Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 1:17
So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat King of Judah: because he had no son.
17. So he died ] The whole narrative bears marks of extreme simplicity. Nothing but the barest facts are given, and no attempt made to explain or account for any part of the history. The touches which Josephus adds to the story mark the difference between the early and the later record. He describes the hasty return of the messengers and the king’s astonishment thereat. They relate how the prophet had hindered their further journey. The first captain threatens force to the prophet if he refuse to obey the king’s order, and the second is equally imperative. The third captain is described as prudent and exceeding gentle in disposition, and as speaking friendly to Elijah, and explaining that he himself, as well as the other two bands had only come because they were forced to do so, and that this, of course, the prophet knew. The language and demeanour were acceptable to Elijah and so he followed the captain to Samaria.
which Elijah had spoken ] We are told nothing of what must have been a most solemn interview, nor how it came to pass that the prophet was allowed to go without any punishment. Elijah disappears, as is usual in the history, without a word to tell us of his whereabouts.
And Jehoram reigned in his stead ] This was the brother of Ahaziah. The LXX. omits in this verse ‘And Jehoram no son.’ But instead of it after verse 18 there is a long addition, substantially like 2Ki 3:1-3 below, but the LXX. has the same words in that place also.
in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah ] It is extremely difficult to make this statement fit with the rest of the chronological details of the books of Kings. The accession of Jehoram of Israel is here fixed in the second year of Jehoram of Judah, but in 2Ki 3:1 the same event is assigned to the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. Now Jehoshaphat reigned 25 years (1Ki 22:42). If therefore the two statements are correct Jehoram of Judah must, in some form or other, have been counted as king along with his father from about the 17th year of Jehoshaphat’s reign. But according to 2Ki 8:16, it was in the 5th year of Jehoram of Israel that Jehoram of Judah began his reign. This of course must refer to his independent reign. But Jehoshaphat’s reign of 25 years causes some difficulty, unless we suppose, as the Jews are said to have reckoned, that 25 years might really be only 23 and small portions of 2 other years. Then Jehoram of Israel, who began to reign in the 18th year of Jehoshaphat, might have reigned little more than 5 years when Jehoshaphat died, and when Jehoram of Judah began the 8 years of his independent reign, he having reigned about the same period along with his father Jehoshaphat. This is the generally accepted settlement of the dates, but the chronology of the two kingdoms is far from being clearly marked. Nor is there satisfactory evidence that a son was ever king along with his father.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The similarity of names in the two royal houses of Israel and Judah at this time, and at no other, seems to be the consequence of the close ties which united the two reigning families, and is well noted among the undesigned coincidences of the Old Testament. The accession of the Israelite Jehoram (Ahabs brother) took place, according to 2Ki 3:1, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat. Jehoram of Judah perhaps received the royal title from his father as early as his fathers sixteenth year, when he was about to join Ahab against the Syrians; the same year might then be called either the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat or the second year of Jehoram.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. And Jehoram reigned in his stead] The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Syriac say, Jehoram HIS BROTHER reigned in his stead, in the second year of Jehoram. There were two Jehorams who were contemporary: the first, the son of Ahab, brother to Ahaziah, and his successor in the kingdom of Israel; the second, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, who succeeded his father in Judah. But there is a difficulty here: “How is it that Jehoram the brother of Ahaziah began to reign in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, seeing that, according to 2Kg 3:1, he began his reign in the eighteenth year of the reign of Jehoshaphat; and, according to 2Kg 8:16, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began to reign in the fifth year of Jehoram king of Israel?” Calmet and others answer thus: “Jehoram king of Israel began to reign in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, which was the second year after this same Jehoshaphat had given the viceroyalty to his son Jehoram; and afterwards Jehoshaphat communicated the royalty to Jehoram his successor, two years before his death, and the fifth year of Jehoram, king of Israel.” Dr. Lightfoot takes another method: –
“Observe,” says he, “these texts, 1Kg 22:51: Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years; and 2Kg 1:17: And Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken, and Jehoram reigned in his stead, in the second gear of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; and 2Kg 3:1: Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. By these scriptures it is most plain, that both Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, and Ahaziah the son of Ahab, began to reign in the seventeenth of Jehoshaphat; for who sees not in these texts that Jehoshaphat’s eighteenth, when Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign, is called the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat? Now Jehoshaphat’s reign was not yet expired by eight or nine years, for this was in his seventeenth year, and he reigned twenty-five years, 1Kg 22:42; nor was Ahab’s reign expired by two or three years, for this was in his twentieth year, and he reigned twenty-two years. 1Kg 16:29. But the reason why both their sons came thus into their thrones in their lifetime, and both in the same year, was because their fathers, Jehoshaphat and Ahab, were both engaged in the war against the Syrians about Ramoth-gilead: and while they were providing for it, and carrying it on, they made their sons viceroys, and set them to reign in their stead, while they were absent or employed upon that expedition.” This is very probable, and seems well supported by the above texts, and would solve all the difficulties with which many have been puzzled and not a few stumbled, had we sufficient evidence for the viceroyalty here mentioned.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Jehoram; Ahaziahs brother, 2Ki 3:1, for he had no son to succeed him, as it here follows.
