ba'-a-sha ba`sha', "boldness"): King of Israel. Baasha, son of Ahijah, and of common birth (1 Kings 16:2), usurped the throne of Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, killed Nadab and exterminated the house of Jeroboam. He carried on a long warfare with Asa, the king of Judah (compare Jeremiah 41:9), began to build Ramah, but was prevented from completing this work by Ben-hadad, the king of Syria. He is told by the prophet Jehu that because of his sinful reign the fate of his house would be like that of Jeroboam. Baasha reigned 24 years. His son Elah who succeeded him and all the members of his family were murdered by the usurper Zimri (1 Kings 15:16 ff; 1 Kings 16:1 ff; 2 Chronicles 16:1 ff). The fate of his house is referred to in 1 Kings 21:22; 2 Kings 9:9. Compare ASA ; ELAH, VALE OF ; ZIMRI (1) .

A.L. Breslich

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

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