Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
King Asa, alarmed by the army of Baasha king of Israel, seeks help from Benhadad king of Syria. Rebuked for this reason by the prophet Hanani, he imprisons him; soon after he dies of gout in the 41st year of his reign.
Vulgate Text: 2 Paralipomenon 16:1-14
1. And in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and was building a wall around Ramah, so that no one could safely go out or come in from the kingdom of Asa. 2. So Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and from the treasures of the king, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying: 3. There is a treaty between me and you, and my father and your father also had an alliance; therefore I have sent you silver and gold, that you may break the treaty which you have with Baasha king of Israel, and make him withdraw from me. 4. And when he learned of this, Benhadad sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the walled cities of Naphtali. 5. And when Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. 6. Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber from Ramah which Baasha had prepared for building, and he built with them Geba and Mizpah. 7. At that time Hanani the prophet came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: Because you put your trust in the king of Syria and not in the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8. Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans far more numerous, with their chariots and horsemen and exceedingly great multitude? Yet when you trusted in the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. 9. For the eyes of the Lord survey the whole earth, and give strength to those who believe in Him with a perfect heart. You have therefore acted foolishly, and for this reason wars shall arise against you from this time forward. 10. And Asa was angry with the Seer, and commanded him to be put in the stocks; and he put to death many of the people at that time. 11. But the deeds of Asa, first and last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12. And Asa fell sick in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, of a most violent pain in his feet, and not even in his sickness did he seek the Lord, but rather trusted in the skill of physicians. 13. And he slept with his fathers, and he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14. And they buried him in his own tomb which he had dug for himself in the City of David; and they laid him upon his bed, full of spices and ointments made by the perfumer's art, and they burned over him with exceedingly great pomp.
Verse 1: The Thirty-Sixth Year
1. AND IN THE THIRTY-SIXTH YEAR OF HIS REIGN, BAASHA CAME UP. — You will object: Baasha had already been dead for ten years. More truly, these 36 years are of the kingdom of Judah; and therefore they should be counted from the first year of Rehoboam, who was the first king of Judah. Rehoboam reigned 17 years, then Abijah three years, and finally Asa sixteen: add all these together, and you will have the 36 years we are seeking. Therefore this 36th year of the kingdom of Judah was precisely the sixteenth year of Asa's reign.
Verse 7: The Army of Syria Has Escaped
7. THEREFORE THE ARMY OF THE KING OF SYRIA HAS ESCAPED — that is to say: If you had trusted in God and invoked His help, and not that of Benhadad king of Syria, you would have conquered him, as a perpetual enemy of Judah, just as you conquered Zerah king of Ethiopia, who was invading Judea with a far more numerous army.
Verse 10: He Put to Death Many
10. HE PUT TO DEATH MANY OF THE PEOPLE — who were grieved that the innocent prophet Hanani was being unjustly afflicted in prison by Asa, and therefore more freely accused his tyranny.
Verse 12: Pain in His Feet
12. OF A MOST VIOLENT PAIN IN HIS FEET. — In Hebrew and Greek it is added: even to the upper parts; for when the humor and pain of gout invades the head, it is most violent and brings swift death.
He Trusted in Physicians
BUT HE RATHER TRUSTED IN THE SKILL OF PHYSICIANS. — Procopius and Theodoret note that "physicians" can be understood here either as enchanters and magical impostors, or as true physicians. If the latter, he could have sinned by placing too much hope in them, neglecting the help of the Lord God; or by seeking their help out of order, that is, before seeking appeasement and help from God, as Ecclesiasticus chapter XXXVIII, verses 9 and following explains.
Verse 14: Spices and Ointments
14. FULL OF SPICES AND OINTMENTS — "of harlots" therefore means the same as most sweet and most delicate; such as harlots use. AND THEY BURNED OVER HIM — to show honor and civil respect to the royal corpse, and to drive away the stench and decay from it. For they did not burn the body itself with the spices, but burned the spices alongside the body.