In the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat: other passages of Scripture seem to clash with this, as that Ahaziah, who reigned but two years, begun his reign in Jehoshaphats seventeenth year, 1Ki 22:51; and therefore this Jehoram must begin his reign in Jehoshaphats nineteenth year; and therefore before the reign of Jehoram, Jehoshaphats son; and that Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign in the fifth year of Joram, Ahabs son, 2Ki 8:16.
Answ. These difficulties are easily resolved by this consideration, that it was a usual practice among kings in former ages, to make their sons sometimes their viceroys and deputies in the administration of the kingdom; and sometimes formally kings in conjunction with themselves, and whilst they lived; whereof there are instances, both in profane history, among the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, and in the sacred Scripture, as in David, 1Ch 23:1; 29:22, in Uzziah, 2Ch 26:21, and (to come close to the point) in Jehoshaphat, 2Ki 8:16; who in his seventeenth year, when he went to Ahab, and with him to Ramoth-gilead, appointed his son Jehoram his viceroy, and (in case of his death) his successor. In the second year from that time, when Jehoram was thus made vice-king in his fathers stead and absence, this Jehoram, Ahabs son, began to reign; and in the fifth year of the reign of this Joram, son of Ahab, which was about the twenty-fourth year of Jehoshaphats reign,
Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat was formally made king of Judah, together with his father; or whilst Jehoshaphat lived, and was king of Judah also. And so all the places agree. To which some add, that this verse, or this part of it, wherein the difficulty consists, is wanting in some ancient copies, and is omitted by the LXX. interpreters; which is far more prudent and pious to grant, than upon such chronological difficulties to question the truth and divinity of the Holy Scriptures.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. JehoramThe brother ofAhaziah (see on 2Ki 3:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
So he died, according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken,…. How long or how soon after this is not said; however, he died of the sickness, and on the bed to which he went up, as he said:
and Jehoram reigned in his stead: who was another son of Ahab, and brother of Ahaziah, 2Ki 3:1, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; but as he must begin his reign in the nineteenth, or in the latter end of the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, see 1Ki 22:51 and Jehoshaphat reigned in all twenty five years, 1Ki 22:42, he must live and reign after this six or seven years; this therefore is to be reconciled by observing, that this son of Jehoshaphat was made viceroy, or was taken into partnership in the throne by his father when he went with Ahab to Ramothgilead; and it was in the second year of this his reign with his father that the other Jehoram began his:
because he had no son; that is, Ahaziah, wherefore his brother reigned in his stead.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When Ahaziah died, according to the word of the Lord through Elijah, as he had no son, he was followed upon the throne by his brother Joram, “in the second year of Joram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.” This statement is at variance both with that in 2Ki 3:1, to the effect that Joram began to reign in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, and with that in 1Ki 22:52, viz., that Ahaziah ascended the throne in the seventeenth year of the reign of Jehoshaphat, which lasted twenty-five years, and also with the statement in 2Ki 8:16, that Joram of Judah became king over Judah in the fifth year of Joram of Israel. If, for example, Ahaziah of Israel died after a reign of not quite two years, at the most a year and a half, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat; as Jehoshaphat himself reigned twenty-five years, he cannot have died till the seventh year of Joram of Israel, and his son Joram followed him upon the throne. The last of these discrepancies may be solved very simply, from the fact that, according to 2Ki 8:16, Jehoshaphat was still king when his son Joram began to reign so that