In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah ,.... Who had been tributary to Judah ever since the times of David, for the space of one hundred and fifty years: and made a king over themselves ; for though they are said to have kings, those were only deputy kings, as in 1 Kings 22:47 and now the prediction of Isaac began to be accomplished, Genesis 27:40 . read more
So Joram went over to Zair ,.... A city in Edom, the same with the Zaara of Ptolemy F9 Geograph. l. 5. c. 17. ; some take it to be the same with Seir, the mountain or country of that name: and all the chariots with him ; all the chariots of war he had: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about ; who came out of their cities in great numbers, and surrounded him, he having entered into their country in an hostile way, to subdue them: and the... read more
Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day ,.... Joram not pursuing the enemy, and taking the advantage of the victory, but returning to his own land, the reason of which follows: then Libnah revolted at the same time ; a considerable city in his own kingdom, a Levitical one; this revolt was occasioned, perhaps, by his idolatrous practices, and which he compelled his subjects to; of this city, see Joshua 10:29 . read more
Joram went over to Zair - This is the same as Seir, a chief city of Idumea. So Isaiah 21:11 ; : The burden of Dumah (Idumea). He calleth to me out of Seir. Smote the Edomites - It appears that the Israelites were surrounded by the Idumeans; and that in the night Joram and his men cut their way through them, and so got every man to his tent, for they were not able to make any farther head against these enemies; and therefore it is said, that Edom revolted from under the hand... read more
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
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
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
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
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
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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