מלכים א, פרק ט״ו, פסוק ל״ג

The transfer of power in the northern kingdom creates a complex overlapping timeline with the southern kingdom of Judah. When a new king takes the throne, the transition year often serves a dual purpose in the royal records. The third year of Asa's rule in Judah marks the beginning of Baasha's reign in Israel. However, this same year also belonged to his predecessor, Nadab. Since Nadab was assassinated that year and Baasha immediately seized control, that specific year is credited to both rulers [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Furthermore, the twenty-four years of Baasha's total reign are calculated using partial years, meaning even a fraction of a calendar year is counted as a full year in the overall tally [מצודת דוד].

This timeline presents a significant historical puzzle when compared to the records in the Book of Chronicles. Chronicles states that Baasha went to war against Asa in the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign. Yet, if Baasha began ruling in Asa's third year and reigned for twenty-four years, he would have died by Asa's twenty-seventh year. It seems impossible for him to fight a war nine years after his own death [רד״ק].

To resolve this discrepancy, commentators offer two primary explanations [רד״ק]. One approach suggests that the two historical books use completely different starting points for their counting. While Chronicles counts from the actual year Asa was crowned, the Book of Kings only counts the years of his military conflicts. Because Asa enjoyed ten initial years of peace, the third year of his reign actually means the third year of his wars. This shifts Baasha's entire timeline to a much later period in Asa's overall reign, neatly resolving the mathematical conflict.

An alternative perspective argues that the thirty-six years mentioned in Chronicles does not refer to Asa's reign at all. Instead, it marks the time that had passed since the united kingdom split following the death of Solomon. This specific number corresponds to a penalty for the thirty-six years Solomon was married to the daughter of Pharaoh. According to this tradition, the divided kingdom was destined to reunite in Asa's sixteenth year, which was the thirty-sixth year of the split. However, during that fateful war, Asa sinned by trusting the king of Aram and bribing him with the treasures of the House of God rather than relying on God. As a result of this lack of faith, the kingdom remained divided. Even so, this second explanation introduces its own complication, as it contradicts other historical records stating there were no wars at all until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's rule.