Advice for a Successful Doctor's Visit: King Asa Meets Ben Sira

In 2 Chr 16:12b, King Asa is criticized for turning to physicians in his time of sickness. Scholars disagree about the reasons for the Chronicler's disapproval of Asa's behavior. In this essay, I argue that Asa's mistake consisted of turning to physicians alone when he should also have consulted priests and prophets. Support for this reading can be found in Sir 38:1-15, which describes the role of physicians in consideration of priestly and prophetic roles in healing and mediating between humans and God. Careful analysis of Sir 38:1-15 illustrates that physicians are endowed with divine wisdom but cannot represent God directly. Consequently, Asa's ill-fated consultation with the physicians demonstrates that their service should always be combined with prayer and sacrifices.