- there was war:
- That is, there was a constant spirit of hostility kept up between the two kingdoms, and no doubt frequent skirmishing between the bordering parties; but there was no open war till Baasha king of Israel began to build Ramah, which was, according to "And there was¹ no¹ [more] warª unto¹ the fiveª and thirtiethª yearª of the reignª of Asa.ª" {2Ch 15:19} + "In the sixª and thirtiethª yearª of the reignª of Asaª Baashaª kingª of Israelª came upª° against¹ Judah,ª and builtª°¹ Ramah,ª to the intent that² he might letª° none¹ go outª° or come inª° to Asaª kingª of Judah.ª" {2Ch 16:1}, in the thirty-sixth year of Asa; but according to "In the twentyª² and sixthª yearª of Asaª kingª of Judahª began Elahª the sonª of Baashaª to reignª° over¹ Israelª in Tirzah,ª two years.ª ... And his servantª Zimri,ª captainª of halfª [his] chariots,ª conspiredª° against¹ him, as he¹ was in Tirzah,ª drinkingª° himself drunkª in the houseª of Arzaª steward¹ of [his] houseª in Tirzah.ª" {1Kg 16:8-9}, his son was killed by Zimri in the twenty-sixth year of Asa, and consequently he could not make war upon him in the thirty-sixth year of his reign. Chronologers endeavour to reconcile this, by saying that the years should be reckoned, not from the beginning of Asa's reign, but from the separation of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. We must either adopt this mode of solution, or admit that there is a mistake in some of the numbers, probably in the parallel places in Chronicles, but which we have no direct means of correcting. "And there was¹ warª between¹ Asaª and Baashaª kingª of Israelª all¹ their days.ª" {1Kg 15:16}
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