Asa of Judah

King Asa ’Asa ben ’Aviyam
King of Judah - Hebrew: Melekh Yehudah - אסא בן-אבים מלך יהודה
Asa from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553
Reign	c. 911 – 870 BCE
Predecessor	Abijah, his father
Successor	Jehoshaphat, his son
Born	unknown
Died	870 BCE Jerusalem
Spouse	Azubah
House	House of David
Father	Abijam
Mother	Annas

Asa (Hebrew: אָסָא, Modern Asa, Tiberian ʾĀsâ; Greek: Ασα; Latin: Asa) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the third king of the Kingdom of Judah and the fifth king of the House of David. He was the son of Abijam, grandson of Rehoboam, and great-grandson of Solomon. The Hebrew Bible gives the period of his reign as 41 years. His reign is dated between 913-910 BC to 873-869 BC. He was succeeded by Jehoshaphat, his son (by Azubah). According to Thiele's chronology, when Asa became very ill, he made Jehoshaphat coregent. Asa died two years into the coregency.

Asa 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 Egypt in the 10th year of his reign, there was peace in Judah (2 Chronicles 14:1,9) until the 35th year of Asa's reign (2 Chronicles 16:1). 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. (2 Chronicles 16:2-6) 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 the same time" (2 Chronicles 16:10). 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”.