2 Chronicles 15:16 (WEB)

Passage

Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; so Asa cut down her image, ground it into dust, and burned it at the brook Kidron.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 15:14 They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets.

2 Chronicles 15:15 All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by them. Then Yahweh gave them rest all around.

2 Chronicles 15:16 Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; so Asa cut down her image, ground it into dust, and burned it at the brook Kidron.

2 Chronicles 15:17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

2 Chronicles 15:18 He brought the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, gold, and vessels into God’s house.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "maacah", "mother", "king", "removed", "queen", "abominable", "image", and "asherah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "maacah" and "mother", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "All Judah rejoiced at the oath for..." into verse 17's "But the high places were not taken...", so "maacah" and "mother" belong inside that flow. In 2 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "maacah" and "mother" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.