War Between the States

(1) In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. (2) He reigned three years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. (3) He continued in all the sins that his father before him had committed; he was not wholehearted with the LORD his God, like his father David. (4) Yet, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by raising up his descendant after him and by preserving Jerusalem. (5) For David had done what was pleasing to the LORD and never turned throughout his life from all that He had commanded him, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. (6) There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. (7) 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. (8) Abijam slept with his fathers; he was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa succeeded him as king.

(1) In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. (2) He reigned three years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. (3) Abijah joined battle with a force of warriors, 400,000 picked men. Jeroboam arrayed for battle against him 800,000 picked men, warriors. (4) Abijah stood on top of Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel. (5) Surely you know that the LORD God of Israel gave David kingship over Israel forever—to him and his sons—by a covenant of salt. (6) Jeroboam son of Nebat had been in the service of Solomon son of David, but he rose up and rebelled against his master. (7) Riff-raff and scoundrels gathered around him and pressed hard upon Rehoboam son of Solomon. Rehoboam was inexperienced and fainthearted and could not stand up to them. (8) Now you are bent on opposing the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the charge of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and possess the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. (9) Did you not banish the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and, like the peoples of the land, appoint your own priests? Anyone who offered himself for ordination with a young bull of the herd and seven rams became a priest of no-gods! (10) As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him. The priests who minister to the LORD are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites are at their tasks. (11) They offer burnt offerings in smoke each morning and each evening, and the aromatic incense, the rows of bread on the pure table; they kindle the golden lampstand with its lamps burning each evening, for we keep the charge of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken it. (12) See, God is with us as our chief, and His priests have the trumpets for sounding blasts against you. O children of Israel, do not fight the LORD God of your fathers, because you will not succeed.”

(13) Jeroboam, however, had directed the ambush to go around and come from the rear, thus the main body was in front of Judah, while the ambush was behind them. (14) When Judah turned around and saw that the fighting was before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD, and the priests blew the trumpets. (15) The men of Judah raised a shout; and when the men of Judah raised a shout, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. (16) The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. (17) Abijah and his army inflicted a severe defeat on them; 500,000 men of Israel fell slain. (18) The Israelites were crushed at that time, while the people of Judah triumphed because they relied on the LORD God of their fathers. (19) Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some of his cities—Bethel with its dependencies, Jeshanah with its dependencies, and Ephrain with its dependencies.

(20) Jeroboam could not muster strength again during the days of Abijah. The LORD struck him down and he died.

The verse states, "Jeroboam could not muster strength again during the days of Abijah; God struck him down, and he died" (II Chronicles 13:20).

Rav Shmuel said: Do you think it was Jeroboam who died? No! It was Abijah. And why was he struck down?

R' Yochanan said: Because he shamed Jeroboam publicly. As it states (in his speech), "A great multitude, and having with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made as gods for you (13:8).

Reish Lakish said: Abijah was punished because he ridiculed Ahijah the Shilonites. As it states, "worthless men gathered about him, scoundrels" (13:7). Is he labeling Ahijah a scoundrel?

The rabbis said, "Abijah was punished because idols came into his control, but he failed to destroy them. As it states, "Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some of his cities- Bethel" (13:9), and it states, "He placed one golden calf in Bethel and the other he placed in Dan (1 Kings 12:29).

(9) In the twentieth year of King Jeroboam of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. (10) He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. (11) Asa did what was pleasing to the LORD, as his father David had done. (12) He expelled the male prostitutes from the land, and he removed all the idols that his ancestors had made. (13) He also deposed his mother Maacah from the rank of queen mother, because she had made an abominable thing for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable thing and burnt it in the Wadi Kidron. (14) The shrines, indeed, were not abolished; however, Asa was wholehearted with the LORD his God all his life. (15) He brought into the House of the LORD all the consecrated things of his father and his own consecrated things—silver, gold, and utensils.

(16) There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel all their days. (17) King Baasha of Israel advanced against Judah, and he fortified Ramah to prevent anyone belonging to King Asa from going out or coming in. (18) So Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the House of the LORD 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: (19) “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.” (20) Ben-hadad responded to King Asa’s request; he sent his army commanders against the towns of Israel and captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, as well as all the land of Naphtali. (21) When Baasha heard about it, he stopped fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah. (22) 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.

(23) 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. (24) Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.

This was his sin, that he sent Ben Hadad the king of Aram, and didn't trust in God who had won battles already for him (described in Chronicles). As a punishment, his legs became ill in the time of his old age. He sent Ben Hadad as if he himself didn't have the legs to go out to war, and so God punished him that he had no strength in his legs in his old age.

Asa was stricken in his feet, as it is written: “Now 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 chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet” (I Kings 15:23). And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: This indicates that gout [padagra] grabbed hold of him. Mar Zutra, son of Rav Naḥman, said to Rav Naḥman: What are the circumstances of gout? What pain does it involve? He said to him: It feels like a needle inserted into living flesh. The Gemara asks: From where did he know this? The Gemara answers: Some say that he himself suffered from this condition, and some say that he heard it from his teacher, and some say that he knew it through divine inspiration, as it stated: “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and His covenant, to make them know it” (Psalms 25:14).

Rava taught: For what reason was Asa punished in his feet? Because he made Torah scholars perform forced labor [angarya], as it is stated: “Then King Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah; none was exempted; and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timber thereof, with which Baasa had built, and King Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah” (I Kings 15:22). The superfluous expression “unto all” indicates that the proclamation was issued to everyone, including Torah scholars. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the next phrase in the verse: “None was exempted [ein naki]”? Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: This includes even a bridegroom from his chamber and a bride from her canopy, as the verse states with regard to a bridegroom: “He shall be free [naki] for his house one year” (Deuteronomy 24:5).

(15) Thus said the LORD: A cry is heard in Ramah— Wailing, bitter weeping— Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted For her children, who are gone.