1 Kings 15:10

15:9-24 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. That is right indeed which is so in God's eyes. Asa's times were times of reformation. He removed that which was evil; there reformation begins, and a great deal he found to do. When Asa found idolatry in the court, he rooted it out thence. Reformation must begin at home. Asa honours and respects his mother; he loves her well, but he loves God better. Those that have power are happy when thus they have hearts to use it well. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well; not only cast away the idols of our iniquity, but dedicate ourselves and our all to God's honour and glory. Asa was cordially devoted to the service of God, his sins not arising from presumption. But his league with Benhadad arose from unbelief. Even true believers find it hard, in times of urgent danger, to trust in the Lord with all their heart. Unbelief makes way for carnal policy, and thus for one sin after another. Unbelief has often led Christians to call in the help of the Lord's enemies in their contests with their brethren; and some who once shone brightly, have thus been covered with a dark cloud towards the end of their days.

And forty one years reigned he in Jerusalem,.... Being a good king, had the blessing of a long reign, and reached, and even exceeded, the years of the reigns of David and Solomon: and his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom; that is the name of his grandmother, see 1 Kings 15:2 she is called his mother, not because she brought him forth, but because she brought him up; and this is observed to his commendation, that though he was educated by an idolatrous woman, yet was not corrupted by her as his father was.

1 Kings 15:10-11 . His mother’s name — That is, his grandmother’s, as appears from 1 Kings 15:2 . She is called his mother in the same sense in which David is called Abijam’s father, 1 Kings 15:3 ; that is, his progenitor. And his grandmother’s name may be here mentioned, rather than his mother’s, because his mother was either an obscure person, or was dead, or unwilling to take care of the education of her son, and so he was educated by the grandmother, who, though she poisoned his father Abijam with her idolatrous principles, ( 1 Kings 15:12 ,) yet could not infect Asa, nor withhold him from prosecuting his good purposes of reforming religion. Asa did that which was right — As to the government of his kingdom, and the reformation and establishment of God’s worship; in the eyes of the Lord — That is right indeed which is so in God’s eyes. Those are approved whom he commendeth. As did David his father — Whom he made his pattern; worshipping the Lord alone, and taking away all idols, as it here follows.

10 . And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom ] The most probable explanation of this clause, which is the same as in 1 Kings 15:2 above, is that the word ‘mother’ is here used for ‘grandmother,’ and that Asa’s own mother sank into small importance in comparison with her mother-in-law. Clearly Maachah was a leader of the idol worship in the land, which made it necessary for Asa to deprive her of her influence. On the power wielded in the East by a queen-mother, see 1 Kings 2:19 note. The LXX. ( Vat .) gives ‘Ana’ as the name of Asa’s mother, and not ‘Maachah,’ but this is not supported by any other evidence.

Mother's name - Rather, "grandmother's." The Jews cal any male ancestor, however remote, a father, and any female ancestor a mother (compare 1 Kings 15:2 ; Genesis 3:20 ). This Maachah was the favorite wife of Rehoboam 2 Chronicles 11:21 , and the mother of Abijam. The way in which she is here mentioned strongly favors the notion that the position of queen-mother was a definite one at the court, and could only be held by one person at a time.

i. e. His grandmother’s, as appears from 1 Kings 15:2 , who is called his mother, as David is called Abijam’s father, 1 Kings 15:3 , and this Asa’s father, 1 Kings 15:11 . And so the names of father, and mother, and sons, and daughters are oft taken, both in sacred and profane authors, for grandparents and grandchildren. And his grandmother’s name may be here mentioned rather than his mother’s, because his mother was either an obscure person, or was long since dead, or indisposed or unwilling to take care of the education of her son, and so he was educated by the grandmother, who, though she did poison his father Abijam with her idolatrous principles, 1 Kings 15:12 , yet could not infect Asa, nor withhold him from prosecuting his good purposes of reforming religion; which is here remembered to his praise.

10-13. his mother's name was Maachah—She was properly his grandmother, and she is here called "the king's mother," from the post of dignity which at the beginning of his reign she possessed. Asa, as a constitutional monarch, acted like the pious David, laboring to abolish the traces and polluting practices of idolatry, and in pursuance of his impartial conduct, he did not spare delinquents even of the highest rank.

Verse 10. - And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem [Corn. a Lapide points out that Ass saw eight kings of Israel on the throne, Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Omri, and Ahab]. And his mother's [or grandmother's, as margin] name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. [The same words as in ver. 2, and the reference can hardly be to a different person. Bahr indeed questions whether אֵם can here stand for grandmother, (1) because in every other case it designates the king's mother , (2) Because the mother of the king, and not the grandmother, enjoyed the dignity and position of Gebirah (ver. 13; 2 Chronicles 15:16 ). Some would read for Abishalom, Uriel of Gibeah ; others, strengthened by the Michaiah of 2 Chronicles 13:2 , think the historian mistaken in mentioning the name of Abijam's mother (ver. 2; 2 Chronicles 11:21 ) as Maachah. The difficulty by no means admits of a ready solution, but perhaps the best explanation is that the grandmother, Maachah, Rehoboam's favourite wife, retained her position, possibly by force of character, or because Asa's mother was dead. It is not certain, however, that if the latter had lived she would have displaced Maashah, of whose influence and imperious temper we have several indications; e . g ., in the appointment of her son, though not the firstborn, to succeed his father, and in her open maintenance of idol worship, and above all in the fact that she was publicly deposed by Asa. 1 Kings 15:10

Asa reigned forty-one years. "The name of his mother was Maacah, the daughter of Absalom." This notice, which agrees verbatim with 1 Kings 15:2 , cannot mean that Abijam had his own mother for a wife; though Thenius finds this meaning in the passage, and then proceeds to build up conjectures concerning emendations of the text. We must rather explain it, as Ephr. Syr., the Rabbins, and others have done, as signifying that Maacah, the mother of Abijam, continued during Asa's reign to retain the post of queen-mother or הגּבירה, i.e., sultana valide, till Asa deposed her on account of her idolatry ( 1 Kings 15:13 ), probably because Asa's own mother had died at an early age.