1 Kings 15:18

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:

1 Kings 15:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 15:18

Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left
in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of
the king's house
What was left untaken away by Shishak king of Egypt, ( 1 Kings 14:26 ) , or what he had put there dedicated by his father and himself, ( 1 Kings 15:15 ) and be they either, they were not to be taken, especially the treasures of the house of the Lord, and put to profane use, and particularly to such bad purposes as these were:

and delivered them into the hands of his servants:
to be disposed of as next directed:

and King Asa sent them to Benhadad the son of Tabrimon, the son of
Hezion king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus;
according to some chronologers F23, Hezion, the grandfather of this Benhadad, is the same with Rezon the first king of Damascus, ( 1 Kings 11:23 1 Kings 11:24 ) , who was succeeded by Tabrimon, and he by Benhadad:

saying:
as follows.


FOOTNOTES:

F23 Usher. Annal. A. M. 3064. Marsham. Canon. Chron. Seculum 13. p. 346.

1 Kings 15:18 In-Context

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:
19 "Let's make a treaty like the one between our fathers. I'm showing my good faith with this gift of silver and gold. Break your deal with Baasha king of Israel so he'll quit fighting against me."
20 Ben-Hadad went along with King Asa and sent out his troops against the towns of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and the entire region of Kinnereth, including Naphtali.
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.