ARVADITES (1:4111N ; Sept. 'Apd5tot, Gem x. 18 ; t Chron. i. 16), the inhabitants of the island Aradus [ARvAD], and doubtless also of the neighbouring coast. The Arvadites were descended from Arvad, one of the sons of Canaan (Gen. x. IS). Strabo (xvi. p. 730 describes the Arvadites as a colony from Sidon. They were noted mariners (Ezek. xxvii. 8, I 1 ; Strabo, xvi. p. 754), and formed a distinct state, with a king of their own (Arrian, Exped. Alex. ii. p. 90) ; yet they appear to have been in some dependence upon Tyre, for the prophet represents them as furnishing their contingent of mariners to that city (Ezek. xxvii. 8, i). They early entered into alliance with the Romans, and Aradus is named among the states to which the consul Lucius formally made known the league which had been contracted with Simon Maceabmus Mace. xv. 23).—J. K.
ASA healing or physician ; Sept. 'And), son of Abijah, grandson of Rehoboam, and third king of Judah. He began to reign two years be fore the death of Jeroboam, in Israel, and he reigned forty-one years, from B.C. 955 to 914. The young king, on assuming the reins of govern ment, zealously rooted out the idolatrous practices which had grown up during his minority and under the preceding reigns ; and only the altars in the `high places' were suffered to remain (1 Kings xv. 11-13 ; 2 Chron. xiv. 2-5). He laboured to im prove the military resources of his kingdom, and was eventually in a condition to count on the services of 5So,000 men (2 Chron. xiv. 6-8). In the eleventh year of his reign, relying upon the Divine aid, Asa attacked and defeated the nume rous host of the Cushite king Zerah, who had penetrated through Arabia Petrma into the vale of Zephathah, with an immense host, reckoned at a million of men (which Josephus divides into 900,000 infantry and too,000 cavalry, Antiq. viii. 12. I), and 30o chariots (2 Chron. xiv. 9-15). As the
triumphant Judahites were returning, laden with spoil, to Jerusalem, they were met by the prophet Azariah, who declared this splendid victory to be a consequence of Asa's confidence in Jehovah, and exhorted him to perseverance. Thus encouraged, the king exerted himself to extirpate the remains of idolatry, and caused the people to renew their covenant with Jehovah (2 Chron. xv. 1-15). It was this clear knowledge of his dependent political position, as the vicegerent of Jehovah, which won for Asa the highest praise that could be given to a Jewish king—that he walked in the steps of his ancestor David (I Kings xv. t t).
Nevertheless, towards the end of his reign the king failed to maintain the character he had thus acquired. When Baasha, king of Israel, had re newed the war between the two kingdoms, and had taken Ramah, which he was proceeding to fortify as a frontier barrier, Asa, the conqueror of Zerah, was so far wanting to his kingdom and his God as to employ the wealth of the Temple and of the royal treasures to induce the king of Syria (Damascus) to make a diversion in his favour by invading the dominions of Baasha. By this means he recovered Ramah, indeed ; but his treasures were squandered, and he incurred the rebuke of the prophet Hanani, whom he cast into prison, being, as it seems, both alarmed and enraged at the effect his address was calculated to produce upon the people (1 Kings xv. 16-22 • 2 Chron. xvi. z-to). In the three last years of his life Asa was afflicted with a grievous c disease in his feet ;' and trusted for a cure too much in his physicians. At his death he was honoured with a funeral of un usual cost and magnificence (2 Chron. xvi.
He was succeeded by Jehoshaphat.—J. K.