2 Chronicles — Chapter 27

Loading ESV text...

1Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly.

3He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.

4Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.

5He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year, and the third.

6So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

7Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

8He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

9And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

1Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother`s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.

2And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he entered not into the temple of Jehovah. And the people did yet corruptly.

3He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.

4Moreover he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.

5He fought also with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon render unto him, in the second year also, and in the third.

6So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before Jehovah his God.

7Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

8He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

9And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.

2He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.) Yet the people were still sinning.

3He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple and did a lot of work on the wall in the area known as Ophel.

4He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.

5He launched a military campaign against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents of silver, 10,000 cors of wheat, and 10,000 cors of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years.

6Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God.

7The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his military campaigns and his accomplishments, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

8He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem.

9Jotham passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.

2He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, according to all that his father Uzziah had done. However he didn’t enter into Yahweh’s temple. The people still acted corruptly.

3He built the upper gate of Yahweh’s house, and he built much on the wall of Ophel.

4Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers.

5He also fought with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. The children of Ammon gave him the same year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat, and ten thousand cors of barley. The children of Ammon also gave that much to him in the second year, and in the third.

6So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before Yahweh his God.

7Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

8He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

9Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in David’s city; and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Jotham reigns righteously, building the upper gate of the Temple and fortifying Judah, growing mighty because he orders his ways before the Lord. Unlike his father Uzziah, he does not enter the Temple unlawfully, though the people continue their corrupt practices.

Authorship & Background

Author: Traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe. Originally one book with 1 Chronicles. Written post-exile (approximately 450-400 BC). 2 Chronicles covers Solomon's reign through the Babylonian exile and Cyrus's decree of return (approximately 970-538 BC). The Chronicler focuses exclusively on Judah (ignoring the northern kingdom) and emphasizes Temple worship, reform movements, and the principle of 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people... shall humble themselves, and pray... then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Historical Context: Chapter 27 is one of the shortest royal accounts in Chronicles — just nine verses covering Jotham's sixteen-year reign (approximately 750-735 BC). Yet its brevity is itself theologically significant. Unlike his father Uzziah (whose dramatic sin required extensive narration) or his son Ahaz (whose comprehensive wickedness demands a full chapter of documentation), Jotham receives a brief, entirely positive record. He represents the quiet faithfulness that needs no dramatic correction — a king who simply did right and prospered, without the sensational highs or catastrophic lows that fill other royal accounts.
The Chronicler's summary verdict is verse 6: "So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God." This single verse encapsulates the Chronicler's entire theology of prosperity — might comes from prepared, deliberate faithfulness before God. The word "prepared" (Hebrew "hekin" — to establish, fix, direct) suggests not spontaneous emotion but settled, ordered life-direction. Jotham's greatness was the fruit of consistent, intentional obedience.
Jotham's accomplishments were substantial despite the chapter's brevity: he built the upper gate of the Temple (improving access to worship), fortified Ophel (the area between the City of David and the Temple mount), built cities throughout Judah's hill country, erected fortresses in the forests, and defeated the Ammonites so decisively that they paid heavy tribute for three consecutive years. His reign was a period of expansion, security, and material prosperity.
Two qualifying notes prevent idealization. First, "he entered not into the temple of the LORD" (v.2) — he learned from his father's leprosy and respected priestly boundaries. This was wisdom born from witnessing consequences. Second, "the people did yet corruptly" (v.2) — despite the king's personal faithfulness, the nation's spiritual condition remained compromised. A good king does not automatically produce a good people; individual faithfulness does not guarantee communal transformation. Jotham's personal obedience protected him but could not compel national repentance. This tension — between private devotion and public corruption — foreshadows the deeper reform that would eventually be needed under Hezekiah. Jotham was faithful; the nation was not. His reward was personal — "he became mighty" — but the nation's corruption would bear fruit in the next generation under Ahaz.

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.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes that Jotham's brief chapter demonstrates that faithfulness does not always produce dramatic narrative. The quiet, steady king receives less text than the dramatic sinner — yet his life was arguably more successful before God. Guzik emphasizes "he prepared his ways" as the key to Jotham's power — deliberate, ordered, consistent faithfulness rather than sporadic spiritual intensity.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "Jotham became mighty — not suddenly, not by some great exploit or singular providence, but 'because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.' Here is the secret of true power: ordered, established, directed living in the sight of God. The man who prepares his ways — who thinks before he acts, who orders his steps by the Word, who lives deliberately rather than carelessly — that man shall become mighty, though no one records his story in detail. Jotham's chapter is short, but his life was full. Many a Christian has a long biography who has less real substance than those whose faithfulness is summed in a sentence."

Videos

The Bible Project — 2 Chronicles Overview

Reflection

  • 1. Quiet faithfulness is powerful faithfulness (v.6). Jotham has no dramatic conversion story, no spectacular miracle, no sensational crisis — just consistent, prepared obedience. And he "became mighty." In a culture that celebrates dramatic testimonies and spiritual spectacles, Jotham reminds us that steady, quiet, deliberate faithfulness produces genuine power. You don't need a dramatic story — you need prepared ways.
  • 2. Learn from others' failures without repeating them (v.2). Jotham watched leprosy consume his father for Temple presumption — and he "entered not into the temple." Wisdom observes consequences in others' lives and adjusts accordingly. You don't need to experience every failure personally. Watch, learn, and establish different boundaries than those who fell before you.
  • 3. Personal righteousness has limits — you cannot compel others' hearts (v.2). The people "did yet corruptly" despite Jotham's faithful example. You may live faithfully and still see your family, church, or community choose corruption. This is not your failure — each person bears responsibility for their own response to God. Be faithful regardless of others' choices; your reward is personal relationship with God, not guaranteed influence over others.
  • 4. Invest in God's house according to your role (v.3). Jotham could not burn incense (that was priestly), but he could build the gate. He served worship through his specific gifting — construction, fortification, infrastructure. Find your appropriate contribution to God's house and give it fully. Not everyone preaches, but everyone can build something that supports worship.
  • 5. Intentional living produces lasting results (v.6). "He prepared his ways" — not drifted, not stumbled, not improvised, but prepared. Spiritual power comes from deliberate decisions about how you will live: what you will read, who you will listen to, how you will spend your time, where you will invest your energy. Prepare your ways before God with the same intentionality you bring to career planning or financial management.