Why did Hanani reprove Asa even though Baasa stopped building Rama?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Hanani said Asa had trusted Syria’s king rather than the Lord, so Syria’s army had escaped his hand. He recalled the earlier delivery of the Ethiopians and Libyans through Asa’s trust in the Lord and said wars would arise against him from then on.

Chapter breakdown

Asa is reproved for seeking Syrian help; the heading also introduces his last acts and death.

In the thirty-sixth year of his kingdom, Baasa king of Israel came against Juda and built a wall around Rama so no one could safely leave or enter Asa’s kingdom.

Challoner explains the thirty-sixth year as a date of Juda’s kingdom counted from the beginning of Reboam’s reign. This is the note’s explanation, separate from the verse’s wording.

Asa took silver and gold from the Lord’s house’s treasures and the king’s treasures and sent them to Benadad king of Syria, dwelling in Damascus. He said there was a league between them as between their fathers. He had sent the silver and gold so Benadad would break his league with Baasa king of Israel and make Baasa depart from him.

Hearing this, Benadad sent his army captains against Israel’s cities. They took Ahion, Dan, Abelmaim and all Nephtali’s walled cities. Baasa heard and stopped building Rama, interrupting his work. Asa took all Juda; they carried away Rama’s stones and timber prepared by Baasa and used them to build Gabaa and Maspha.

Hanani the prophet came to Asa king of Juda. He said confidence in Syria’s king rather than the Lord his God was why Syria’s army had escaped his hand. He reminded Asa that the Ethiopians and Libyans were much more numerous in chariots and horsemen and a great multitude, yet the Lord delivered them into Asa’s hand because he trusted him. The Lord’s eyes behold all earth and give strength to those trusting him with a perfect heart. Hanani said Asa had acted foolishly and for this reason wars would arise against him from then on.

Asa was greatly enraged with the seer because of this and commanded his imprisonment. He also put many of the people to death at that time. His first and last works are recorded in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel.

In his thirty-ninth regnal year Asa became ill with most violent pain in his feet. Even in illness he did not seek the Lord but trusted the physicians’ skill. He slept with his fathers and died in his forty-first year. They buried him in his own sepulchre, which he had made for himself in David’s city. They laid him on a bed full of spices and fragrant ointments made by perfumers and burnt them over him with very great pomp.

The story inside

Baasa’s wall threatens safe movement into and out of Asa’s kingdom. Asa sends treasures to Benadad with an explicit request to break the Syrian league with Baasa. Benadad’s attacks lead Baasa to stop Rama’s construction, and Juda reuses the materials. Hanani then evaluates Asa’s confidence, identifying Syria’s escaped army as a consequence and contrasting his earlier trust. Asa’s angry response is imprisonment of the seer, with many people put to death at that time. The record reference precedes illness, failure to seek the Lord, death and a burial with spices and ointments. The dating note is retained as Challoner’s interpretation, and no added cause of illness or death is supplied.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The request to Benadad is specific: break the league with Baasa and make him depart. Asa invokes a league extending to their fathers and sends gold and silver from both named treasuries. The source does not say he empties them, give a payment weight or describe an embassy’s splendour. The captured towns and reuse of Rama’s materials show the actual outcome.
2
Hanani names Syria’s army as having escaped Asa’s hand. This should not be changed into a claim that Israel’s army escaped or that Syria escaped an unspecified divine judgment. His comparison includes both Ethiopians and Libyans, chariots and horsemen, and earlier trust. He predicts wars arising from then on, without saying every subsequent day has a battle.
3
The illness notice contrasts not seeking the Lord with trust in physicians’ skill. It gives violent foot pain in year 39 and death in year 41 without naming a diagnosis or asserting the pain caused the death. The burial uses Asa’s own prepared sepulchre, a bed of spices and perfumers’ ointments and their burning over him; it does not describe cremation of his body.

Test your recall

Baasa walls Rama to block safe movement → Asa sends treasures and asks Benadad to break the league with Baasa. Benadad’s captains take the named cities → Baasa hears and interrupts Rama’s building. Baasa’s materials remain → all Juda carries them away and Asa builds Gabaa and Maspha. Asa trusts Syria rather than the Lord → Hanani says Syria’s army escaped his hand and wars will arise. Asa is enraged at this rebuke → he orders the seer imprisoned.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 45684–45687
2 Paralipomenon Chapter 16 Asa is reproved for seeking help from the Syrians: his last acts and death.
Lines 45689–45691
16:1. And in the six and thirtieth year of his kingdom, Baasa the king of Israel came up against Juda, and built a wall about Rama, that no one might safely go out or come in of the kingdom of Asa.
Lines 45693–45694
Six and thirtieth year of his kingdom.... That is, of the kingdom of Juda, taking the date of it from the beginning of the reign of Reboam.
Lines 45696–45703
16:2. Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king’s treasures, and sent to Benadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying: 16:3. There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father, wherefore I have sent thee silver and gold, that thou mayst break thy league with Baasa king of Israel, and make him depart from me.
Lines 45705–45714
16:4. And when Benadad heard this, he sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel: and they took Ahion, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the walled cities of Nephtali. 16:5. And when Baasa heard of it, he left off the building of Rama, and interrupted his work. 16:6. Then king Asa took all Juda, and they carried away from Rama the stones, and the timber that Baasa had prepared for the building: and he built with them Gabaa, and Maspha.
Lines 45716–45728
16:7. At that time Hanani the prophet came to Asa king of Juda, and said to him: Because thou hast had confidence in the king of Syria, and not in the Lord thy God, therefore hath the army of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. 16:8. Were not the Ethiopians, and the Libyans much more numerous in chariots, and horsemen, and an exceeding great multitude: yet because thou trustedst in the Lord, he delivered them into thy hand? 16:9. For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give strength to those who with a perfect heart trust in him. Wherefore thou hast done foolishly, and for this cause from this time wars shall arise against thee.
Lines 45730–45735
16:10. And Asa was angry with the seer, and commanded him to be put in prison: for he was greatly enraged because of this thing: and he put to death many of the people at that time. 16:11. But the works of Asa the first and last are written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel.
Lines 45737–45747
16:12. And Asa fell sick in the nine and thirtieth year of his reign, of a most violent pain in his feet, and yet in his illness he did not seek the Lord, but rather trusted in the skill of physicians. 16:13. And he slept with his fathers: and he died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. 16:14. And they buried him in his own sepulchre, which he had made for himself in the city of David: and they laid him on his bed full of spices and odoriferous ointments, which were made by the art of the perfumers, and they burnt them over him with very great pomp.