Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 8:20
In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
20. Edom revolted ] In Solomon’s time, Hadad (1Ki 11:14) recovered the kingdom of Edom, which had been overthrown by David (2Sa 8:14). But by the time of Jehoshaphat the Edomites were again subject to Judah (1Ki 22:47) and appear to have continued so until the time of the revolution here mentioned.
made a king over themselves ] i.e. They deposed the deputy of Judah, and made one of their own royal family king, or chose a king of their own.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Edom, which had been reduced by David 2Sa 8:14; 1Ki 11:15-16, but had apparently revolted from Solomon 1Ki 11:14, was again subjected to Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat 2 Kings 3:8-26. The Edomites had, however, retained their native kings, and with them the spirit of independence. They now rose in revolt, and fulfilled the prophecy Gen 27:40, remaining from henceforth a separate and independent people (Jer 25:21; Jer 27:3; Amo 1:11, etc.). Kings of Edom, who seem to be independent monarchs, are often mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
From under the hand of Judah; under which they had been from Davids time, 2Sa 8:14. Compare 1Ki 22:47.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
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 1Ki 22:47 and now the prediction of Isaac began to be accomplished, Ge 27:40.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Nevertheless the divine chastisement was not omitted. The ungodliness of Joram was punished partly by the revolt of the Edomites and of the city of Libnah from his rule, and partly by a horrible sickness of which he died (2Ch 21:12-15). Edom, which had hitherto had only a vicegerent with the title of king (see 2Ki 3:9 and 1Ki 22:48), threw off the authority of Judah, and appointed its own king, under whom it acquired independence, as the attempt of Joram to bring it back again under his control completely failed. The account of this attempt in 2Ki 8:21 and 2Ch 21:9 is very obscure. “Joram went over to Zair, and all his chariots of war with him; and it came to pass that he rose up by night and smote the Edomites round about, and indeed the captains of the war-chariots, and the people fled (i.e., the Judaean men of war, not the Edomites) to their tents.” It is evident from this, that Joram had advanced to Zair in Idumaea; but there he appears to have been surrounded and shut in, so that in the night he fought his way through, and had reason to be glad that he had escaped utter destruction, since his army fled to their homes. is an unknown place in Idumaea, which Movers, Hitzig, and Ewald take to be Zoar, but without considering that Zoar was in the land of Moab, not in Edom. The Chronicles have instead , “with his captains,” from a mere conjecture; whilst Thenius regards as altered by mistake from (“to Seir”), which is very improbable in the case of so well-known a name as . is a later mode of writing for , probably occasioned by the frequently occurring word . “To this day,” i.e., to the time when the original sources of our books were composed. For the Edomites were subjugated again by Amaziah and Uzziah (2Ki 14:7 and 2Ki 14:22), though under Ahaz they made incursions into Judah again (2Ch 28:17). – At that time Libnah also revolted. This was a royal city of the early Canaanites, and at a later period it was still a considerable fortress (2Ki 19:8). It is probably to be sought for in the ruins of Arak el Menshiyeh, two hours to the west of Beit-Jibrin (see the Comm. on Jos 10:29). This city probably revolted from Judah on the occurrence of an invasion of the land by the Philistines, when the sons of Joram were carried off, with the exception of the youngest, Jehoahaz (Ahaziah: 2Ch 21:16-17).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Commentary on 2Ki 8:20-24 AND 2Ch 21:8-11
Although the Lord allowed Jehoram (also written Joram) to continue on the throne of Judah because of the covenant with David, He did send chastisement on the land. First of all the country of Edom, the descendants of Esau, south of the Dead Sea, rebelled against Jehoram. This country had been subject and had paid tribute to the king in Jerusalem since the days of David, when it was conquered by Joab and Abishai (2Sa 8:14; 1Ch 18:11-13).
Joram gathered his army and chariots and went to reconquer Edom. Zair (or Zior), a short distance north of Hebron, was his staging ground. But the Edomites were in earnest about throwing off the yoke of Judah and maintaining their own king. They proved it by surprising Joram in camp, surrounding him and his chariots and entrapping him in his own country. He was only able to escape by springing his own surprise, and doing an unheard of thing (usually) for the. times. He attacked the encircling Edomites during the night and broke out of the trap. The men of Judah once out of the trap fled to their own tents and Joram was compelled to give up the war. So Edomwvas lost to Judah for the rest of her history, and an ancient prophecy was fulfilled. Nearly nine centuries before this, an angry Esau had plead with his father to give him a blessing, though the favored blessing had been bestowed on his younger brother, Jacob. Isaac, his father, had finally responded by granting him a secondary blessing, ending with, “By thy’ sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck (Gen 27:40). God’s promises may seem long coming, but they will come (Hab 2:3).
The city of Libnah also revolted against Joram. This was one of the old Canaanite cities conquered by Joshua in the original conquest of the land. Libnah had been under Israelite control for centuries and was one of the Levitical cities established by Moses. The outcome of the revolt of Libnah is not recorded, and it is likely that it did not succeed for long, for it was back in the kingdom, evidently, during the days of Hezekiah (2Ki 19:8). It shows the deep feeling of the people of Judah against Jehoram.
Jehoram did all in his power, it seems, to establish idolatry as the religion of his kingdom. He introduced the sex-oriented religions of the heathen and erected temples of fornication in all the mountains of Judah. He did not even allow freedom of choice, but compelled the people to worship according to these lewd practices.
