Add parallel Print Page Options

Jehoram’s Reign over Judah

16 In the fifth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became king over Judah.[a] 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 18 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter.[b] He did evil in the sight of[c] the Lord. 19 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of[d] his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty.[e]

20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king.[f] 21 Jehoram[g] crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.[h] The Israelite army retreated to their homeland.[i] 22 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day.[j] At that same time Libnah also rebelled.

23 The rest of the events of Jehoram’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[k] 24 Jehoram passed away[l] and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 8:16 tc The Hebrew text reads, “and in the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, and [or, ‘while’?] Jehoshaphat [was?] king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king.” The first reference to “Jehoshaphat king of Judah” is probably due to a scribe accidentally copying the phrase from later in the verse. If the Hebrew text is retained, the verse probably refers to the beginning of a coregency between Jehoshaphat and Jehoram.
  2. 2 Kings 8:18 tn Heb “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.”
  3. 2 Kings 8:18 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  4. 2 Kings 8:19 tn The Hebrew has only one sentence, “and the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah for the sake of.” The translation divides it for the sake of clarity.
  5. 2 Kings 8:19 tn Heb “just as he had said to him, to give to him a lamp for his sons all the days.” The metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty; this is reflected in the translation.
  6. 2 Kings 8:20 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
  7. 2 Kings 8:21 tn Heb “Joram,” which is a short form of the name Jehoram (also in vv. 23, 24).
  8. 2 Kings 8:21 tc Heb “and he arose at night and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him, and the chariot officers.” The Hebrew text as it stands gives the impression that Jehoram was surrounded and launched a victorious night counterattack. It would then be quite natural to understand the last statement in the verse to refer to an Edomite retreat. Yet v. 22 goes on to state that the Edomite revolt was successful. Therefore, if the MT is retained, it may be better to understand the final statement in v. 21 as a reference to an Israelite retreat (made in spite of the success described in the preceding sentence). Instead the translation assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text, adding a vav (ו) to the accusative sign before Edom, reading אֹתוֹ (ʾoto, “him,”) instead of just אֶת (ʾet). In this reading, Edom is the subject of the verb rather than the direct object, “Edom struck him.” This is more consistent with the context but there is no manuscript evidence in favor of this.
  9. 2 Kings 8:21 tn Heb “and the people fled to their tents.”
  10. 2 Kings 8:22 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
  11. 2 Kings 8:23 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Joram and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
  12. 2 Kings 8:24 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”

Jehoram Comes to the Throne of Judah

16 Sometime during the fifth year of the reign of Ahab’s son Joram, king of Israel (while Jehoshaphat was still ruling as king of Judah), Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram ascended to the throne of Judah. 17 He was 32 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. 18 He lived his life like the kings of Israel did, following the example of Ahab’s household when he married Ahab’s daughter and practiced what was evil in the Lord’s presence.[a] 19 But the Lord remained unwilling to destroy Judah for the sake of his servant David, since he had promised to keep[b] David’s lamp burning brightly through his descendants every day.

20 During Jehoram’s lifetime, Edom rebelled from Judah’s hegemony and appointed a king to rule over themselves. 21 Then Joram crossed over to Zair, along with all of his chariots. At night he attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the commanders of his chariots, but the army[c] ran away to their tents. 22 Edom remains in rebellion against Judah to this day, and Libnah revolted at the same time. 23 The rest of the official[d] acts of Joram, along with everything else that he did, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah,[e] are they not?

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram

24 After Jehoram was laid to rest with his ancestors in the City of David, his son Ahaziah replaced him as king.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 8:18 Lit. sight
  2. 2 Kings 8:19 Lit. give
  3. 2 Kings 8:21 Lit. people
  4. 2 Kings 8:23 The Heb. lacks official
  5. 2 Kings 8:23 An ancient chronicle of Israel, apparently now lost; and so throughout the book