MAACHA. — Biblical name of nine characters, of both sexes, from the first of whom a branch of the Arameans took its name (v.). The principal ones are:
1. M., son of Nahor, brother of Abraham (Gen. 22:24), from whom descends a branch of the Arameans, who settled between Hermon and the mountains of Bashan east of the Jordan and formed the kingdom of M. or Maacathites. This region was assigned by Joshua to the tribe of Manasseh, but in fact the Maacathites could not be uprooted. In the time of David, the king of M. formed an alliance with other Aramean kings against Israel, but was defeated by Joab near Medeba in the tribe of Reuben (2 Sam. 10:6, 8; 1 Chron. 19:6 ff.).
2. M., consort of Rehoboam, king of Judah, and mother of Abijah (1 Kings 15:2; 2 Chron. 11:20–22), called “daughter” of Absalom: she was in fact his granddaughter, since Absalom had only one daughter (2 Sam. 14:27) named Tamar (her father, according to 2 Chron. 13:2, was named Uriel, of Gibeah: the name of M. is altered to Michaiah).
She abused the influence she had first over her husband and then over her son Abijah to promote idolatry, erecting in the temple a likeness (miphleseth, “abomination,” Vulg. Priapus) to Asherah. King Asa, successor of Abijah, broke and burned that idol, and to be more free in his religious reform removed M., the chief instigator of idolatrous worship, from her rank of gebhirah or queen mother (1 Kings 15:11–13).