2 Chronicles 16 — Asa’s Alliance, Rebuke, and Death — Hebrew and Greek compared
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 16 — Asa’s Alliance, Rebuke, and Death
The alliance and the blockade
Verse 16:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:1] In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and fortified Ramah, to prevent anyone going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:1] In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and fortified Rama, to allow no exit or entrance for Asa king of Judah.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: The year is thirty-six in Hebrew and thirty-eight in Greek. Both describe the blockade at Ramah; neither chronology is altered to harmonize other regnal accounts.
Verse 16:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:2] Asa brought silver and gold out of the treasuries of YHWH’s house and the king’s house and sent it to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:2] Asa took gold and silver from the treasuries of the Lord’s house and the king’s house and sent it to the son of Ader, Syria’s king, who lived in Damascus, saying,
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Greek reverses silver and gold and renders Ben-hadad as the son of Ader. The Greek placement of Syria’s king beside Ader leaves the title’s attachment less explicit than the Hebrew royal-name construction.
Verse 16:3 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:3] “There is a covenant between me and you, and between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, so that he withdraws from me.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:3] “Make a covenant between me and you, and between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you gold and silver. Come, drive Baasha king of Israel away from me, and let him depart from me.”
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Hebrew invokes a covenant and explicitly requests breaking the other king’s covenant with Baasha. Greek commands making a covenant and asks that Baasha be driven away, without mentioning a broken alliance. The reference to the fathers remains in both.
Verse 16:4 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:4] Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent his army commanders against Israel’s cities. They struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storage places of Naphtali’s cities.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:4] The son of Ader listened to King Asa and sent his army commanders against Israel’s cities. He struck Ion, Dan, Abelmain, and all Naphtali’s surrounding districts.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew gives the attacks a plural subject and names urban storage places; Greek uses singular he and names surrounding districts.
Verse 16:5 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:5] When Baasha heard, he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:5] When Baasha heard, he gave up building Rama any further and stopped his work.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both report the same interruption of the fortification project.
Verse 16:6 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:6] King Asa took all Judah, and they carried off Ramah’s stones and timber with which Baasha had built. With them he built Geba and Mizpah.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:6] King Asa took all Judah and took Rama’s stones and timber with which Baasha had built. With them he built Gabae and Maspha.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew explicitly makes the people the plural carriers of materials; Greek retains the king as the grammatical subject of taking them.
The prophet’s rebuke
Verse 16:7 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:7] At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said, “Because you relied on Aram’s king and did not rely on YHWH your God, the army of Aram’s king has escaped from your hand.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:7] At that time Anani the prophet came to Asa king of Judah and said, “Because you trusted in Syria’s king and did not trust in the Lord your God, Syria’s force has been saved from your hand.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew calls Hanani a seer; Greek calls him a prophet. Both unexpectedly name Aram’s or Syria’s force as the missed conquest, and neither is changed to Israel’s army.
Verse 16:8 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:8] Were not the Cushites and Libyans a great army with exceedingly many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on YHWH, He gave them into your hand.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:8] Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans a great force, with confidence and exceedingly many horsemen? Yet because you trusted in the Lord, He handed them into your hands.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Greek has confidence where Hebrew has chariots. Both appeal to the earlier victory as evidence for dependence on God.
Verse 16:9 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:9] For YHWH’s eyes range throughout all the earth, to show strength with those whose hearts are whole toward Him. You have acted foolishly in this; from now on you will have wars.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:9] For the Lord’s eyes look throughout all the earth, to show strength in every heart that is whole toward Him. You have acted ignorantly in this; from now on there will be war with you.”
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew describes the eyes ranging and foolish conduct, with plural wars; Greek describes looking and ignorance, with singular war. The Greek heart construction is retained without adding a separately named group of people.
Verse 16:10 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:10] Asa became angry with the seer and put him in the house of the stocks, for he was enraged with him over this. Asa also crushed some of the people at that time.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:10] Asa became enraged with the prophet and put him in prison, because he was angry over this. Asa also maltreated the people at that time.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew specifies a stocks-house and some of the people; Greek has prison and the people without some. Both describe repression following the prophetic rebuke.
Illness, death, and burial
Verse 16:11 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:11] Look, Asa’s deeds, first and last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:11] Look, Asa’s deeds, first and last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both refer to the same named royal record; it has not been independently consulted.
Verse 16:12 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:12] In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Even in his disease he did not seek YHWH, but the physicians.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:12] In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became ill in his feet, until he was very ill. In his illness he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both give the same onset year and contrast seeking God with seeking physicians. Hebrew’s upward or heightened disease expression is rendered severe; a physical spreading upward is also possible.
Verse 16:13 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:13] Asa lay down with his fathers and died in the forty-first year of his reign.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:13] Asa fell asleep with his fathers and died in the thirty-ninth year of his reign,
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew dates Asa’s death to his forty-first year; Greek dates it to his thirty-ninth, the same year as the illness onset in both texts.
Verse 16:14 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 16:14] They buried him in his tombs that he had hewn for himself in David’s city. They laid him on the bed that he had filled with spices and various compounds prepared by the perfumer’s craft, and made an exceedingly great burning for him.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 16:14] and they buried him in the tomb he had dug for himself in David’s city. They laid him on the bed and filled it with spices and kinds of perfumers’ ointments, and made an exceedingly great funeral procession for him.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew has plural tombs and a singular filling subject; Greek has one tomb and plural they filled. Hebrew explicitly describes a great burning in his honor; Greek describes a great funeral procession and does not mention fire. Neither column identifies this as cremation of the body.