MAACHA. — Biblical name of nine persons, of both sexes, from the first of whom a branch name (v.). The principal ones are:
1. M., son of Nachor, brother of Abraham (Gen. 22:24), from whom descended a branch of the Arameans that settled between Hermon and the mountains of Bashan east of the Jordan and formed the kingdom of M. or Maachati. This region was assigned by Joshua to the tribe of Manasseh, but in fact the Maachatites could not be exterminated. In the time of David, the king of M. formed an alliance with other Aramean kings against Israel, but was defeated by Ioab near Medaba in the tribe of Ruben (II Sam. 10:6, 8; I Par. 19:6 ff.).
2. M., wife of Roboam, king of Judah, and mother of Abia (I Reg. 15:2; II Par. 11:20–22), called the “daughter” of Absalom: she was in fact his granddaughter, since Absalom had only one daughter (II Sam. 14:27), named Thamar (her father, according to II Par. 13:2, was called Uriel, of Gabaa; M.’s name is altered to Michaia).
She abused the influence she first had over her husband and then over her son Abia in order to promote idolatry, erecting in the temple an image (mihfeeth “abomination,” Volg. Priapus) to 'Ašērāh. King Asa, Abia’s successor, smashed and burned that idol and, in order to be freer in his religious reform, removed M., the principal promoter of idolatrous worship, from her rank of gēbhrāh or queen mother (I Reg. 15:11–13). Gaetano Stano