Jehoshaphat abdicated in favour of his son about two years before his death. And the first discrepancy (that between 2Ki 1:17 and 1Ki 3:1) is removed by Usher ( Annales M. ad a.m. 3106 and 3112), Lightfoot, and others, after the example of the Seder Olam, by the assumption of the co-regency. According to this, when Jehoshaphat went with Ahab to Ramoth in Gilead to war against the Syrians, in the eighteenth year of his reign, which runs parallel to the twenty-second year of the reign of Ahab, he appointed his son Joram to the co-regency, and transferred to him the administration of the kingdom. It is from this co-regency that the statement in 2Ki 1:17 is dated, to the effect that Joram of Israel became king in the second year of Joram of Judah. This second year of the co-regency of Joram corresponds to the eighteenth year of the reign of Jehoshaphat (2Ki 3:1). And in the fifth year of his co-regency Jehoshaphat gave up the reins of government entirely to him. It is from this point in time, i.e., from the twenty-third year of Jehoshaphat, that we are to reckon the eight years of the reign of Joram (of Judah), so that he only reigned six years more after his father’s death.
(Note: Wolff indeed boldly declares that “ the co-regency of Joram is a pure fiction, and the biblical historians do not furnish the slightest warrant for any such supposition ” (see p. 628 of the treatise mentioned at p. 187); but he cannot think of any other way of reconciling the differences than by making several alterations in the text, and inventing a co-regency in the case of the Israelitish king Ahaziah. The synchronism of the reigns of the Israelitish kings necessarily requires the solution adopted in the text. For if Joram of Israel, who began to reign in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat and reigned twelve years (2Ki 3:1), was slain at the same time as Ahaziah of Judah (2Ki 9:24-27), and Ahaziah of Judah reigned about one year and his predecessor Joram about eight years, so that the two together certainly reigned fully eight years; Joram of Judah must have ascended the throne four years after Joram of Israel, i.e., in the twenty-third year of Jehoshaphat, which runs parallel to the fifty year of Joram of Israel. Consequently the twenty-five years of Jehoshaphat are to be reduced to twenty-three in reckoning the sum-total of the years embraced by the period of the kings. It is true that there is no analogy for this combination of the years of the reigns of two kings, since the other reductions of which different chronologists are fond are perfectly arbitrary, and the case before us stands quite alone; but this exception to the rule is indicated clearly enough in the statement in 2Ki 8:16, that Joram began to reign while Jehoshaphat was (still) king. When, however, Thenius objects to this mode of reconciling the differences, which even Winer adopts in the third edition of his bibl. Real-Wrterbuch, i. p. 539, on the ground that the reign of Joram is dated most precisely in 1Ki 22:51 and 2Ch 21:1, 2Ch 21:5, 2Ch 21:20, from the death of Jehoshaphat, and that an actual co-regency, viz., that of Jotham, is expressly mentioned in 2Ki 15:5, which does not render it at all necessary to carry the years of his reign into those of his father ‘ s, this appeal to the case of Jotham cannot prove anything, for the simple reason that the biblical text knows nothing of any co-regency of Jotham and Uzziah, but simply states that when Uzziah was smitten with leprosy, his son Jotham judged the people of the land, but that he did not become king till after his father ‘ s death (2Ki 15:5, 2Ki 15:7; 2Ch 26:21, 2Ch 26:23). It is indeed stated in 1Ki 22:51 and 2Ch 26:1, 2Ch 26:5, 2Ch 26:20, that Jehoshaphat died and his son Joram became king, which may be understood as meaning that he did not become king till after the death of Jehoshaphat; but there is no necessity to understand it so, and therefore it can be very easily reconciled with the more precise statement in 2Ki 8:16, that Joram ascended the throne during the reign of Jehoshaphat, whereas the assertion of Thenius, that the circumstantial clause in 2Ki 8:16 is a gloss, is not critically established by the absence of these words from the lxx, Syr., and Arabic, and to expunge them from the text is nothing but an act of critical violence.)
