2 Chronicles 21

2Ch 21:1-4.

JEHORAM

SUCCEEDS

JEHOSHAPHAT.

1-4. Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers . . . Jehoram

. . . reigned--The late king left seven sons; two of

them are in our version named Azariah; but in the Hebrew they appear

considerably different, the one being spelt "Azariah," and the other

"Azariahu." Though Jehoshaphat had made his family arrangements with

prudent precaution, and while he divided the functions of royalty in

his lifetime (compare

2Ki 8:16),

as well as fixed the succession to the throne in his oldest son, he

appointed each of the others to the government of a fenced city, thus

providing them with an honorable independence. But this good intentions

were frustrated; for no sooner did Jehoram find himself in the sole

possession of sovereign power than, from jealousy, or on account of

their connections, he murdered all his brothers, together with some

leading influential persons who, he suspected, were attached to their

interest, or would avenge their deaths. Similar tragedies have been

sadly frequent in Eastern courts, where the heir of the crown looks

upon his brothers as his most formidable enemies, and is therefore

tempted to secure his power by their death.

2Ch 21:5-7.

HIS

WICKED

REIGN.

6, 7. he walked . . . as did the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter

of Ahab to wife--The precepts and examples of his excellent father

were soon obliterated by his matrimonial alliance with a daughter of

the royal house of Israel. Through the influence of Athaliah he

abolished the worship of the Lord, and encouraged an introduction of

all the corruptions prevalent in the sister kingdom. The divine

vengeance was denounced against him, and would have utterly destroyed

him and his house, had it not been for a tender regard to the promise

made to David

(2Sa 7:29;

2Ki 8:19).

2Ch 21:8-17.

EDOM AND

LIBNAH

REVOLT.

8-10. the Edomites revolted--That nation had been made dependent by

David, and down to the time of Jehoshaphat was governed by a tributary

ruler

(1Ki 22:47;

2Ki 3:9).

But that king having been slain in an insurrection at home, his

successor thought to ingratiate himself with his new subjects by

raising the flag of independence [JOSEPHUS]. The

attempt was defeated in the first instance by Jehoram, who possessed

all the military establishments of his father; but being renewed

unexpectedly, the Edomites succeeded in completely emancipating their

country from the yoke of Judah

(Ge 27:40).

Libnah, which lay on the southern frontier and towards Edom, followed

the example of that country.

12-15. there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet--That

prophet's translation having taken place in the reign of Jehoshaphat

[2Ki 2:11, 12],

we must conclude that the name of Elijah has, by the error of a

transcriber, been put for that of Elisha.

13-19. hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem . . . like to

the whoredoms of the house of Ahab--that is, introduced the

superstitions and vices of Phœnician idolatry

(see on

De 13:6-14).

On this account, as well as for his unnatural cruelties, divine

vengeance was denounced against him, which was soon after executed

exactly as the prophet had foretold. A series of overwhelming

calamities befell this wicked king; for in addition to the revolts

already mentioned, two neighboring tribes (see

2Ch 17:11)

made hostile incursions on the southern and western portions of his

kingdom. His country was ravaged, his capital taken, his palace

plundered, his wives carried off, and all his children slain except the

youngest. He himself was seized with an incurable dysentery, which,

after subjecting him to the most painful suffering for the unusual

period of two years, carried him off, a monument of the divine

judgment. To complete his degradation, his death was unlamented, his

burial unhonored by his subjects. This custom, similar to what obtained

in Egypt, seems to have crept in among the Hebrews, of giving funeral

honors to their kings, or withholding them, according to the good or

bad characters of their reign.