Asa of Judah

Asa
Asa from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553
King of Judah
Reign	c. 911 – 870 BCE
Predecessor	Abijah
Successor	Jehoshaphat
Spouse	Azubah
House	House of David
Father	Abijah

Asa (/ˈeɪsə/; Hebrew: אָסָא‎, Modern: ʾAsaʾ, Tiberian: ʾĀsāʾ; Greek: Ασά; Latin: Asa) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the third king of the Kingdom of Judah and the fifth king of the House of David. Based on the Biblical chronology, Biblical scholars suggest that he reigned from the late 10th to early 9th century BCE. He was succeeded by Jehoshaphat, his son (by Azubah). According to Edwin R. Thiele's chronology,^[1] when Asa became very ill, he made Jehoshaphat coregent. Asa died two years into the coregency.

Asa was zealous in maintaining the traditional worship of God, and in rooting out idolatry, with its accompanying immoralities. After concluding a battle with Zerah of Ethiopia in the 10th year of his reign, there was peace in Judah (2 Chronicles 14:1,9) until the 36th year of Asa's reign (2 Chronicles 16:1). In his 36th year, he was confronted by Baasha, king of Israel. He formed an alliance with Ben-Hadad I, king of Aram-Damascus, and using a monetary bribe, convinced him to break his peace treaty with Baasha and invade the Northern Kingdom (2 Chronicles 16:2–6). He died greatly honoured by his people, and was considered for the most part a righteous king. He threw the prophet Hanani in jail and "oppressed some of the people at the same time" (2 Chronicles 16:10). It is also recorded of Asa that in his old age, when afflicted with a foot disease, he "sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians".^[2]