2 Chronicles — Chapter 21
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1And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
2Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; these were all sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
3Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, as well as the fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
4When Jehoram had established himself over his father’s kingdom, he strengthened himself by putting to the sword all his brothers along with some of the princes of Israel.
5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
6And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.
7Yet the LORD was unwilling to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant He had made with David, and since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
8In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.
9So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his officers and all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night.
10So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled against his hand at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.
11Jehoram had also built high places on the hills of Judah; he had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.
12Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, which stated: “This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah,
13but you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have also killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you.
14So behold, the LORD is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a serious blow.
15And day after day you yourself will suffer from a severe illness, a disease of your bowels, until it causes your bowels to come out.’”
16Then the LORD stirred against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and Arabs who lived near the Cushites.
17So they went to war against Judah, invaded it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king’s palace, along with his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest.
18After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels.
19This continued day after day until two full years had passed. Finally, his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died in severe pain. And his people did not make a fire in his honor as they had done for his fathers.
20Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He died, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
1Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
2And 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.
3And 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.
4Now 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.
5Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6And 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.
7Howbeit 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.
8In his days the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah, and made themselves a king.
9Then 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.
10So 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.
11Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.
12And 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,
13But 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:
14Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods:
15And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.
16Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians:
17And 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.
18And after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
19And 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.
20Thirty 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.
1And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
2And 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.
3And their father gave them great gifts, of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the first-born.
4Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom of his father, and had strengthened himself, he slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel.
5Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.
7Howbeit Jehovah would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a lamp to him and to his children alway.
8In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
9Then Jehoram passed over with his captains, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots.
10So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day: then did Libnah revolt at the same time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Jehovah, the God of his fathers.
11Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, and led Judah astray.
12And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the 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,
13but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, like as the house of Ahab did, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father`s house, who were better than thyself:
14behold, Jehovah will smite with a great plague thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy substance;
15and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness, day by day.
16And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians that are beside the Ethiopians:
17and they came up against 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.
18And after all this Jehovah smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
19And it came to pass, in process of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, and he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
20Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
1Jehoshaphat passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king.
2His brothers, Jehoshaphat’s sons, were Azariah, Jechiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were sons of King Jehoshaphat of Israel.
3Their father gave them many presents, including silver, gold, and other precious items, along with fortified cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
4Jehoram took control of his father’s kingdom and became powerful. Then he killed all his brothers, as well as some of the officials of Israel.
5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.
6He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. He did evil in the sight of the Lord.
7But the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty because of the promise he had made to give David a perpetual dynasty.
8During Jehoram’s reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king.
9Jehoram crossed over with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.
10So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. At that same time Libnah also rebelled and freed themselves from Judah’s control because Jehoram rejected the Lord God of his ancestors.
11He also built high places on the hills of Judah; he encouraged the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord and led Judah away from the Lord.
12Jehoram received this letter from Elijah the prophet: “This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: ‘You have not followed in the footsteps of your father Jehoshaphat and of King Asa of Judah,
13but have instead followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. You encouraged the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord, just as the family of Ahab does in Israel. You also killed your brothers, members of your father’s family, who were better than you.
14So look, the Lord is about to severely afflict your people, your sons, your wives, and all you own.
15And you will get a serious, chronic intestinal disease which will cause your intestines to come out.’”
16The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the Philistines and the Arabs who lived beside the Cushites.
17They attacked Judah and swept through it. They carried off everything they found in the royal palace, including his sons and wives. None of his sons was left, except for his youngest, Ahaziah.
18After all this happened, the Lord afflicted him with an incurable intestinal disease.
19After about two years his intestines came out because of the disease, so that he died a very painful death. His people did not make a bonfire to honor him, as they had done for his ancestors.
20Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. No one regretted his death; he was buried in the City of David, but not in the royal tombs.
1Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in David’s city, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
2He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
3Their father gave them great gifts of silver, of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.
4Now when Jehoram had risen up over the kingdom of his father, and had strengthened himself, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel.
