Baasha

AhijahEnglish

A king of Northern Israel, living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.15.16.

Baasha was the third king of the northern kingdom of Israel, ruling for 24 years (1 Kings 15:33). He came to power by assassinating Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, and then proceeded to kill off all of Jeroboam's family (1 Kings 15:27-29). Despite this, Baasha continued in the sinful ways of Jeroboam (1 Kings 15:34). He engaged in warfare with Asa, king of Judah, who bribed Ben-hadad of Syria to attack Israel (1 Kings 15:16-22;2 Chronicles 16:1-6). The prophet Jehu pronounced judgment on Baasha's dynasty, predicting its downfall (1 Kings 16:1-4). After Baasha's death, his son Elah became king (1 Kings 16:6). Years later, Baasha's sins were remembered alongside those of other wicked kings (1 Kings 21:22;2 Kings 9:9).Jeremiah 41:9mentions a pit made by Baasha during his war with Asa, which was later used to dispose of bodies.