1 Kings 15:12

1Ki 15:12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

Ver. 12. And he took away the sodomites.] See 1Ki 14:24. How far from this zeal of good Asa was Pope Sixtus Quartus, qui lupanar utriusque Veneris Romae condidit, et tribus mensibus anni calidioribus, Iunio, Iulio, et Augusto, toti familiae Cardinalis Sanctae Luciae masculam venerem permisit cum Apostilla, Fiat ut petitur. {a} The Papists themselves write {b} with detestation, that in Rome a Jewish maid might not be admitted into the stews of whoredom, unless she would be first baptized.

All the idols.] The dirty idols, the dunghill deities: {c} so called here, because of the stench wherewith they offend Almighty God.

{a} Corn. Agrippa.

{b} Espencaeus

{c} Deos stercores

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 15:12. He took away the sodomites — All whom he could find out; but some escaped his observation, as appears from 1Ki 22:46. And removed all the idols his father had made — If his father had made them, he had the more need to remove them, that he might cut off the entail of the curse.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 12. The sodomites] הקדשים hakkedeshim; literally, the holy or consecrated ones. See on 1Kg 14:24.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

12. and he took (R.V. put) away] The same word is so rendered in 2Ch_15:8, of these very reforms. Literally it means ‘caused to pass by.’

idols that his fathers had made] Not only those in Judah and Benjamin, but also those that were set up in the hill country of Ephraim, in the cities which Abijam had taken from Jeroboam.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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, Kg1 15:25 and in the first ten years of Asa's reign the land was quiet and free from war, Ch2 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, Kg1 15:25, 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.

, 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 15:17

kg1 15:17

kg1 15:17

kg1 15:17And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah,.... Which, in Ch2 16:1 is said to be in the thirty sixth year of Asa's reign, or rather of his kingdom; for it can never mean the year of his reign, for Baasha was dead many years before that, since his reign began in the third of Asa, and he reigned but twenty four years, and therefore must die in the twenty seventh of Asa; but it is to be understood of the kingdom of Judah, when it was divided from Israel; from that time to this were thirty six years, seventeen under Rehoboam, three under Abijam, so that this year must be the sixteenth of Asa; thus it is calculated in the Jewish chronology (u), and which is followed by many of the best of our chronologers:

and built Ramah; a city in the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 18:25, but taken by the king of Israel, which he rebuilt or fortified:

that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah; that his people might not go to and from Jerusalem, and worship at the temple there; this garrison lying on the borders of both kingdoms, he thought hereby to cut off all communication between them.

(u) Seder Olam Rabba, c. 16.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Effeminate. See chap. xiv. 24. Yet his zeal could not entirely eradicate this evil. There was room for the exertions of his son Josaphat, chap. xxii. 47. (Calmet) --- The king punished with death such as he could discover. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The Sodomites, of whom see 1Ki 14:24, not all of them, but those whom he could find out; but some escaped his observation and censure, as appears from 1Ki 22:46.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

12. Sodomites — See note on 1Ki_14:24.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he took away the Sodomites see on 1Ki_14:24, Rom_1:23-27. It appears from 1Ki_22:46 that this abomination was not wholly suppressed out of the land, and removed all the idols from llG volvit A term of contempt (see Deu_29:17, where it is coupled with "abominations; Eze_23:37) but whether the word is to be interpreted by llGe a ball of dung, in which case these idols (Dei stereorei) would have a designation like Beelzebul ("the lord of dung"), or with lG a heap of stones, (Gen_31:46, Gen_31:48) Dei lapidei, is uncertain. Keil would translate logs, Gesenius trunks, stocks, which from being rolled might well bear this name that his fathers had made.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Sodomites - All whom he could find out; but some escaped his observation, as appears from chap. xxii, 46. Idols, &c. - And if his father had made them, he had the more need to remove them, that he might cut off the entail of the curse.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

the cultic prostitutes

This probably refers to prostitutes who were associated with idol worship and who were all men. AT: "religious prostitutes" or "the prostitutes who worked for idols" or "male prostitutes"

Asa cut down the disgusting figure

Since Asa was king, he may have told his officials to cut down the figure. AT: "Asa caused the disgusting figure to be cut down" or "Asa made them cut down the disgusting figure" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

prostitute

false god

queen

image

Asherah

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And he rid [the land] of prostitutes. [Targum] Yonoson rendered, “and he abolished the prostitutes.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.