The Bible Commentaries and Others: Maacah

Maacah

MAACAH (PERSON) [Heb ma˓ăkâ (מַעֲכָה)]. 1. Son/daughter (?) of Nahor (Abraham’s brother) and the concubine Reumah (Gen 22:24). Maacah’s name appears in the genealogy of Nahor (Gen 22:20–24), where it is fourth and last in the list of Reumah’s children (the others were Tebah, Gaham, and Tahash). Maacah is often considered to be the eponymous ancestor of the region S of Mt. Hermon (Josh 13:11; 2 Sam 10:6, 8). See also MAACAH (PLACE).

2. Wife of Machir; mother of Peresh and Sheresh (1 Chr 7:16). Maacah’s name occurs twice in the genealogy of Manasseh’s descendants found in 1 Chr 7:14–19. She is called first the “sister” (v 15) and then the “wife” (v 16) of Machir. Either there were two Maacahs, one Machir’s sister and the other his wife, or more probably, vv 15–16 are textually corrupt, the identification of Maacah as Machir’s wife (v 16) being preferred.

3. Concubine of Caleb, the son of Hezron; and mother of Sheber, Tirhanah, Shaaph, and Sheva (1 Chr 2:48–49). Maacah’s name appears in the Calebite genealogy found in 1 Chr 2:42–55. She is the second of Caleb’s two concubines, Ephah being the first (v 46).

4. Wife of Jeiel, father of Gibeon (1 Chr 8:29; 9:35). An ancestress of Saul, Maacah is named in the Benjaminite genealogy found in 1 Chr 8:29–40 and 1 Chr 9:35–44.

5. Wife of David; mother of Absalom (2 Sam 3:3 = 1 Chr 3:2). Maacah is the third wife/mother mentioned in two lists of David’s sons born in Hebron (2 Sam 3:2–5 = 1 Chr 3:1–3). As the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, her marriage represented a diplomatic tie between David and Geshur and thus a threat to Ishbaal (Saul’s son), who claimed sovereignty over Geshur (2 Sam 2:9). See also ABSALOM; QUEEN.

6. Father of Hanan (1 Chr 11:43). Maacah’s name appears in the epithet of his son, who is third in a list of sixteen of David’s “mighty men” (1 Chr 11:41b–47). This list is appended to the longer one found in 1 Chr 11:26–41a (= 2 Sam 23:24–39) and is found only in 1 Chronicles.

7. Father of Shephatiah, leader of the Simeonites (1 Chr 27:16). Maacah’s name appears in the epithet of his son, who is second in a list of twelve tribal leaders reported living during David’s reign (vv 16–22).

8. Father of Achish, king of Gath (1 Kgs 2:39). Maacah’s name occurs in the epithet of his son, from whom Shimei’s runaway slaves sought asylum during the early reign of Solomon.

9. Favorite wife of Rehoboam, king of Judah (1 Kgs 11:21); and mother (?) of Abijam/Abijah and Asa, both kings of Judah (1 Kgs 15:2, 10, 13; 2 Chr 11:20; 15:16); this Maacah was also the daughter (?) of Abishalom/Absalom. She is one of three mothers of kings accorded the title gĕbı̂râ in the OT (see also 2 Kgs 10:13; Jer 13:18; 29:2). Asa removed Maacah from her position as queen-mother because she supported the worship of Asherah (1 Kgs 15:13; 2 Chr 15:16).

