, and pray... then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Historical Context: Chapter 16 records the tragic decline of King Asa — a cautionary tale about a man who began in faith (chapters 14-15) but ended in self-reliance, anger, and spiritual stubbornness. When Baasha of Israel fortified Ramah (just 5 miles north of Jerusalem) to block traffic flowing south to Judah's Temple, Asa responded by hiring Syria's army with Temple treasury gold — trusting a pagan alliance instead of the God who had destroyed a million Ethiopians for him. The strategy "worked" politically (Baasha withdrew), but God sent the seer Hanani to expose its spiritual failure.
Hanani's rebuke contains one of Scripture's most powerful verses: "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (v.9). God actively searches for faithful hearts to bless — and Asa's heart no longer qualified. The prophet's reminder is devastating: the same God who defeated millions for you is the one you just refused to trust for a smaller problem.
Asa's response reveals how far he has fallen: he imprisons the prophet and oppresses the people (v.10). The man who once removed his grandmother's idols and led national revival now silences God's messenger and persecutes his own subjects. His final illness (diseased feet, possibly gangrene) becomes a final test — and he fails it too: "he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians" (v.12). Not that seeking medical help is wrong, but seeking ONLY doctors while refusing to seek God reveals the hardened heart's condition. Asa's story warns: past faithfulness does not guarantee future faithfulness. Guard your heart at every stage of life.

Map & Geography

  • Parallels 1-2 Kings but focuses exclusively on Judah (the southern kingdom). Jerusalem and the Temple are the theological center throughout.
  • Key locations include various battle sites, reform locations, and high places destroyed or rebuilt by successive kings.
  • The book ends with exile to Babylon (586 BC) and Cyrus's decree permitting return — the geographic arc moves from Jerusalem to Babylon and back.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes the tragedy of Asa's trajectory — from trusting God against a million to trusting Syria against one northern tribe. He notes that verse 9 reveals God's character: He is eager to strengthen, not reluctant. The problem is never God's willingness but our hearts' condition.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "'The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.' What a searching thought! God is not hiding from you; He is searching FOR you. His omniscient gaze sweeps the globe looking for hearts to bless. He does not wait passively for you to find Him — He actively seeks those He might strengthen. Yet Asa's heart had turned. The man who once said 'we rest on thee' now rests on Ben-hadad. The man who cried to God against millions now hires pagans against thousands. How are the mighty fallen! Let every aged saint beware: the finish line is not yet crossed. You may serve God thirty years and fail in the thirty-first."

Reflection

  • 1. Past victories do not guarantee present faith (vv.7-8). Asa trusted God against a million Ethiopians but hired Syria against a smaller threat. Your greatest spiritual victories can breed complacency if you assume past faith covers present challenges. Every new situation requires fresh trust.
  • 2. God is actively searching to bless you (v.9). He is not hiding or reluctant. His eyes "run to and fro" — eagerly scanning for hearts aligned with Him. The question is never "Is God willing?" but "Is my heart perfect toward Him?" Make your heart available to what God is already looking to do.
  • 3. Anger at correction confirms its accuracy (v.10). Asa raged at the prophet — proving the prophet was right. If God's word makes you angry rather than repentant, that anger is diagnostic. It reveals the very hardness being exposed. Let correction humble you rather than harden you.
  • 4. Don't finish poorly (vv.12-13). Asa started brilliantly and ended stubbornly — refusing to seek God even in terminal illness. How you finish matters more than how you start. Guard your heart in later years with the same vigilance you had in early faith. Many begin the race well but limp across the finish line.
  • 5. What you trust instead of God will eventually fail you (v.7). The Syrian army Asa hired later became Judah's enemy. Every human substitute for divine trust eventually turns on you. Only God is a permanently reliable source of strength.