Hebrew word · H1201
בַּעְשָׁא
ba'sha'
Baasha
A personal name of uncertain meaning, borne by the founder of Israel's second dynasty (c. 909–886 BC).
Appears 28 times in 26 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
A king of the Kingdom of Israel, living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.15.16;
son of: Ahijah (H0281I);
father of: Elah (H0425H)
§ Baasha = "wicked"
third king of the northern kingdom of Israel and the founder of its second dynasty having killed the second king, Nadab
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
A personal name of uncertain meaning, borne by the founder of Israel's second dynasty (c. 909–886 BC).
- Against the English
Translations simply give the name. Readers can easily mix up Baasha's father Ahijah with the prophet Ahijah. They are different men.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Baasha took the throne by killing Nadab son of Jeroboam and wiping out Jeroboam's house (1 Kgs 15:27–30). He then repeated Jeroboam's sins. The prophet Jehu son of Hanani announced the same end for him (1 Kgs 16:1–4), and Zimri carried it out against Baasha's son Elah (1 Kgs 16:9–13).
Where it appears
1 Kings · 22
-
1 Kings 15:16 בַּעְשָׁ֥א Baasha
Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
-
1 Kings 15:17 בַּעְשָׁ֤א Baasha
Baasha king of Israel went to war against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
-
1 Kings 15:19 בַּעְשָׁ֣א Baasha
“Let there be a treaty between me and you as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
-
1 Kings 15:21 בַּעְשָׁ֔א Baasha
When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah.
-
1 Kings 15:22 בַּעְשָׁ֑א Baasha
Then King Asa summoned all the men of Judah, with no exceptions, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials King Asa built up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.
-
1 Kings 15:27 בַּעְשָׁ֤א בַעְשָׁ֔א Baasha
Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging the city.
-
1 Kings 15:28 בַעְשָׁ֔א Baasha
In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.
Here: The usurper, son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar (v. 27). Nobody knows for sure what the name means. In the Hebrew word order he comes after the verb, so the killing gets the emphasis before the killer is named.
-
1 Kings 15:32 בַּעְשָׁ֥א Baasha
And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
-
1 Kings 15:33 בַּעְשָׁ֨א Baasha
In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.
-
1 Kings 16:1 בַּעְשָׁ֖א Baasha
Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha, saying:
-
1 Kings 16:3 בַעְשָׁ֖א Baasha
So now I will consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat:
-
1 Kings 16:4 לְבַעְשָׁא֙ of Baasha
Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.”
-
1 Kings 16:5 בַעְשָׁ֛א Baasha
As for the rest of the acts of Baasha, along with his accomplishments and might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
-
1 Kings 16:6 בַּעְשָׁא֙ Baasha
And Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah reigned in his place.
-
1 Kings 16:7 בַּעְשָׁ֨א Baasha
Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands and becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because Baasha had struck down the house of Jeroboam.
-
1 Kings 16:8 בַּעְשָׁ֧א Baasha
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
-
1 Kings 16:11 בַּעְשָׁ֔א Baasha
As soon as Zimri began to reign and was seated on the throne, he struck down the entire household of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, whether a kinsman or friend.
-
1 Kings 16:12 בַּעְשָׁ֑א בַּעְשָׁ֔א Baasha
So Zimri destroyed the entire household of Baasha, according to the word that the LORD had spoken against Baasha through Jehu the prophet.
-
1 Kings 16:13 בַּעְשָׁ֔א Baasha
This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.
-
1 Kings 21:22 בַּעְשָׁ֣א Baasha
I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked My anger and caused Israel to sin.’
2 Kings · 1
-
2 Kings 9:9 בַּעְשָׁ֥א Baasha
I will make the house of Ahab like the houses of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah.
Here: Baasha, who took the throne by killing Jeroboam's son Nadab and all of Jeroboam's house (1 Kgs 15:27–30). His own dynasty was then wiped out in the same way by Zimri (1 Kgs 16:9–13).
2 Chronicles · 4
-
2 Chronicles 16:1 בַּעְשָׁ֤א Baasha
In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
-
2 Chronicles 16:3 בַּעְשָׁא֙ Baasha
“Let there be a treaty between me and you as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
-
2 Chronicles 16:5 בַּעְשָׁ֔א Baasha
When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned his work.
-
2 Chronicles 16:6 בַּעְשָׁ֑א Baasha
Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials he built up Geba and Mizpah.
Jeremiah · 1
-
Jeremiah 41:9 בַּעְשָׁ֣א Baasha
Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men he had struck down along with Gedaliah was a large one that King Asa had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.