5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did Ahab’s house; for he had Ahab’s daughter as his wife. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight.
7However Yahweh would not destroy David’s house, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a lamp to him and to his children always.
8In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
9Then Jehoram went there with his captains and all his chariots with him. He rose up by night and struck the Edomites who surrounded him, along with the captains of the chariots.
10So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Yahweh, the God of his fathers.
11Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem play the prostitute, and led Judah astray.
12A letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Yahweh, the God of David your father, says, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the prostitute like Ahab’s house did, and also have slain your brothers of your father’s house, who were better than yourself,
14behold, Yahweh will strike your people with a great plague, including your children, your wives, and all your posessions;
15and you will have great sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels fall out by reason of the sickness, day by day.’”
16Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians who are beside the Ethiopians;
17and they came up against Judah, broke into it, and carried away all the posessions that were found in the king’s house, including his sons and his wives; so that there was no son left him, except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18After all this Yahweh struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
19In process of time, at the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, and he died of severe diseases. His people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
20He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He departed without being missed; and they buried him in David’s city, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Summary
Jehoram succeeds his father Jehoshaphat and secures the throne by murdering all his brothers and some officials (vv. 1-4). He walks in the ways of Ahab's house through his marriage to Ahab's daughter, doing evil in the Lord's sight, though God preserves David's line because of His covenant (vv. 5-7). During his reign Edom and Libnah revolt from Judah's rule because he has forsaken the Lord (vv. 8-10). The prophet Elijah sends him a letter condemning his idolatry and the murder of his brothers, and predicting a plague on his family and a severe intestinal disease for himself (vv. 12-15). The Lord then stirs up Philistine and Arabian raiders who plunder the palace and carry off his sons and wives, and Jehoram dies in agony from the foretold disease after two years, unmourned and buried outside the tombs of the kings (vv. 16-20).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Parallels 1-2 Kings but focuses exclusively on Judah (the southern kingdom). Jerusalem and the Temple are the theological center throughout.
- Key locations include various battle sites, reform locations, and high places destroyed or rebuilt by successive kings.
- The book ends with exile to Babylon (586 BC) and Cyrus's decree permitting return — the geographic arc moves from Jerusalem to Babylon and back.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- Babylonnear Hillah, IraqOn the Euphrates about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Judah's exiles were marched roughly 900 miles to get here, the long way round the Arabian desert, which is why the journey took months and the return was a genuine undertaking rather than a short trip home. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes the long-term consequences of Jehoshaphat's compromise: the marriage alliance with Ahab's house produced a son who walked in Ahab's ways and nearly extinguished the Davidic line. He notes the mercy of God in preserving one son (Jehoahaz/Ahaziah) and maintaining the covenant promise despite Jehoram's total apostasy. Guzik highlights that "departed without being desired" is the ultimate epitaph of a wicked life.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 2 Chronicles -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Securing Power Through Violence (v.4) — As soon as Jehoram takes the throne he murders all his brothers to eliminate rivals. When you feel threatened by others' potential, is your instinct to tear them down or to trust God with your own position?
- Compromise's Long Reach (vv.6-7) — Jehoram follows the wicked pattern of Ahab's house because of his marriage into that family, yet God still preserves David's line for the sake of his own covenant, not Jehoram's worthiness. Are you making relational or partnership choices today whose spiritual cost won't show up until years later?
- Leading Others Into Sin (v.11) — Jehoram doesn't just sin privately — he actively leads Jerusalem's people into unfaithfulness. If you have any influence over others, how does your example shape the direction they take, for better or worse?
- Warned Before Judged (vv.12-15) — Elijah's letter spells out specific consequences before they happen, giving Jehoram opportunity to repent that he never takes. When you sense God's conviction about something specific, do you treat it as a warning worth heeding or noise to ignore?
- A Life No One Mourns (v.20) — Jehoram dies with no honor, no royal burial, and no one desiring his memory. What kind of legacy are you building day to day — one people will genuinely miss, or one they'll quietly be relieved to see end?