2 chronicles 16:2 - Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of Yahweh’s house and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben Hadad king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying,
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What does "2 chronicles 16:2" mean?
This verse from 2 Chronicles 16:2 describes King Asa of Judah taking a specific action motivated by the alliance that was later formed with the Syrian King. Let's break it down:
"Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of Yahweh’s house and of the king’s house..." This means Asa took valuable silver and gold not only from the royal treasury (the king's house) but also from the Temple treasury (Yahweh's house). This indicates a significant sum of wealth, possibly everything he could afford to lose in the deal.
"...and sent to Ben Hadad king of Syria, who lived at Damascus..." Asa sent this treasure as a bribe (although the verse doesn't explicitly say "bribe," the context makes it clear). Ben-Hadad was the king of the powerful neighboring kingdom of Syria (Aram), whose capital was Damascus.
"...saying,..." This indicates that Asa was about to make a formal request or offer to Ben-Hadad, and the following verse will describe the content of that request.
In short, this verse describes Asa's deliberate act of using the kingdom's wealth, including resources dedicated to religious purposes, to initiate a deal with Ben-Hadad, the King of Syria. This highlights the resources Asa was willing to commit to achieve his goals, whatever those may be, which are later clarified in the next verse.
Context and Significance:
To understand the why behind this action, you need to read the surrounding verses. The full picture reveals that Asa did this because Baasha, the King of Israel, was fortifying Ramah, which threatened Judah's safety. Asa was seeking an alliance with Syria to break Baasha's alliance with Israel, in effect neutralizing this threat.
This action is later criticized because Asa chose to rely on a foreign power (Syria) and material wealth instead of trusting in God for deliverance.
2 chronicles 16:2 - Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of Yahweh’s house and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben Hadad king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying,
What does "2 chronicles 16:2" mean?
This verse from 2 Chronicles 16:2 describes King Asa of Judah taking a specific action motivated by the alliance that was later formed with the Syrian King. Let's break it down:
"Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of Yahweh’s house and of the king’s house..." This means Asa took valuable silver and gold not only from the royal treasury (the king's house) but also from the Temple treasury (Yahweh's house). This indicates a significant sum of wealth, possibly everything he could afford to lose in the deal.
"...and sent to Ben Hadad king of Syria, who lived at Damascus..." Asa sent this treasure as a bribe (although the verse doesn't explicitly say "bribe," the context makes it clear). Ben-Hadad was the king of the powerful neighboring kingdom of Syria (Aram), whose capital was Damascus.
"...saying,..." This indicates that Asa was about to make a formal request or offer to Ben-Hadad, and the following verse will describe the content of that request.
In short, this verse describes Asa's deliberate act of using the kingdom's wealth, including resources dedicated to religious purposes, to initiate a deal with Ben-Hadad, the King of Syria. This highlights the resources Asa was willing to commit to achieve his goals, whatever those may be, which are later clarified in the next verse.
Context and Significance:
To understand the why behind this action, you need to read the surrounding verses. The full picture reveals that Asa did this because Baasha, the King of Israel, was fortifying Ramah, which threatened Judah's safety. Asa was seeking an alliance with Syria to break Baasha's alliance with Israel, in effect neutralizing this threat.
This action is later criticized because Asa chose to rely on a foreign power (Syria) and material wealth instead of trusting in God for deliverance.