Maacah’s relationship to Abijam/h and Asa is problematic. How can Maacah be the mother of them both when Abijam/h is said to be Asa’s father (1 Kgs 15:8 = 2 Chr 13:23 [—Eng 14:1])? Various suggestions attempt to resolve this tension. Either (a) the mothers of Abijam/h and Asa had the same name but were different women; (b) Abijam/h and Asa were brothers, not father and son; or (c) Maacah was Asa’s grandmother, not his mother. Each of these solutions, however, is speculative and not without its own problems. Understanding Maacah’s relationship to Abijam/h is further complicated by 2 Chr 15:2, which states that Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah, was Abijam/h’s mother. This contradicts the parallel passage found in 1 Kgs 15:10 and the tradition preserved in 2 Chr 11:20, which identify Maacah as his mother. Either (a) the tradition preserved in 2 Chr 15:2 is correct, and the presence of the name “Maacah” in 1 Kgs 15:10 and 2 Chr 11:20 is secondary; (b) the tradition in 1 Kgs 15:2 and 2 Chr 11:20 is correct and 2 Chr 15:2 represents an exegetical harmonization; or (c) there is no contradiction between the passages: “Micaiah” is simply a variant spelling of “Maacah.” Moreover, if one reads “granddaughter” for “daughter,” then the two epithets “daughter of Uriel” and “granddaughter of Abishalom” can be viewed as complementary, not contradictory (Uriel being understood as the husband of Tamar, Absalom’s daughter).

If Maacah was the daughter/granddaughter of Abishalom/Absalom, the question still remains: Who was he? No place of origin is given for him in the regnal formulas. Was her father/grandfather the son of David, and was Maacah therefore of Davidic lineage? After all, (a) the only other Absalom mentioned in the OT besides Maacah’s “father” is this son of David; (b) David’s son would be well known and his place of origin unnecessary, and (c) Josephus records that Maacah was the daughter of Tamar and thus the granddaughter of Absalom, David’s son (Ant. 8.9.1). However, while Absalom is not a common name in the OT, it does not necessarily follow that the two Absaloms are the same person. Moreover, the father’s place of origin is missing for all but the last six queen-mothers. Does this mean that all of the other fathers were “well known”? Or does it simply indicate a gap in the writer’s sources? Finally, while Josephus does identify the son of David as Maacah’s grandfather, another early writer, Jerome (Qu. Heb.), maintains that they are two separate people. See also MICAIAH; QUEEN.

Linda S. Schearing

MAACAH (PLACE) [Heb ma˓ăkâ (מַעֲכָה)]. Var. ARAM-MAACAH . MAACATHITE. A Syrian kingdom S of Mt. Hermon in the N Transjordan. Maacah was located E of the Jordan valley and N of the Yarmuk basin. Together with the kingdom of Geshur, Maacah formed the northern boundary of the (sometimes) Israelite territory of BASHAN, which belonged to the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh in the upper Transjordan (Deut 3:14; Josh 13:11). The city of Abel Beth-Maacah (2 Sam 20:14; cf. Abil-akka in the annals of Tiglath-pileser III, KAT 265), where Sheba ben Bichri fled during his revolt against David, was probably located on Israel’s northern border with Maacah.

When David began his historic expansion of Israelite power into the Transjordan, he was opposed by the Ammonites, whose capital lay opposite Jerusalem at the headwaters of the Jabbok. The Ammonites were joined in their opposition by several petty Syrian states (2 Sam 10:6–8), including Maacah, which probably had no difficulty in recognizing this threat. David’s army, under the command of Joab, was trapped between the Syrians and Ammonites in open country. Joab, however, escaped disaster by dividing his forces into two wings, one under the command of Abishai, his brother, the other under himself, and attacking both sides simultaneously. When the Ammonites saw their Syrian allies driven back, they retreated into their stronghold, to which Joab then laid siege. According to 1 Chr 19:6–7, this battle took place before Medeba on the plateau N of the Wadi Mujib (the biblical Arnon) in the central Transjordan. The Ammonites are said to have “hired” the army of Maacah, along with other Syrian elements (in extremely exaggerated numbers) from as far away as Mesopotamia.

D. G. Schley

Freedman, D. N. (1996, c1992). The Anchor Bible Dictionary (4:430). New York: Doubleday.

Maachah — oppression, a small Syrian kingdom near Geshur, east of the Hauran, the district of Batanea (Josh. 13:13; 2 Sam. 10:6,8; 1 Chr. 19:7).

