מלכים א, פרק ט״ו, פסוק י״ח

Faced with a looming military threat and commanding an army that lacks the strength to secure victory, Asa turns to a political and economic strategy. It is a pragmatic approach that later kings would also adopt. To secure a vital alliance, he empties the treasuries of both the Temple and the royal palace, sending these riches with his servants to Ben-hadad, the king of Aram [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The wealth collected for this diplomatic gift is specifically identified as the remaining silver and gold. This detail points back to an earlier national disaster, when Shishak, the king of Egypt, plundered the Temple. Asa is merely gathering what survived that previous looting [רד״ק]. However, this raises a historical question, as earlier accounts claim that the Egyptian king took absolutely everything. If the treasuries were stripped bare, how could there be anything left for Asa to send away?

Commentators offer different explanations for this surviving wealth. One approach suggests that Shishak only took what was readily visible. While he cleared out everything he could find, he completely missed hidden caches of treasure concealed within the Temple [מצודת דוד, חומת אנך]. Another perspective argues that Shishak intentionally left certain riches behind. According to this view, the earlier claim that he took all the wealth was actually a specific reference to King Solomon's magnificent throne. The Egyptian king desired the throne above all other spoils. Because his primary focus and ultimate prize was securing that specific throne, he willingly left a portion of the other treasures behind [חומת אנך].