Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary2 Chronicles 16

Asa's League with BenhadadThis section tells the story of King Asa’s mistake in making an alliance with Benhadad, the king of Syria. Instead of trusting in God when King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, Asa tried to solve the problem by making a deal with a foreign king. To do this, he even took silver and gold from the temple of the Lord

v. 2: Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord

v. 3: Asa asked Benhadad to break his treaty with Baasha and make a new agreement with him instead. Asa wanted Benhadad to attack Israel so Baasha would leave Judah alone .

v. 4: Benhadad agreed. He sent his army to attack the cities of Israel, causing great damage. This forced Baasha to stop building Ramah and defend his own land .

v. 5: When Baasha heard about the attack, he left his work on Ramah and moved his army back home to protect his kingdom.

v. 6: Then King Asa gathered all the people of Judah. They took away the stones and timber Baasha had used to build Ramah and used them to build up the cities of Geba and Mizpah for Judah’s defense.

Asa's Death and BurialThis section covers the final years of King Asa’s life, highlighting his mistakes, his response to correction, and his death. Asa had been a faithful king earlier in his reign, but in his later years, he relied on human strength rather than trusting in God. When a prophet, Hanani, rebuked him for making an alliance with Benhadad instead of seeking God’s help, Asa became angry and imprisoned the prophet. This anger led him to mistreat some of his people as well. Later, Asa suffered from a severe disease, but instead of turning to God for help, he trusted only in physicians. Despite his faults, Asa was honored at his death, and his earlier faithfulness was remembered. This story reminds us of the importance of trusting God in all things and being humble enough to accept correction.v. 7: Hanani the prophet rebuked Asa for relying on the king of Syria instead of the Lord

v. 8: The prophet reminded Asa of how God had helped him in the past. He asked, “Were not the Ethiopians and Lubim a huge army? Yet because you relied on the Lord

v. 9: Hanani explained that the Lord

v. 10: Instead of repenting, Asa became angry with the prophet and put him in prison. He also oppressed some of his people, further showing his hardened heart .

v. 11: The events of Asa’s reign, including the good and bad, were written in the records of the kings of Judah and Israel.

v. 12: In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a severe disease in his feet. Even in his illness, he did not seek help from the Lord

v. 13: Asa died in the forty-first year of his reign. His illness and failure to turn to God marked his final years.

v. 14: Asa was buried in a tomb that he had prepared for himself in the City of David. His funeral was attended with great honor, and spices and perfumes were burned in his memory. Despite his later mistakes, his earlier faithfulness was remembered, and the people showed respect for him (2 Chronicles 16:14 ).