(2.) A daughter of Talmai, king of the old native population of Geshur. She became one of David’s wives, and was the mother of Absalom (2 Sam. 3:3).

(3.) The father of Hanan, who was one of David’s body-guard (1 Chr. 11:43).

(4.) The daughter of Abishalom (called Absalom, 2 Chr. 11:20–22), the third wife of Rehoboam, and mother of Abijam (1 Kings 15:2). She is called “Michaiah the daughter of Uriel,” who was the husband of Absalom’s daughter Tamar (2 Chr. 13:2). Her son Abijah or Abijam was heir to the throne.

(5.) The father of Achish, the king of Gath (1 Kings 2:39), called also Maoch (1 Sam. 27:2).

Easton, M. (1996, c1897). Easton's Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

MAACAH, MAACHAH* (Person) Common Hebrew name, often spelled Maachah in the kjv.

1. Last of the four children of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, by Reumah his concubine (Gn 22:24).

2. Daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, a wife of David, and Absalom’s mother (2 Sm 3:3; 1 Chr 3:2).

3. Achish’s father. Achish, king of Gath, housed two of Shimei’s slaves during Solomon’s reign (1 Kgs 2:39). He is identified with Maoch in 1 Samuel 27:2. See Maoch.

4. Daughter of Absalom (Abishalom) (1 Kgs 15:2, 10), the wife of Rehoboam, king of Judah (930–913 bc), and the mother of King Abijah (913–910 bc) and grandmother of King Asa (910–869 bc) of Judah (1 Kgs 15:10; 2 Chr 11:20–22). Later, Asa removed her as queen mother because she had an idol made for Asherah (1 Kgs 15:10–13; 2 Chr 15:16). Maacah is spelled Micaiah (Michaiah) in 2 Chronicles 13:2.

5. Caleb’s concubine and the mother of four sons (1 Chr 2:48).

6. Sister of Huppim and Shuppim, the wife of Makir the Manassite and mother of Peresh and Sheresh (1 Chr 7:15–16).

7. Benjamite, the wife of Jeiel, and an ancestress of King Saul (1 Chr 8:29; 9:35).

8. Father of Haman, one of David’s mighty warriors (1 Chr 11:43).

9. Father of Shephatiah, chief officer of Simeon’s tribe during David’s reign (1 Chr 27:16).

Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (837). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

MA´ACAH (maʹa-ka; “oppression”; sometimes “Maachah,” KJV).

1. The last named of the four children of Nahor by his concubine Reumah (Gen. 22:24). Whether this child was a son or daughter is not stated.

2. One of David’s wives and the mother of Absalom. She was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur (2 Sam. 3:3). Geshur lies to the N of Judah between Hermon and Bashan.

3. A city and small Syrian kingdom at the foot of Mt. Hermon, near Geshur (Josh. 13:13, “Maacath”; 2 Sam. 10:6, 8; 1 Chron. 19:7). The kingdom embraced the southern and eastern descending slopes of Hermon, and a portion of the rocky plateau of Iturea. The Israelites included this territory in their grant but never took possession of it (Josh. 13:13). Its king contributed 1,000 men to the Syrian alliance against David (2 Sam. 10:6–8), which was defeated (v. 19).

4. The father of Achish, king of Gath, to whom Shimei went in pursuit of two runaway servants and by so doing forfeited his life by going beyond the limits prescribed by Solomon (1 Kings 2:39).

5. The mother of King Abijam. She was the daughter (granddaughter) of Abishalom, and wife of Rehoboam (1 Kings 15:2), about 926 b.c. In v. 10 she is called the “mother” of Asa, but there the term is used in a loose sense and means “grandmother.” The following seem to be the facts: Maacah was the granddaughter of Absalom (Abishalom), and the daughter of Tamar (Absalom’s only daughter) and Uriel of Gibeah (2 Chron. 11:20–22; 13:2, where she is called “Micaiah”). Because of the abuse of her power as “queen mother” in encouraging idolatry, Asa removed her from her position as queen (1 Kings 15:10–13; 2 Chron. 15:16).

