Maacah
Maacah (Codex Alexandrinus: Maacha, KJV: Maachah) is a non-gender-specific personal name used in the Bible to refer to:
- A child of Abraham's brother Nachor, evidently a boy. (Gen. 22:23,24)
- The wife of Machir, Manasseh's son. (1. Chr. 7:15-16)
- One of the wives of Hezron's son Caleb. (1. Chr 2:48)
- A wife of David, and daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur (ib. iii. 3), a near neighbor of the Maachathites. David begat Absalom and Tamar with her.
- A King of Gath, to whose son, Achish, Shimei's servants fled early in Solomon's reign (1. Kings 2:39). About a half-century earlier than this event, David with 600 men had fled to Achish, son of Maoch, King of Gath (1. Samuel 27:2); but the identification of Maoch is doubtful, though kinship is exceedingly probable.
- The wife of Rehoboam, King of Judah, and mother of Abijam; in 1. Kings 15:2 she is called the daughter (or granddaughter) of Abishalom, but of "Absalom" in 2 Chronicles 11:20, 21. Hence, she was a granddaughter of King David's wife Maacah (above). She was removed from her position as queen mother by her grandson Asa (ib. xv. 16) because she had been involved in idolatry.
- The wife of Jeiel. (1.Chr. 8:29)
- The father of Hanan, who was a man in David's army. (1. Chr. 11:43)
- The father of Shephatiah, who was an office man in David's time. (1. Chr. 27:16)
The name is also used to refer to:
- A small Aramean kingdom east of the Sea of Galilee (I Chronicles 19:6). Its territory was in the region assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan. Maacah, its king, became a mercenary of the Ammonites in their war against David (II Samuel 10:6). It is probable that the city Abel of Beth-maachah in Naphtali (ib. xx. 15) derived its name from its relation to this kingdom and people.
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