2 Chronicles 16:2 So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:

Bible > 2 Chronicles > Chapter 16 > Verse 2

◄ 2 Chronicles 16:2 ►

New International Version
Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.

New Living Translation
Asa responded by removing the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace. He sent it to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:

English Standard Version
Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying,

Berean Standard Bible
So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:

King James Bible
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

New King James Version
Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,

New American Standard Bible
Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and sent it to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,

NASB 1995
Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,

NASB 1977
Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,

Amplified Bible
Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and from the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria), who lived in Damascus, saying,

Christian Standard Bible
So Asa brought out the silver and gold from the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and the royal palace and sent it to Aram’s King Ben-hadad, who lived in Damascus, saying,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Asa brought out the silver and gold from the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and the royal palace and sent it to Aram’s King Ben-hadad, who lived in Damascus, saying,

American Standard Version
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

Contemporary English Version
When Asa heard about this, he took the silver and gold from his palace and from the LORD's temple. Then he sent it to Damascus with this message for King Benhadad of Syria:

English Revised Version
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then Asa brought out all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and the royal palace. He sent them to Damascus to Aram's King Benhadad.

Good News Translation
So Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple and the palace and sent it to Damascus, to King Benhadad of Syria, with this message:

International Standard Version
But Asa removed some silver and gold from the treasuries of the LORD's Temple and from his royal palace and sent them to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who lived in Damascus.

Majority Standard Bible
So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:

NET Bible
Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message:

New Heart English Bible
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben Hadad king of Aram, who lived at Damascus, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
Then Asa brought silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

World English Bible
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,

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And Asa brings out silver and gold from the treasures of the house of YHWH and of the house of the king, and sends [them] to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who is dwelling in Damascus, saying,

Young's Literal Translation
And Asa bringeth out silver and gold from the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king, and sendeth unto Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who is dwelling in Damascus, saying,

Smith's Literal Translation
And Asa will bring forth silver and gold from the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king, and he will send to the son of Hadad king of Aram, dwelling in Darmesek, saying,

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's treasures, and sent to Benadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, Asa brought forth silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord, and from the treasuries of the king. And he sent to Benhadad, the king of Syria, who was living in Damascus, saying:

New American Bible
Asa then brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the house of the king and sent them to Ben-hadad, king of Aram, who ruled in Damascus. He said:

New Revised Standard Version
Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and sent them to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who resided in Damascus, saying,

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
Then Asa brought silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent them to Bar-hadad king of Aram, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Asa brought out silver and gold from the house of treasure of LORD JEHOVAH, and from the house of the King, and he sent to Barhadad King of Edom who dwelt in Darmsuq and he said to him:

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Aram, that dwelt at Damascus, saying:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Asa took silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's house, and sent them to the son of Ader king of Syria, which dwelt in Damascus, saying,

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

War Between Asa and Baasha
1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. 2So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: 3“Let there be a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

1 Kings 15:18-19
So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: / “Let there be a treaty between me and you as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

2 Chronicles 14:9-15
Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah. / So Asa marched out against him and lined up in battle formation in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. / Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.” ...

2 Chronicles 15:17-19
The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days. / And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. / And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

2 Chronicles 19:2
Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.

2 Chronicles 20:35-37
Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. / They agreed to make ships to go to Tarshish, and these were built in Ezion-geber. / Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” So the ships were wrecked and were unable to sail to Tarshish.

Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:5
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.

1 Samuel 8:5-7
“Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.” / But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. / And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.

1 Kings 22:2-4
However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel, / who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” / So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.”

2 Kings 16:7-9
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.” / Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. / So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.

2 Kings 18:21
Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

Psalm 118:8-9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. / It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

Psalm 146:3
Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save.

Hosea 5:13
When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.

Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Treasury of Scripture

Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelled at Damascus, saying,

brought out

2 Chronicles 28:21
For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

2 Kings 12:18
And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

2 Kings 16:8
And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.

Damascus [heb] Darmeskek

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Aram Asa Ben Benhadad Ben-Hadad Ben-Ha'dad Damascus Dwelling Dwelt Gold Hadad House King's Lord's Palace Silver Stores Syria Temple Treasures Treasuries

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Aram Asa Ben Benhadad Ben-Hadad Ben-Ha'dad Damascus Dwelling Dwelt Gold Hadad House King's Lord's Palace Silver Stores Syria Temple Treasures Treasuries

2 Chronicles 16

1. Asa, by the aid of the Syrians, diverts Baasha from building Ramah
7. Being reproved thereof by Hanani, he puts him in prison
11. Among his other acts in his disease he seeks not to God, but to the physicians
13. His death and burial

