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Selected Verse: 1 Kings 15:17 - Strong Concordance

Verse         Translation Text
1Ki 15:17 Strong Concordance And Baasha [01201] king [04428] of Israel [03478] went up [05927] against Judah [03063], and built [01129] Ramah [07414], that he might not suffer [05414] any to go out [03318] or come in [0935] to Asa [0609] king [04428] of Judah [03063].
  King James And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

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Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Ramah (perhaps "Er-Ram;" marginal reference) was situated halfway between Bethel and Jerusalem. Its distance from Jerusalem was no more than five miles so that its occupation was a menace to that capital. Baasha's seizure of Ramah implies a previous recovery of the towns taken by Abijam from Jeroboam, namely, Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephrain Ch2 13:19, and was a carrying of the war into the enemy's country. Could his conquest have been maintained, it would have crippled Judah seriously, and have almost compelled a transfer of the capital to Hebron.

That he might not suffer any to go out or come in - Baasha, in seizing Ramah, professed to be acting on the defensive. His complaint seems to have been well founded (compare Ch2 15:9); but it was more than a defensive measure - it was the first step toward a conquest of the southern kingdom.
 
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9 And he gathered [06908] all Judah [03063] and Benjamin [01144], and the strangers [01481] with them out of Ephraim [0669] and Manasseh [04519], and out of Simeon [08095]: for they fell [05307] to him out of Israel [03478] in abundance [07230], when they saw [07200] that the LORD [03068] his God [0430] was with him.
19 And Abijah [029] pursued [07291] after [0310] Jeroboam [03379], and took [03920] cities [05892] from him, Bethel [01008] with the towns [01323] thereof, and Jeshanah [03466] with the towns [01323] thereof, and Ephrain [06085] with the towns [01323] thereof.