We have no information as to the reason which induced Jehoshaphat to abdicate in favour of his son two years before his death; for there is very little probability in the conjecture of Lightfoot ( Opp. i. p. 85), that Jehoshaphat did this when he commenced the war with the Moabites in alliance with Joram of Israel, for the simple reason that the Moabites revolted after the death of Ahab, and Joram made preparations for attacking them immediately after their rebellion (2Ki 3:5-7), so that he must have commenced this expedition before the fifth year of his reign.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(17) And Jehoram.LXX. (Alex.), Syriac, and Vulgate add his brother, an expression which has fallen out of the Hebrew text, owing to its resemblance to the next (tahtw, in his stead). (Comp. 2Ki. 3:1, son of Ahab.)
In the second year of Jehoram.Vat. LXX., in the eighteenth year, which is probably right. (Comp. 1Ki. 22:52, Ahaziah . . . reigned over Israel in . . . the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat . . . and he reigned two years. Either, therefore, our present Heb. text is corrupt, or the compiler followed a different source in this place.) Thenius proposes the reading, in the twenty-second year of Jehoshaphat, in place of in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(17, 18) Concluding remarks added by the compiler.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
DEATH OF AHAZIAH, 2Ki 1:17-18.
17. He died according to the word of the Lord His death, like that of the two companies of fifties, was a judgment from Heaven. It would not do to punish those messengers of the king for insolence towards Jehovah and his prophet, and let the king himself go clear. So this impious monarch is made to drag out his last days under the consciousness of being an object of Jehovah’s wrath.
Jehoram reigned in his stead This Jehoram was a brother of Ahaziah, and succeeded him on the throne because he had no son.
In the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat On the probable reason for this likeness of names among the kings of the two rival kingdoms, see note on 1Ki 22:44. According to 1Ki 22:42, Jehoshaphat reigned twenty-five years, and according to 2Ki 3:1, Ahab’s son, Jehoram, began to reign in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, whence it appears, as our margin expresses it, that Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, was made prorex some years before his father’s death. Compare also 2Ch 21:3. But according to 2Ki 8:16, Jehoshaphat’s Jehoram began to reign in the fifth year of Ahab’s Jehoram, which, according to the above statements, would be the twenty-third year of Jehoshaphat. Now, how could Ahab’s Jehoram begin to reign in the second year of Jehoshaphat’s Jehoram, and yet the latter begin to reign in the fifth year of the former? A solution of the difficulty, in which Usher, Lightfoot, Patrick, Keil, and Wordsworth substantially agree, is thus stated by the last-named commentator: “Jehoshaphat made two sessions of sovereignty to his son Jehoram one partial and temporary, the other total and final. The first was made in the seventeenth year of his reign, because he then quitted Jerusalem in order to join Ahab against the Syrians, (1 Kings 22😉 he then left his son Jehoram to act as viceroy in his absence. But in the twenty-third year of his reign Jehoshaphat associated his son Jehoram with him in the entire sovereignty, and therefore the eight years of that son (2Ki 8:17) are not to be reckoned from Jehoshaphat’s death, but from the twenty-third year of his reign, two years before his death.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 1:17. And Jehoram reigned in his stead, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat His brother Jehoram reigned in his stead, because he had no son. To avoid confusion, the reader should take notice, that in the course of this history there is mention made of two Jehorams; one, the second son of Ahab, who succeeded Ahaziah, and wasking of Israel; the other, son and heir to Jehoshaphat, who reigned in Judah. By comparing chap. 2Ki 3:1 and chap. 2Ki 8:16 a great difference in the reading of the dates will appear. We should just remark, however, that it is commonly supposed, that Jehoshaphat declared his son Jehoram king while himself was alive, and reigned in conjunction with him for the space of seven years; a supposition which, if allowed, will in some degree clear up the difficulty. See Archbishop Usher’s Annals, sub A.M. 3106.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Ki 1:17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.
