2 Kings 3:1 - Exposition

Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat King of Judah. This note of time is not quite in accordance with the chronology of 1 Kings, which gives Jehoshaphat a reign of twenty-five years ( 1 Kings 22:42 ), Ahab one of twenty-two years ( 1 Kings 16:29 ), and Ahaziah one of two years ( 1 Kings 22:51 ), and makes Jehoshaphat's first year run parallel with Ahab's fourth ( 1 Kings 22:41 ), since thus Ahab's death-year would be Jehoshaphat's nineteenth, and Jehoram's accession-year, at the earliest, Jehoshaphat's twentieth. The difficulty may be removed by assigning to Ahab a reign of twenty instead of twenty-two years. On the mode of reconciling the statement of this place with that of 2 Kings 1:17 , that Jehoram of Israel began to reign in the second year of Jehoram of Judah, see the comment upon that passage. And reigned twelve years.