Maacah was a region where Golan Heights and possibly portions of Syria and Lebanon now reside.
There were several people (3 or 4 males, and 5 females) named Maacah. Most likely, the region was probably named after Maacah,
the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. After all, Geshur and Maacah both show on the map in adjoining areas.
In Joshua 12 and 13, Maacah and Geshur are stated together, further supporting the theory that Maacah might have been named after Talmai's daughter.
Joshua 12:1-5:
1. These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah:
2. Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge--from the middle of the gorge--to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead.
3. He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
4. And the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
5. He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and Maacah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
Joshua 13:1-13:
1. When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the LORD said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.
2. "This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites:
3. from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the territory of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron--that of the Avvites);
4. from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek, the region of the Amorites,
5. the area of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
6. "As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you,
7. and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh."
8. The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the LORD, had assigned it to them.
9. It extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon,
10. and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, out to the border of the Ammonites.
11. It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salecah--
12. that is, the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had survived as one of the last of the Rephaites. Moses had defeated them and taken over their land.
13. But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.
Two parallel passages speak of Maacah as part of Aram. 1 Chronicles 19:6 actually referred to it as "Aram Maacah".
2 Samuel 10:1-8:
1. In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king.
2. David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David's men came to the land of the Ammonites,
3. the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn't David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?"
4.So Hanun seized David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.
5. When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."
6. When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David's nostrils, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.
7. On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.
8. The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
1 Chronicles 19:1-7:
1. In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king.
2. David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David's men came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him,
3. the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Haven't his men come to you to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?"
4. So Hanun seized David's men, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.
5. When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."
6. When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David's nostrils, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah and Zobah.
7. They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.
It seemed that David married Talmai's daughter Maacah to keep peace in that region.
These 2 references that most support the conclusion of the ties between Maacah and Geshur were brought to light because of David's son, Absalom.
Talmai > Maacah (daughter) > Absalom < king David (father) - 1 Kings 15:2
2 Samuel 3:2-3:
2. Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;
3. his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
1 Chronicles 3:1-3:
1. These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel;
2. the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;
3. the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.
Shem ... Terah > Nahor > Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah (via concubine Reumah) - Genesis 22:23-24:
23. Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham's brother Nahor.
24. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah.
Maacah (king of Gath) > Achish - 1 Kings 2:39:
39. But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran off to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, "Your slaves are in Gath."
David > Solomon > Rehoboam > Abijah (mother: Maacah) > Asa
Abijah's son, Asa, replaced him as king of Judah. His mother's name was Maacah.
2 Chronicles 11:18-22; 13:1-2; 15:16:
18. Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David's son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse's son Eliab.
19. She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham.
20. Then he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith.
21. Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22. Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah to be the chief prince among his brothers, in order to make him king.
1. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah,
2. and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother's name was Maacah, a daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
16. King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
1 Kings 15:1-2,8-13:
1. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah,
2. and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
...
8. And Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.
9. In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah,
10. and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11. Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.
12. He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made.
13. He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
Jacob > Judah > Perez > Hezron > Caleb > Sheber and Tirhanah (via concubine Maacah) - 1 Chronicles 2:48:
48. Caleb's concubine Maacah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah.
Jacob > Joseph > Manasseh ... Makir, Maacah (Makir's sister) - 1 Chronicles 7:15-16:
15. Makir took a wife from among the Huppites and Shuppites. His sister's name was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.
16. Makir's wife Maacah gave birth to a son and named him Peresh. His brother was named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.
a Benjamite named Jeiel > Gibeon (mother: Maacah) - 1 Chronicles 8:29-32, 9:35-38:
29. Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife's name was Maacah,
30. and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
31. Gedor, Ahio, Zeker
32. and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
Hanan, son of Maacah (one of David's "mighty men") - 1 Chronicles 11:43;
If Maacah was male in this case, perhaps it was the king of Gath from 1 Kings 2 (above).
Maacah > Shephatiah (a Reubenite) - 1 Chronicles 27:16:
16. The officers over the tribes of Israel: over the Reubenites: Eliezer son of Zicri; over the Simeonites: Shephatiah son of Maacah;
