מלכים א, פרק ט״ו, פסוק כ״ג

The summary of King Asa’s reign presents a highly successful and active leader. While the comprehensive account of his life was recorded in the Book of Chronicles, the record here provides only the broad outlines and the most significant events of his rule [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. His legacy of bravery stems directly from his triumphs in various military campaigns, most notably his successful war against the Cushites [רד״ק].

Despite a lifetime of achievements, his later years were marked by an unfortunate exception. As he grew old, he was struck by an illness [מצודת דוד]. Specifically, he suffered from a disease that afflicted his feet [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. A tradition from the Sages explains the cause of this affliction, noting that the king was punished with this foot illness because he had previously drafted Torah scholars into forced labor [רד״ק].