2 Crônicas 16

ARC · Chapter 16/36

1No anno trigesimo sexto do reinado d'Asa, Baása, rei d'Israel, subiu contra Judah e edificou a Rama, para ninguem deixar sair nem entrar a Asa, rei de Judah.

2Então tirou a Asa a prata e o oiro dos thesouros da casa de Deus, e da casa do rei; e enviou a Benhadad, rei da Syria, que habitava em Damasco, dizendo:

3Alliança ha entre mim e ti, como houve entre meu pae e teu: eis que te envio prata e oiro; vae, pois, e anniquila a tua alliança com Baása, rei d'Israel, para que se retire de sobre mim.

4E Benhadad deu ouvidos ao rei Asa, e enviou o capitão dos exercitos que tinha, contra as cidades d'Israel, e feriram a Ijon, e a Dan, e a Abelmaim; e a todas as cidades das munições de Naphtali.

5E succedeu que, ouvindo-o Baása, deixou d'edificar a Rama; e descontinuou a sua obra.

6Então o rei Asa tomou a todo o Judah e levaram as pedras de Rama, e a sua madeira, com que Baása edificara; e edificou com isto a Geba e a Mispah.

7N'aquelle mesmo tempo veiu Hanani, o vidente, a Asa rei de Judah, e disse-lhe: Porquanto confiaste no rei da Syria, e não confiaste no Senhor teu Deus, portanto o exercito do rei da Syria escapou da tua mão.

8Porventura não foram os ethiopes e os lybios um grande exercito, com muitissimos carros e cavalleiros? confiando tu porém no Senhor, elle os entregou nas tuas mãos.

9Porque, quanto ao Senhor, seus olhos passam por toda a terra, para mostrar-se forte para com aquelles cujo coração é perfeito para com elle; n'isto pois fizeste loucamente porque desde agora haverá guerras contra ti.

10Porém Asa se indignou contra o vidente, e lançou-o na casa do tronco; porque d'isto grandemente se alterou contra elle: tambem Asa no mesmo tempo opprimiu a alguns do povo.

11E eis que os successos d'Asa, tanto os primeiros, como os ultimos, estão escriptos no livro dos reis de Judah e Israel.

12E caiu Asa doente de seus pés no anno trinta e nove do seu reinado: grande por extremo era a sua enfermidade, e comtudo na sua enfermidade não buscou ao Senhor, mas antes aos medicos.

13E Asa dormiu com seus paes; e morreu no anno quarenta e um do seu reinado.

14E o sepultaram no seu sepulchro, que tinha cavado para si na cidade de David, havendo-o deitado na cama, que se enchera de cheiros e especiarias preparadas segundo a arte dos perfumistas: e fizeram-lhe queima mui grande.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

In his later years, Asa makes a serious mistake: instead of trusting God as he had before, he bribes the king of Syria to attack Israel and relieve the military pressure on Judah. A prophet rebukes him for this lack of faith, and Asa reacts in anger, imprisoning the prophet, and later falls gravely ill without seeking God.

Explanation

It is sad to see the contrast between the young Asa, who trusted fully in God against a gigantic Ethiopian army, and the aged Asa, who resorts to human political alliances and bribery in the face of a far smaller threat from the northern kingdom. The prophet Hanani directly confronts this change of character, reminding him that 'the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.' Asa's hostile reaction, imprisoning God's messenger instead of repenting, and later refusing to seek spiritual help during his final illness, shows how pride can progressively harden the heart of someone who was once genuinely faithful.

Fun facts

  • The specific criticism that Asa 'sought to the physicians' instead of seeking the Lord during his illness is not a condemnation of medicine itself, but highlights his attitude of completely excluding spiritual dependence on God at a critical moment of his life.
  • This chapter is one of the clearest biblical examples of how the end of a life can contradict a promising beginning, serving as a warning about the importance of perseverance in faith to the end, not just in the initial moments of spiritual enthusiasm.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Crônicas 16:1Already in the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha, king of Israel, invades Judah and fortifies the city of Ramah, blocking anyone from entering or leaving Judah.
  2. 2 Crônicas 16:2Instead of asking God for help as he did against the Ethiopians in chapter 14, Asa now bribes the king of Syria with silver and gold from the temple’s own treasury to attack Israel. It’s a change of attitude the prophet Hanani will confront right after.
  3. 2 Crônicas 16:3Asa proposes to Ben-hadad that they renew the alliance that already existed between the two kings’ fathers, offering silver and gold in exchange for breaking his alliance with Baasha.
  4. 2 Crônicas 16:4Ben-hadad accepts the proposal and sends his army to attack cities of Israel — Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and other fortified cities of Naphtali.
  5. 2 Crônicas 16:5On learning of this attack from behind, Baasha abandons the building of Ramah and stops all work there.
  6. 2 Crônicas 16:6Taking advantage of the abandonment, Asa has all the people of Judah carry off the stones and timber Baasha had left at Ramah, using the material to fortify Geba and Mizpah.
  7. 2 Crônicas 16:7Soon after, the seer Hanani confronts Asa: by relying on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord, he let slip the chance to defeat the Syrian army as well.
  8. 2 Crônicas 16:8Hanani reminds Asa that he had already defeated a huge Ethiopian and Libyan army, far larger, simply because he relied on God on that occasion.
  9. 2 Crônicas 16:9Hanani explains that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, looking to support those whose heart is fully faithful to Him — and he warns that, because of this wrong alliance, Asa will face wars from now on.
  10. 2 Crônicas 16:10When the seer Hanani rebukes this alliance with Syria, Asa reacts by imprisoning the prophet himself, instead of listening. It’s a clear sign that the faith he had shown when younger had been weakening with time and success.
  11. 2 Crônicas 16:11The summary of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, is recorded in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel, cited as a source by the Chronicler.
  12. 2 Crônicas 16:12Even while sick and suffering greatly in his feet, Asa seeks only the physicians, not the Lord. The text’s point isn’t that seeking a doctor is wrong, it’s that he left God completely out of it, consistent with the pattern of drifting away that had already been building since the previous chapter.
  13. 2 Crônicas 16:13Asa dies in the forty-first year of his reign, closing out a rule that began with strong faith and ended marked by mistrust.
  14. 2 Crônicas 16:14He is buried in the tomb he had prepared for himself in the city of David, laid on a bed full of perfumes prepared by specialists, with a funeral ceremony on a grand scale.

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