English · KJV

1 Kings 15

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Abijam Reigns in Judah 1–8

1
Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. ​
2
Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. ​
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
Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem: ​
5
Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ​
6
And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7
Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
8
And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

Asa's Righteous Reign and Reforms 9–15

9
And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. ​
10
And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. ​
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 sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ​
13
And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. ​
14
But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. ​
15
And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.

Asa's War with Baasha of Israel 16–24

16
And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ​
17
And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ​
18
Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, ​
19
There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. ​
20
So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ​
21
And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.
22
Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.
23
The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.
24
And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.

Nadab's Short Reign in Israel 25–31

25
And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. ​
26
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
27
And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. ​
28
Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.
29
And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: ​
30
Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger. ​
31
Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Baasha Kills Nadab and Reigns 32–34

32
And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ​
33
In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years.
34
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Kings 15

Verse 1

eighteenth year of king Jeroboam — Kings dates Judah's reigns by Israel's: Abijam begins in Jeroboam's eighteenth year and Asa in his twentieth (v.9). The same king is called Abijah in 2 Chr 13:1, where his war with Jeroboam ends with 'five hundred thousand chosen men' of Israel slain (2 Chr 13:17).

Verse 2

Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom — Abishalom is the name Absalom, and 2 Chr 11:20 says Rehoboam 'took Maachah the daughter of Absalom', who bore Abijah. She is named again in v.10 beside Asa, and in v.13 Asa removes her 'from being queen', so the title stayed with her after Abijam's three years.

Verse 3

his heart was not perfect — Shalem, whole, undivided: the word of Solomon's charge, 'Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God' (1 Kgs 8:61), and of his failure (11:4). Abijam 'walked in all the sins of his father' and is measured against David, who followed the LORD 'with all his heart' (14:8).

Verse 4

a lamp in Jerusalem — Nir, a lamp, the picture of a house that is still burning: 'that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem' (1 Kgs 11:36). The LORD gives it 'for David's sake', on the promise of 2 Sam 7:12–16, so Abijam's son is set up after him (also 2 Kgs 8:19; Ps 132:17).

Verse 5

save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite — The one exception written into David's record, 'all the days of his life'. The charge is given by the LORD in 2 Sam 12:9: 'thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword'. The verse explains why David is the standard for Abijam's heart (v.3) and for Asa (v.11).

Verse 9

twentieth year of Jeroboam — Asa's forty-one years (v.10) run alongside Nadab (v.25), Baasha (v.33), Elah, Zimri and Omri, and into the reign of Ahab, which begins in Asa's thirty-eighth year (16:29).

Verse 10

his mother's name was Maachah — The name repeats v.2, and v.13 shows her still holding the title of queen. Asa's forty-one years are one more than the forty of David (1 Kgs 2:11) and of Solomon (11:42).

Verse 11

as did David his father — The assessment of v.5, now given to Asa. In 1 and 2 Kings the words 'right in the eyes of the LORD' occur only of David (v.5), Asa and Jehoshaphat (22:43). 'Father' includes the ancestor, as in v.3. The next verses show what the verdict covers: the cult purged (vv.12–13) and the high places left (v.14).

Verse 12

the sodomites — Qadesh, from the root for 'holy', a man given to a shrine as a devotee in licentious worship. Deut 23:17 forbids one 'of the sons of Israel', and they had returned under Rehoboam 'according to all the abominations of the nations' (14:24). Some remained and Jehoshaphat cleared them (22:46).

Verse 13

removed from being queen — Gebirah, a mistress or lady, the title Maachah held (also Jer 13:18). Her idol (miphletseth, a terror, found only here and 2 Chr 15:16) is burnt at the brook Kidron, as the calf was ground to powder in Ex 32:20 and as Josiah burnt the grove there (2 Kgs 23:6).

Verse 14

Asa's heart was perfect — Shalem again, the word denied to Abijam in v.3 and to Solomon in 11:4. The exception is the same as for his son: 'the high places were not taken away' (22:43). 2 Chr 15:17 repeats both halves of the verse.

Verse 16

war between Asa and Baasha — The same kind of sentence as 14:30 and 15:6, which record war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. It is repeated word for word in v.32, and it leads into the story of Ramah (vv.17–22).

Verse 17

built Ramah — Ramah is among Benjamin's cities (Josh 18:25). Baasha 'went up against Judah' and fortified it 'that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa'. Asa takes the stones and timber for his own fortresses at Geba and Mizpah (v.22).

Verse 18

all the silver and the gold that were left — The temple treasures had already been taken by Shishak (14:26). Asa sends what remained, with the king's treasures, to Benhadad of Damascus. The seer Hanani answers this in 2 Chr 16:7: 'thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God'.

Verse 19

a league between me and thee — 'League' is berith, the usual word for covenant; Asa appeals to a bond between 'my father and thy father'. 'Present' is shochad, rendered 'bribes' in 1 Sam 8:3. Ahaz later sends the temple silver and gold to the king of Assyria in the same way (2 Kgs 16:8).

Verse 20

smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah — Dan is where Jeroboam set one of the golden calves (12:29), and Naphtali is the northern tribe's land. Ijon and Abelbethmaachah fall again to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria (2 Kgs 15:29).

Verse 25

Nadab the son of Jeroboam — The second king of Israel, reigning two years from the second year of Asa. Ahijah had foretold the end of Jeroboam's house (14:10–14), and the next verses show how it came: Nadab 'walked in the way of his father' (v.26) and is cut down in v.27.

Verse 27

Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar — Baasha was not of Jeroboam's family, which was Ephrathite (11:26). Gibbethon, which 'belonged to the Philistines', is listed among the cities of Dan (Josh 19:44). Israel is besieging it again when Elah is killed (16:15).

Verse 29

any that breathed — Neshamah, the breath of life (Gen 7:22). The slaughter is 'according unto the saying of the LORD' by Ahijah (14:10–14), who had said the house would go 'till it be all gone'. Baasha himself is then told that his house will be made 'like the house of Jeroboam' (16:3).

Verse 30

provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger — 'Provocation' and 'provoked' share one Hebrew root (ka'as). 'Sinned' and 'made Israel sin' are the same verb, chata. The sin is the golden calves at Bethel and Dan (12:28–30), and 14:16 gives the same reason: 'because of the sins of Jeroboam'.

Verse 32

war between Asa and Baasha — The verse repeats v.16 word for word. 'All their days' covers Baasha's twenty-four years in Tirzah (v.33), and this line closes the account of Asa's wars before the story of Baasha's reign.

Verse 34

in the way of Jeroboam — Baasha destroyed Jeroboam's house for Jeroboam's sin and then walked in it. The LORD's charge to him in 16:2 uses the same words: 'thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins'.