2 Chronicles 21:1

Jehoram Reigns in Judah

1 And ^aJehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

3 Their father gave them great gifts of silver and gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

4 Now when Jehoram was established over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also others of the princes of Israel.

5 ^aJehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of ^aAhab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.

7 Yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the ^acovenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his ^bsons forever.

8 ^aIn his days Edom revolted against Judah’s authority, and made a king over themselves.

9 So Jehoram went out with his officers, and all his chariots with him. And he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots.

10 Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah’s authority to this day. At that time Libnah revolted against his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers.

11 Moreover he made¹ high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to ^acommit harlotry, and led Judah astray.

12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying,
Thus says the Lord God of your father David:
Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have ^amade Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to ^bplay the harlot like the ^charlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have ^dkilled your brothers, those of your father’s household, who were better than yourself,

14 behold, the Lord will strike your people with a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions;

15 and you will become very sick with a ^adisease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.

16 Moreover the ^aLord ^bstirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the ^cArabians who were near the Ethiopians.

17 And they came up into Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king’s house, and also ^ahis sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except¹ Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

18 After all this the Lord struck him ^ain his intestines with an incurable disease.

19 Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain. And his people made no¹ burning for him, like ^athe burning for his fathers.

20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one’s sorrow, departed. However they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does 2 Chronicles 21:1 Mean?

2 Chronicles 21:1-4

Jehoram kills off his own brothers to make sure that they do not usurp the throne. If we give him the benefit of the doubt, from a carnal standpoint, he may have had good reason to do what he did, because his brothers may have been indicating that they were already plotting to overthrow him out of jealousy. Perhaps they thought that they were every bit as good as Jehoram, and that they should sit on the throne instead. Jehoram, though, had more power and beat them to the punch, putting them to death before they assassinated him.

The background for this event begins in II Chronicles 18:1, where it innocently says, "Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab." Ahab was possibly the most wicked king that Israel ever had, and his wife was the infamous Jezebel. How were relations cemented between Jehoshaphat and Ahab? They arranged a marriage! Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, married Ahab and Jezebel's daughter, Athaliah. This was a common way of making an alliance in those days. They became blood relatives.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Why Three Kings Are Missing From Matthew 1

2 Chronicles 21:1-4

What a horrible way to begin his reign! He slays his brothers to ensure that they do not usurp his throne. If we give him the benefit of the doubt, it is entirely possible that, from a carnal standpoint, he had good reason to rid himself of them. Perhaps his brothers showed signs of plotting a coup d'état out of envy (though God says in verse 13 that they were better men than Jehoram). Maybe they thought Jehoshaphat should have given them the throne since they were better men. In any case, Jehoram held power, and he beat them to the punch, putting them to death before they assassinated him.

The background for this event reaches back to II Chronicles 18:1, where it innocently reads, “Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab.” Ahab, whose wife was the infamous Jezebel, was possibly the most wicked king who ever ruled over Israel. Jehoshaphat and Ahab cemented their relationship by arranging a marriage between Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, and Ahab and Jezebel's daughter, Athaliah. Such arranged dynastic marriages were quite common in those days. So, the two houses becamee allies through marriage.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Three Missing Kings (Part One)

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Jehoram Reigns in Judah

What Does 2 Chronicles 21:1 Mean?

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