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2 Chronicles 21

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Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat and Executes His Brothers 1–4

1
Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. ​
2
And he had brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah: all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
3
And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram; because he was the firstborn.
4
Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel. ​

Jehoram's Wicked Reign and Alliance with Ahab 5–7

5
Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6
And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD. ​
7
Howbeit the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever. ​

Rebellions and Further Apostasy 8–11

8
In his days the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah, and made themselves a king. ​
9
Then Jehoram went forth with his princes, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him in, and the captains of the chariots.
10
So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his hand; because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers. ​
11
Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto. ​

Elijah Prophesies Judgment 12–15

12
And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, ​
13
But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: ​
14
Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods:
15
And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day. ​

Fulfillment of Judgment and Death 16–20

16
Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians: ​
17
And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons. ​
18
And after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
19
And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. ​
20
Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 21

Verse 1

slept with his fathers — The sentence is that of 1 Kgs 22:50, which ends ‘and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead’. Shakab is to lie down. The new king’s name, Yehoram, means ‘the LORD is exalted’, yet v.6 measures him by the house of Ahab and v.12 by Jehoshaphat and Asa.

Verse 4

slew all his brethren — The six brothers are named in v.2, and their father had given them gifts and fenced cities (v.3). Abimelech had done the same to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal (Judg 9:5). The LORD’s letter counts it against him: ‘thy brethren… which were better than thyself’ (v.13). ‘Israel’ here means the people of Judah, as in v.2.

Verse 6

the daughter of Ahab — Jehoshaphat had ‘joined affinity with Ahab’ (2 Chr 18:1), and the marriage now shapes his son’s reign. Her name is given in 22:2 as Athaliah, ‘the daughter of Omri’, Omri being Ahab’s father (1 Kgs 16:29). Jehoram ‘walked in the way of the kings of Israel’, as 2 Kgs 8:18 also records.

Verse 7

a light — Nir, a lamp. The promise is ‘that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem’ (1 Kgs 11:36), and 2 Kgs 8:19 gives it for this same reign. It rests on ‘the covenant that he had made with David’, and Ps 132:17 says, ‘I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.’

Verse 8

revolted — Pasha, to rebel, the verb that returns in v.10 for Edom and Libnah. David had put garrisons in Edom (2 Sam 8:14), and under Jehoshaphat ‘a deputy was king’ (1 Kgs 22:47). Now they ‘made themselves a king’. Isaac’s word to Esau, ‘thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck’ (Gen 27:40), is recalled.

Verse 10

Libnah — A priestly city, given with Hebron to ‘the children of Aaron’ (Josh 21:13). Its revolt is tied to the king’s sin: ‘because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers’. ‘Forsaken’ is azab, the word of the warning to Asa, ‘if ye forsake him, he will forsake you’ (2 Chr 15:2).

Verse 11

fornication — Zanah, the word for unfaithfulness to the LORD, as when Israel had ‘gone a whoring’ after devils (Lev 17:7). It returns in v.13 as ‘go a whoring’. ‘Compelled’ is nadach, to drive away, the verb of Deut 13:10, of one who ‘sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God’.

Verse 12

a writing — Miktav, the word used of the tables of the law, ‘the writing was the writing of God’ (Ex 32:16). It comes ‘from Elijah the prophet’ in the name of ‘the LORD God of David thy father’. Jehoram is set against Jehoshaphat, who ‘walked in the first ways of his father David’ (2 Chr 17:3), and Asa (2 Chr 14:2).

Verse 13

go a whoring — The same zanah as in v.11, now charged in the LORD’s own words: Judah led ‘like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab’, a phrase Jehu uses of Jezebel (2 Kgs 9:22). The second charge is the brothers ‘which were better than thyself’, tov, good, the sons named in v.2.

Verse 15

disease of thy bowels — Me’ah, the inward parts, named twice in this verse. It is fulfilled in v.18, ‘the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease’, and in v.19, where the verb yatsa, to go out, is used again for the bowels falling out ‘after the end of two years’.

Verse 16

stirred up — Ur, to rouse, the verb of 1 Chr 5:26, ‘the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria’, and of Ezra 1:1 for Cyrus. The LORD uses ‘the Philistines, and… the Arabians’, as he had ‘stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite’ (1 Kgs 11:14, where the verb is qum, to raise up).

Verse 17

Jehoahaz — The one son left is called Ahaziah in 22:1. Both names are made of the same two parts, ‘the LORD’ and ‘seized’, in reverse order. The raiders took the substance of the king’s house, his sons and his wives, and 22:1 adds that the band ‘had slain all the eldest’.

Verse 19

burning — Serephah, the burning of spices at a king’s burial. Asa had ‘a very great burning’ (2 Chr 16:14), and this word is used of the rite only there and here. Jehoram’s people ‘made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers’, and his illness ended ‘after the end of two years’.

Verse 20

departed without being desired — Chemdah is what is prized or desired. He went ‘without being desired’, and was buried ‘in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings’. Joash is denied the same place (2 Chr 24:25), and Jehoiakim is told ‘They shall not lament for him’ (Jer 22:18).