6. The second named of the concubines of Caleb (son of Hezron) and the mother by him of several children (1 Chron. 2:48).

7. The sister of Huppim and Shuppim and wife of Machir, by whom he had two sons (1 Chron. 7:15–16).

8. The wife of Jeiel and mother of Gibeon (1 Chron. 8:29; 9:35).

9. The father of Hanan, one of David’s valiant men (1 Chron. 11:43).

10. The father of Shephatiah, military chief of the Simeonites in the time of David (1 Chron. 27:16), c. 1000 b.c.

Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. (1988). The new Unger's Bible dictionary. Revision of: Unger's Bible dictionary. 3rd ed. c1966. (Rev. and updated ed.). Chicago: Moody Press.

MAACAH, MAACHAH. 1. Maacah is used as a man’s name for the following: the father of Shephatiah, one of David’s henchmen (1 Ch. 27:16); the father of Hanun, one of David’s warriors (1 Ch. 11:43); the father of *Achish, king of Gath at the time of David and Solomon.

2. It is also used as a woman’s name for the following: the concubine of Caleb, mother of Sheber and Tirhanah (1 Ch. 2:48); the wife of Machir, mother of Peresh (1 Ch. 7:16); the wife of Gibeon, or Jehiel, one of the ancestors of Saul (1 Ch. 8:29; 9:35); the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, who married David and was the mother of Absalom and Tamar (2 Sa. 3:3); the favourite wife of Rehoboam and the mother of Abijah and the daughter of Absalom (2 Ch. 11:20–22); the mother of Asa, the queenmother of Judah until she was removed because of her idolatry (2 Ch. 15:16). (*Queen.)

3. The child of Nahor, the brother of Abraham, and his concubine Reumah, was called Maacah, but there is no indication as to sex (Gn. 22:24).

4. It is also the name for a small state to the SW of Mt Hermon, on the edge of the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh (Dt. 3:14; Jos. 13:8–13) and possibly extending across the Jordan to Abel-beth-Maacah. At the time of David, its Aramaean king provided 1,000 soldiers for the Ammonite and Aramaean attempt to crush Israel. Following the defeat at Helam, Maacah probably became tributary to David (2 Sa. 10). Maacah was later absorbed into the kingdom of Damascus which had been reestablished during Solomon’s reign (1 Ki. 11:23–25).

Bibliography. B. Mazar, ‘Geshur and Maacah’, JBL 80, 1961, pp. 16ff. m.b. a.r.m.

Wood, D. R. W., Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996, c1982, c1962). New Bible Dictionary. Includes index. (electronic ed. of 3rd ed.) (709). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Maacah (mayʹah-kuh; sometimes Maachah in the kjv; meaning uncertain). 1 A small state south of Mt. Hermon, apparently encompassing the northern half of the Golan Heights, bounded by the other non-Israelite state of the Golan, Geshur, on its south. The Transjordanian tribes of Israel (Reuben, Gad, the half-tribe of Manasseh) failed to conquer Maacah and Geshur (Josh. 13:11, 13; cf. 12:5; Deut. 3:14). Subsequently, the king of Maacah joined the Ammonites and Arameans in their unsuccessful war against David (2 Sam. 10:6, 8; 1 Chron. 19:7). Following its defeat, Maacah probably became tributary to David (2 Sam. 10:19). Maacah and Geshur were evidently absorbed into the expanding Aramean kingdom of Damascus after the time of Solomon. 2 The concubine of Caleb (1 Chron. 2:48). 3 The wife of Machir, Manasseh’s son (1 Chron. 7:15-16). 4 The wife of Gibeon, or Jehiel, one of Saul’s ancestors (1 Chron. 8:29; 9:35). 5 A princess of Geshur who married David and was the mother of Absalom and Tamar (2 Sam. 3:3). 6 The daughter of Absalom, who became the favorite wife of King Rehoboam and mother of Abijah (1 Kings 15:2; 2 Chron. 11:20-22), whom Asa finally deposed from her position of queen mother because of her involvement in idolatry (2 Chron. 15:16). 7 A son of Nahor, Abraham’s brother (Gen. 22:24). 8 The father of Achish, king of Gath (1 Kings 2:39). 9 The father of Hanun who was one of David’s mighty men (1 Chron. 11:43). 10 The father of Shephatiah, one of David’s officials (1 Chron. 27:16). D.A.D.

Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). Harper's Bible dictionary. Includes index. (1st ed.) (588). San Francisco: Harper & Row.

Maacah (Heb. ma˓ăḵâ) (PERSON) (also MAOCH)

A common name of both males and females in the OT.

1. A child of Nahor (brother of Abraham) and his concubine Reumah (Gen. 22:24). It is not known whether the child was male or female.

2. The mother of David’s son Absalom, who temporarily overthrew his father’s rule (2 Sam. 3:3 = 1 Chr. 3:2). She was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, and thus represented a marriage alliance between Israel and Geshur.

3. The father of Achish, king of Gath, a contemporary of Solomon (1 Kgs. 2:39). He is called Maoch at 1 Sam. 27:2.

4. The favorite wife of King Rehoboam of Judah. She is listed as the daughter of Absalom (Abishalom, possibly the son of David) and mother of Abijah/m (1 Kgs. 15:2; 2 Chr. 11:20–22). At 2 Chr. 13:2 the mother of Abijah is identified as Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. 1 Kgs. 15:10 calls Maacah the mother of Asa. Some scholars suggest she was actually the granddaughter of Abishalom (thus daughter of Uriel and Tamar; 2 Sam. 14:27) and the grandmother of Asa. One of only three mothers of kings given the title queen mother (Heb. gĕḇɩ̂râ), she was discharged from her position by Asa for constructing an Asherah (1 Kgs. 15:13).

5. A concubine of Caleb; mother of Sheber, Tirhanah, Shaaph, and Sheva (1 Chr. 2:48–49).

6. The sister (1 Chr. 7:15) or wife (v. 16) of Machir, mother of Peresh (Perez) and Sheresh (Zerah).

7. The wife of Jehiel the father of Gibeon, an ancestor of King Saul (1 Chr. 8:29; 9:35).

8. The father of Hanun, one of David’s Mighty Men (1 Chr. 11:43).

9. The father of Shepatiah, a tribal leader in Simeon during David’s time (1 Chr. 27:16).

Mark W. Chavalas

Maacah (Heb. ma˓ăḵâ) (PLACE)

A tribe that shared a border with the half-tribe of Manasseh in the north of Israel during the time of Israel’s entry into Palestine after the Exodus (Deut. 3:14; Josh. 13:8–13). It later became a small semi-independent Aramean kingdom S of Mt. Hermon in the Transjordan, covering the areas E of the Jordan River and possibly northern Galilee during the period of the Israelite kingdoms (ca. 1050–730 b.c.). It was often associated with the kingdom of Geshur, which along with Maacah, comprised the northern border of Israel.

A city named Abel-beth-maacah (2 Sam. 20:14) listed in the annals of Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria (745–727) has been identified as Tell Abil el-Qamḥ (204296), located W of Tel Dan. Sheba fled to this city after his unsuccessful revolt against David.

Maacah sided with the Ammonites against David’s expansion in the Transjordan. The Ammonites employed 1000 soldiers from Maacah as mercenaries against Israel (2 Sam. 10:6–8; 1 Chr. 19:6–7). The kingdom appears to have become tributary to David (2 Sam. 10:19), but later was associated with the Aramean kingdom of Damascus during the reign of Solomon. Maacah was absorbed into the Damascene state soon thereafter (1 Kgs. 11:23–25).

Bibliography. B. Mazar, “Geshur and Maacah,” JBL 80 (1961): 16–28.

Mark W. Chavalas

Freedman, D. N., Myers, A. C., & Beck, A. B. (2000). Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (835). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans.