2 Kings 8:18

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 8:16-24

We have here a brief account of the life and reign of Jehoram (or Joram), one of the worst of the kings of Judah, but the son and successor of Jehoshaphat, one of the best. Note, 1. Parents cannot give grace to their children. Many that have themselves been godly have had the grief and shame of seeing those that came forth out of their bowels wicked and vile. Let not the families that are thus afflicted think it strange. 2. If the children of good parents prove wicked, commonly they are worse... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 8:18

And he walked in the way of the king's of Israel, as did the house of Ahab ,.... Imitated them in idolatry: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife ; whose name was Athaliah, 2 Kings 8:26 , and by her he was drawn into idolatrous practices; of such bad consequence are marriages with idolaters; it is very much that so good a king as Jehoshaphat his father was should contract such an affinity; he suffered for it in more instances than one: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord ; was... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 8:18

The daughter of Ahab was his wife - This was the infamous Athaliah; and through this marriage Jehoshaphat and Ahab were confederates; and this friendship was continued after Ahab's death. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 8:1-29

THE SEQUEL OF THE STORY OF THE SHUNAMMITE . THE KILLING OF BENHADAD BY HAZAEL ; AND THE WICKED REIGNS OF JEHORAM AND AHAZIAH IN JUDAH . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 8:16-24

THE WICKED REIGN OF JEHORAM IN JUDAH . At this point the writer, who has been concerned with the history of the kingdom of Israel hitherto in the present book, takes up the story of the kingdom of Judah from 1 Kings 22:50 , and proceeds to give a very brief account of the reign of Jehoshaphat's eldest son, Jehoram, or (by contraction) Joram. His narrative has to be supplemented from 2 Chronicles 21:1-20 ; which contains many facts not mentioned by the writer of Kings. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 8:16-27

The power of bad women for evil. All the evil wrought, all the irreligion, all the licentiousness and depravity, and almost all the misery suffered during the reigns of Ahab, Ahaziah, and Jehoram in Israel, and of Jehoram and Ahaziah in Judah, were caused by the machinations and influence of two wicked women—Jezebel and her daughter Athaliah. Jezebel, a proud imperious woman, born in the purple, a "king's daughter;" and extraordinarily strong-minded and unscrupulous, obtained a complete... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 8:16-29

Two kings of Judah. (On the chronology, see Exposition.) The reigns of Jehoram and Ahaziah are black spots in the history of Judah. I. JEHORAM , SON OF JEHOSHAPHAT . We may notice concerning this ruler: 1. He had a pious father . We may quote Thomas Fuller's quaint comments on this part of the Savior's genealogy: "Lord, I find the genealogy of my Savior strangely checkered with four remarkable changes in four immediate generations. I see, Lord, from hence, that my... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 8:17-24

Lessons from the life of Jehoram. "Thirty and two years old was he [Jehoram] when he began to reign," etc. This is a short fragment of a king's history—the history of Jehoram. Brief as it is, it contains many practical truths. I. THAT PIETY IS NOT NECESSARILY HEREDITARY . Parents, as a rule, transmit their physical and intellectual qualities to their children, but not their moral characters. Jehoram was a bad man and a wicked king, but he was the son of Jehoshaphat, who was a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 8:18

And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab ; i.e. he introduced into Judah the Baal and Astarte worship, which Ahab had introduced into Israel from Phoenicia. The "house of Ahab" maintained and spread the Baal-worship, wherever it had influence. Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, championed it in Israel ( 1 Kings 22:53 ); Jehoram, his brother, allowed its continuance ( 2 Kings 10:18-28 ); Jehoram of Judah was induced by his wife, Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, to... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Kings 8:16-19

The passage is parenthetic, resuming the history of the kingdom of Judah from 1 Kings 22:50.2 Kings 8:16The opening words are - “In the fifth year of Joram, son of Ahab, king of Israel, and of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah;” but they contradict all the other chronological notices of Jehoshaphat 1 Kings 22:42, 1Ki 22:51; 2 Kings 3:1; 2 Chronicles 20:31, which give him a reign of at least twenty-three years. Hence, some have supposed that the words “Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah,” are... read more

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