2 Kings 3:1-3

III. ELISHA AND KING JEHORAM 3:1-22

Chapter three opens with the standardized introduction to the reign of Ahab's second son, Jehoram (2 Kings 3:1-3). The rest of the chapter is devoted to a description of a military campaign against Moab in which Jehoram and his Southern counterpart, Jehoshaphat, were the principal participants. Elisha accompanied the allied kings. As important as the political significance of this chapter is, it apparently has been included in Kings because of the role that the prophet of God played in this campaign.

A. INTRODUCTION TO THE REIGN OF JEHORAM 3:1-3

TRANSLATION

(1) Now Jehoram son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. (2) And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father nor like his mother; for he removed the pillar of Baal which his father had made. (3) Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin; he did not turn away from it.

COMMENTS

A chronological difficulty arises from the synchronization in 2 Kings 3:1. For an explanation of the problem and a suggested solution, see the special note at the end of the chapter. The other information about Jehoram's reign is summarized in the following chart.

Ninth King of Israel
JORAM (JEHORAM) BEN AHAB
852-841 B.C.
(Exalted by Yabweb)

2 Kings 1:17; 2 Kings 3:1-27; 2 Kings 6:8 to 2 Kings 7:20; 2 Kings 9:1-26

Synchronism
Joram 1 = Jehoshaphat 18
Contemporary Prophet
Elisha

The wicked are overthrown, and are not; but the house of the righteous shall stand. Proverbs 12:7

It is noteworthy that while Jehoram of Israel was considered by the author of Kings to be evil, he was not considered as bad as his father and his mother, Ahab and Jezebel. Jehoram seems to have taken warning from the fates of his father and brother so far as to abolish Baalism as the state religion. He put away the image of Baal which Ahab had erected in the Baal temple in Samaria (2 Kings 3:2). The destruction of this image is recorded in 2 Kings 10:27. Jehoram's wickedness lay in the fact that he felt compelled to continue the apostate calf worship introduced by Jeroboam back in 931 B.C. (2 Kings 3:3).