Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 16:3
“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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Asa of Judah sends a message to Ben-hadad king of Aram in Damascus, offering silver and gold taken from the temple and royal treasuries to secure a political alliance. He instructs Ben-hadad to dissolve his existing treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that Baasha will withdraw his army.
The words — The verse highlights בְּרִית (be.Rit), translated as "covenant" or "treaty," and הִנֵּה (hi.Neh), meaning "here!" or "see!" Asa employs these terms to propose a formal alliance modeled on past dynastic agreements while presenting the payment as a tangible guarantee.
The thread — The tension between honoring and breaking agreements appears in Psalms 15:4, which describes the righteous as those who do not revoke costly oaths, and Genesis 20:9, where Abimelech confronts Abraham regarding covenant-related conduct.
Why it lands — The text presents a ruler prioritizing immediate military relief over sacred resources and prior spiritual commitments. It asks the reader to assess whether tactical survival warrants the diversion of consecrated assets and the abandonment of established boundaries.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
Cross-references
- Psalms 15:4 who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,
- Genesis 20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.”
- Exodus 32:21 “What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
- Joshua 9:19 All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.
- Judges 2:2 and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?
- 2 Samuel 21:2 At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
- 2 Chronicles 18:3 Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people are your people; we will join you in the war.”
- 2 Chronicles 19:2 Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.
- Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
- Ezekiel 17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’