King Asa. Asa was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the third king of the Kingdom of Judah and the fifth king of the House of David. Known for his religious reforms and dedication to purging idolatry, he is depicted in art as a devout and determined ruler. 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. According to Edwin R. Thiele's chronology, when Asa became very ill, he made Jehoshaphat coregent. Asa died two years into the coregency. Asa son of Abijah 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 until the 36th year of Asa's reign. 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. 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. 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. Asa is typically understood as the son of Abijam. Some scholars believe the biblical accounts of Asa's family to be contradictory; however, a study of Hebrew linguistics removes any seeming contradictions. One of the alleged contradictions is that Maacah is sometimes described as the daughter of Absalom, and elsewhere the daughter of Uriel. Absalom is described as only having one daughter, Tamar. In Hebrew, daughter and granddaughter are the same word, removing any contradiction there. Similarly, Maacah is initially described as Abijah's mother, but subsequently described as the mother of his son Asa. However, in Hebrew, mother and grandmother are the same word, once again removing any contradiction. Other scholars, however, think that had Asa's mother not been Maacah, her name would have been given, as his father Abijam had many other wives.
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