Asa (Standard Hebrewאָסָא, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĀsâ) was the fifth king of the House of David and the third of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Abijam, and great-grandson of Solomon. William F. Albright has dated his reign to 913 BC-873 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 911 BC-870 BC. I Kings and II Chronicles describes his reign in a favorable manner. They both give his reign as being 41 years. The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Tiberian Hebrew is an oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient forms of Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Bible, that was given written form by masoretic scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias in the early middle ages, beginning in the 8th century. ... House of David The name for a religious commune founded in 1902. ... Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Malḫut YÉ™huda, Tiberian Hebrew Malḵûṯ YÉ™hûḏāh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after Judah... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... Artists depiction of Solomons court (Ingobertus, c. ... William Foxwell Albright (May 24, 1891 - September 19/20, 1971) was an evangelical Methodist archaelogist, biblical authority, linguist and expert on ceramics. ... Centuries: 11th century BC - 10th century BC - 9th century BC Decades: 960s BC 950s BC 940s BC 930s BC 920s BC - 910s BC - 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC Events and Trends 912 BC - Adad-nirari II succeeds his father Assur-dan as king of Assyria. ... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 920s BC 910s BC 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC - 870s BC - 860s BC 850s BC 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC Events and Trends 879 BC - Death of Zhou yi wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. ... Edwin R. Thiele (1895-1986) was a missionary, writer, archaeologist, and professor of the Old Testament. ... Centuries: 11th century BC - 10th century BC - 9th century BC Decades: 960s BC 950s BC 940s BC 930s BC 920s BC - 910s BC - 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC Events and Trends 912 BC - Adad-nirari II succeeds his father Assur-dan as king of Assyria. ... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 920s BC 910s BC 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC - 870s BC - 860s BC 850s BC 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC Events and Trends 879 BC - Death of Zhou yi wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. ...

Purging of Idolatry

Azariah son of Oded, a prophet, exhorted Asa early on to reinforce strict national observance of Judaism, and Asa payed heed. He purged the land of pagan cults; all the sites of idolatrous worship were completely destroyed and the worshippers persecuted. The Queen Mother, Maacah, was also deposed for having been involved with same. There was also a large-scale crackdown on prostitutes. Finally, when the religious renewal was completed in Asa's fifteenth year, a great feast was held in Jerusalem with many sacrifices at the Temple. At that time, many northerners, particularly from the tribes Ephraim and Manasseh, immigrated to the Kingdom of Judah because they saw how successful Asa's policies were and how well he ruled. By contrast, there was internal conflict in the Kingdom of Israel because of the fall of the dynasty of Jeroboam I. Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Malḫut Yəhuda, Tiberian Hebrew Malḵûṯ Yəhûḏāh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after Judah... Commonwealth of Israel redirects here. ... Jeroboam (increase of the people), the son of Nebat an Ephrathite (1 Kings 11:26-39), was the first king of the break-away ten tribes or Kingdom of Israel, over whom he reigned twenty-two years. ...

Wars and Defense Projects

Asa revamped and reinforced the fortress system originally built by his grandfather Rehoboam, taking advantage of years of peace. An invasion by the Egyptian-backed chieftain Zerah the Ethiopian and his million men and 300 chariots was defeated by Asa's 580 000 men (these figures come from II Chronicles) in the Valley of Zephath, near Mareshah. The Ethiopians were pursued all the way to Gerar, in the coastal plain, where they stopped out of sheer exhaustion. The resulting peace kept Judah free of the influence of the Pharaohs until the time of Jehoiakim, some centuries later. Rehoboam was king of Judah, succeeding his father Solomon. ... King Jehoiakim (he whom Jehovah has set up, Hebrew language: יהוֹיָקִים) is a biblical character, whose original name was Eliakim. ...

In Asa's 36th year, King Baasa of Israel attacked the Kingdom of Judah. Baasa built the fortress of Ramah on the border, not ten miles from Jerusalem. The result was that the capital was under pressure and the military situation was precarious. Asa took gold and silver from the Temple and sent them to Ben-Hadad I, King of Damascus, in exchange for the Damascene king cancelling his peace treaty with Baasa. Ben-Hadad I attacked Ijon, Dan, and many important cities of the tribe of Naphtali. and Baasa was forced to withdraw from Ramah. Asa tore down the unfinished fortress and used its raw materials to fortify Geba and Mizpah, on his side of the border. Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Malḫut Yəhuda, Tiberian Hebrew Malḵûṯ Yəhûḏāh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after Judah...

Later Years

Hanani the Seer, a prophet, admonished Asa for relying on foreign as opposed to Divine help in defeating Baasa. Asa became very angry and threw Hanani in jail. Asa was also not as just as he had been. Asa developed an infection in his toes that later spread to the rest of his body. However, he consulted doctors as opposed to prophets and priests to try and cure it.

Succession

Asa died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, in the grave that he had dug for himself. He was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat. In the Bible, Jehoshaphat or Josaphat or Yehoshafat (יְהוֹשָׁפָט The LORD is judge, Standard Hebrew Yəhošafat, Tiberian Hebrew Yəhôšāp̄āṭ) was the son and successor of Asa, king of...