Berean Study Bible

So Asa withdrew silver and gold
The act of withdrawing silver and gold signifies a significant decision by King Asa, reflecting a moment of reliance on material wealth rather than divine provision. In the Hebrew context, silver and gold were not just currency but symbols of wealth, power, and security. Asa's choice to use these treasures indicates a shift from trusting in God to trusting in human alliances. Historically, this action can be seen as a pragmatic political move, yet it also reveals a spiritual compromise, as Asa diverts resources dedicated to God for political gain.

from the treasuries of the house of the LORD
The treasuries of the house of the LORD were sacred, containing offerings and items dedicated to God. The Hebrew term for "house" (בַּיִת, bayit) often refers to the temple, a place of divine presence and worship. By taking from these treasuries, Asa not only depletes the physical wealth of the temple but also symbolically undermines the spiritual wealth and trust in God's provision. This act can be seen as a breach of faith, prioritizing earthly alliances over divine covenant.

and the royal palace
The royal palace represents the seat of Asa's earthly power and authority. By taking from both the temple and the palace, Asa is drawing from both spiritual and temporal resources. This dual withdrawal highlights a comprehensive reliance on human strategy rather than divine guidance. Historically, kings often used palace treasures for political maneuvers, but Asa's action here is particularly poignant as it contrasts with his earlier reforms and reliance on God.

and sent it to Ben-hadad king of Aram
Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, was a powerful ruler in Damascus, a city with a long history of interactions with Israel and Judah. The sending of treasures to Ben-hadad signifies a political alliance, a common practice in the ancient Near East to secure peace or military support. However, from a scriptural perspective, this alliance with a foreign king represents a turning away from reliance on God. The name Ben-hadad itself, meaning "son of Hadad," refers to a storm god, further emphasizing the spiritual compromise in seeking help from a pagan ruler.

who was ruling in Damascus
Damascus, a significant city in the ancient Near East, was a center of political and military power. Its mention here underscores the geopolitical realities of Asa's time, where alliances were crucial for survival. However, the reliance on Damascus contrasts with the biblical ideal of relying on God as the ultimate ruler and protector. Historically, Damascus was often in conflict with Israel and Judah, making Asa's alliance a temporary and potentially dangerous solution.

saying
The word "saying" introduces Asa's message to Ben-hadad, indicating a formal request or proposal. In the biblical narrative, speech acts are powerful, often revealing the heart and intentions of the speaker. Asa's forthcoming words will reveal his strategy and the extent of his reliance on human alliances. This moment serves as a turning point, highlighting the tension between faith in God and trust in human power.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Then Asa brought out silver and gold.--This verse is abridged as compared with 1Kings 15:18, but the substance of it is the same. The differences are characteristic. In the first clause Kings reads: "And Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord." The chronicler has purposely weakened this statement. He has also omitted the pedigree of Benhahad ("ben Ta- brimmon ben Hezyon"), and written the Aramaizing form Darmeseq for Dammeseg. (Syriac, Darm?s-q.)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - The writer of Chronicles omits the pedigree of this Benhadad King of Syria, given in the parallel "the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion." Benhidri is the name of Benhadad in the Assyrian monuments. The Septuagint gives Ader, which tallies with it, For Damascus, we have here Dar-mesek, instead of the more usual Dammesek of the parallel and Genesis 15:2; the resh representing (as in Syriac) the dagesh forte in men. The parallel (1 Kings 15:18) says that Asa took all the silver and the gold left in the treasures, etc.; but the reading "left" should very possibly (see Septuagint Version) be "found," the Hebrew characters easily permitting it.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

So Asa
אָסָ֜א (’ā·sā)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 609: Asa -- perhaps 'healer', an Israelite name

withdrew
וַיֹּצֵ֨א (way·yō·ṣê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

the silver
כֶּ֣סֶף (ke·sep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3701: Silver, money

and gold
וְזָהָ֗ב (wə·zā·hāḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2091: Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky

from the treasuries
מֵאֹֽצְר֛וֹת (mê·’ō·ṣə·rō·wṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 214: Treasure, store, a treasury, storehouse

of the house
בֵּ֥ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of the LORD
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

and of the royal
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

palace
וּבֵ֣ית (ū·ḇêṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

and sent
וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח (way·yiš·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

it to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Ben-hadad
הֲדַד֙ (hă·ḏaḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1130: Ben-hadad -- 'son of Hadad', the name of several Aramean (Syrian) kings

king
מֶ֣לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Aram,
אֲרָ֔ם (’ă·rām)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 758: Aram -- Syria

who lived
הַיּוֹשֵׁ֥ב (hay·yō·wō·šêḇ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in Damascus,
בְּדַרְמֶ֖שֶׂק (bə·ḏar·me·śeq)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1834: Damascus -- a city in Aram (Syria)

with this message:
לֵאמֹֽר׃ (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

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OT History: 2 Chronicles 16:2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold (2 Chron. 2Ch iiCh ii ch 2 chr 2chr)