1 Kings 15:16

16 But through much of his reign there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel.

1 Kings 15:16 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 15:16

And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all
their days:
] That is as long as they lived together; for Baasha died many years before Asa, and this must be reckoned from the time the war began between them. Baasha did not begin his reign until the third year of Asa, ( 1 Kings 15:25 ) and in the first ten years of Asa's reign the land was quiet and free from war, ( 2 Chronicles 14:1 ) of which there must be seven in the reign of Baasha, who is here made mention of out of course, for Nadab reigned before him, ( 1 Kings 15:25-27 ) , the reason of which Abarbinel thinks is, that the historian, having given an account of the good deeds of Asa, relates his failings before he proceeds to the other part of his history.

1 Kings 15:16 In-Context

14 Unfortunately, he didn't get rid of the local sex-and-religion shrines. But he was well-intentioned - his heart was in the right place, in tune with God.
15 All the gold and silver vessels and artifacts that he and his father had consecrated for holy use he installed in The Temple.
16 But through much of his reign there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel.
17 Baasha king of Israel started it by building a fort at Ramah and closing the border between Israel and Judah so no one could enter or leave Judah.
18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of The Temple of God and the royal palace, gave it to his servants, and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, with this message:
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.