Ver. 17. So he died. ] Some wicked men live long, that they may aggravate their judgment: others die sooner, that they may hasten it.
In the second year of Jehoram.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ki 1:17-18
2Ki 1:17-18
AHAZIAH DIED; ACCORDING TO THE PROPHECY OF ELIJAH
“So he died according to the word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram began to reign in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?”
“And Jehoram began to reign” (2Ki 1:17). Jehoram is the same as Joram. This is an example of chronological inconsistencies in Kings. A glance at 1Ki 22:51; 2Ki 8:16, and 2Ki 3:14 shows what the problem is. Rawlinson cleared it up by supposing that, “Jehoshaphat had associated his son Jehoram with him in the throne upon the occasion of his going to war at Ramoth-gilead.”
It is strange that both Israel and Judah should have had a king named Jehoram. This happened because Ahab and Jehoshaphat had brought the families together by a marriage, and after that, it was natural for the same name to have later appeared in the royal families of both kingdoms.
Jehoram was another son of Ahab and thus a brother of Ahaziah (2Ki 8:16). It was his body that Jehu cast upon the plot of ground for which Ahab had murdered Naboth (2Ki 9:25).
E.M. Zerr:
2Ki 1:17. The same name was common to more than one person in ancient times, even as it is today. In the line of rulers over Judah was a man named Jehoram. In his second year, began the reign of another Jehoram over Israel. The last named Jehoram was a brother to Ahaziah, who died of his injury. The reason this Jehoram reigned over Israel is stated, because he (Ahaziah) had no son.
2Ki 1:18. For chronicles see the comments at 1Ki 14:19.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Jehoram: As it is said in 2Ki 3:1, that he began his reign in the eighteenth of Jehoshaphat, it is supposed that Jehoshaphat admitted his son Jehoram to reign with him eight or nine years before his death. “The second year that Jehoram was Prorex, and the eighteenth of Jehoshaphat.”
in the second: 2Ki 3:1, 2Ki 8:16, 2Ki 8:17, 1Ki 22:51
Reciprocal: 1Ki 22:40 – Ahaziah 1Ki 22:42 – thirty and five
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 1:17. Jehoram reigned in his stead Namely, his brother, because he had no son. In the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat To avoid confusion, the reader should take notice, that in the course of this history, there is mention made of two Jehorams; one the second son of Ahab, who succeeded Ahaziah, and was king of Israel; the other, the heir of Jehoshaphat, who reigned in Judah. By comparing 2Ki 3:1, and 2Ki 8:16, it will appear that there is a considerable difference in the reading of the dates, which made Houbigant suppose that some errors have crept into the text. To reconcile, however, the above-mentioned passages, some have supposed that Jehoshaphat, in his seventeenth year, when he went to Ahab, and with him to Ramoth-gilead, appointed his son Jehoram his viceroy, and (in case of his death) his successor. In the second year from that time, when Jehoram was thus made vice-king in his fathers stead and absence, this Jehoram, Ahabs son, began to reign: and in the fifth year of the reign of this Jehoram, son of Ahab, which was about the twenty- fourth year of Jehoshaphats reign, Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, was made king of Judah, together with his father. This supposition, if allowed, will, in a great degree, clear up the difficulty.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1:17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And {n} Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.
(n) Jehoshaphat going to battle against the Syrians, made his son Jehoram king in the 17th year of his reign: and in the 18th year which was the second year of his son, Jehoram the son of Ahab reigned in Israel: and in the fifth year of this Jehoram Jehoshaphat died, and the kingdom of Judah was confirmed to his son.