2Ch 21:12
The loss of Edom and the city of Libnah was just the least of Jehoram’s trouble. He hardened his neck against the Lord and destroyed himself (Pro 29:1). Yet the Lord often uses spectacular methods in attempt to bring men to their senses. This He did with Jehoram. A dire warning and prediction came from Elijah, who had been translated to heaven several years previously. It was as though the Lord had posted Jehoram a letter right out of heaven. While it is not positively impossible this could have happened, there is no reason to believe that the letter was not composed before the translation of the prophet according to divine revelation. Either way it should have a tremendous impact on the wicked king.
The writing from Elijah first reminded Jehoram of the good examples in his predecessors, his fathers, he had ignored. David, Asa, and Jehoshaphat are specifically mentioned. God’s blessings in their reigns were enough to cause Jehoram to see how he ought to live his life. Instead, however, he had adopted the negative example of the house of Ahab and insisted that Judah partake of that spiritual fornication also. As the capstone of all Jehoram had committed fratricide, executing his six brothers, all of whom were better than himself, said the Lord. These men evidently protested the apostasy of Jehoram, along with their friends, who were also slain.
Because of these excesses Jehoram’s troubles were to extend to every part of him, his kingdom, his family, and his person. It would consist of a plague which would take away wives, children, and property. Jehoram would contract an awful disease, which would be compounded by other illnesses, and would eventually result in rupture of his very intestines until he died because of it.
The Philistines attacked the kingdom when Jehoram’s sins had weakened it beyond physical help. Then a force of Arabians from deep in the desert, adjacent to Ethiopia, came up against Jerusalem, breached the wall, and pillaged the palace. They took his wives and his sons, only one son escaping, the youngest. He is called Jehoahaz here, Ahaziah in other places. The names are the same, the “Jeho” prefix of the one, in the Hebrew, being the equivalent of the “-iah” suffix of the other, and the “Ahaz” appearing in both.
The terrible bowel disease also now attacked the king, his rupture becoming gradually worse until his intestines actually fell out, and he died. The people were relieved at Jehoram’s death, for there was no love manifested for him. The customary burning of sweet odors for him was not carried out. He had reigned only eight years and was only forty years of age. Sin soon runs its terrible course in the rebel against God. The case of Nabal is a good example of this (I Samuel, chapter 25). Jehoram was buried in the city of David, but was denied a sepulchre among the kings, his predecessors.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(20) In his days Edom revolted.The connection of ideas is this: Although Jehovah was not willing to extirpate Judah, yet He suffered it to be seriously weakened by the defections recorded in 2Ki. 8:20-22.
Made a king over themselves.Josephus says they slew the vassal king appointed over them by Jehoshaphat (1Ki. 22:48). Edom appears to have been subject to the hegemony of Judah from the time of the disruption under Rehoboam.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. Edom revolted This was a determined and successful effort on the part of the Edomites to break away from the thraldom which had oppressed them ever since the days of David. See note on 1Ki 22:47.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The revolt of Edom demands our particular notice, because it was a confirmation of the dying patriarch Isaac’s prophecy to his son Esau, who was the origin of Edom. Isaac had told his favorite son Esau, that the time should come when he should break Jacob’s yoke from off his neck. And here we see it fulfilled after a servitude of more than 150 years from the days of David. Gen 27:39-40 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ki 8:20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
Ver. 20. In his days Edom revolted. ] And so fulfilled old Isaac’s prophecy, Gen 27:40 for the punishment of this idolatrous tyrant, who had lately imbrued his hands in the blood of his six brethren, with others their partisans, and set up high places in the mountains of Judah, &c. 2Ch 21:2 ; 2Ch 21:10-11
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Edom revolted. Compare 2Ch 21:8 with 1Ki 22:47, and see above (2Ki 3:9).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2Ki 8:20-24
2Ki 8:20-24
A SUMMARY OF THE REIGN OF JORAM (JEHORAM) IN JUDAH
“In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. Then Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents. So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then did Libnah revolt at the same time. And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.”
The Edomites had been subjected by David and remained under the dominion of Solomon, from whom they revolted for a time when the kingdom divided. However, they again came under the dominion of Judah during the reign of Jehoshaphat, but this revolt against Joram resulted in their independence. “They remained from henceforth a separate and independent nation; and the kings of Edom are often mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions.”
“The text of 2Ki 8:21 here is confused”; but what seems to be reported here is a disastrous route of Joram’s army and his being surrounded by the Edomite troops. “Jehoram with his chariots was able to break through the surrounding Edomites and escape with his life, leaving the rest of his army to escape as best they could.”
“This military disaster which stopped just short of being complete … was followed by the loss of Libnah a city to the southwest of Judah, probably in the area of the Philistines.”
E.M. Zerr:
2Ki 8:20. This verse shows the fulfillment of the prediction made by Jacob to Esau. (Gen 27:40). The Edomites were descendants of Esau.
2Ki 8:21. Joram, king of Judah, attempted to force the Edomites back into subjection. He took some forces and attacked the people at Zair, an Edomite city, and defeated the people of that place, driving them into their tents.
2Ki 8:22. The victory over the forces at Zair was local only, and the Edomites continued to be independent. Their success encouraged the people of Libnah, a Canaanitish community, also to declare their independence.
2Ki 8:23. For chronicles see 1Ki 14:19.
2Ki 8:24. Slept with his fathers is explained at 1Ki 2:10. City of David was the principal borough of Jerusalem, and the place of headquarters for the kings.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Edom: 2Ki 8:22, 2Ki 3:9, 2Ki 3:27, Gen 27:40, 2Ch 21:8-10
made a king: 2Sa 8:14, 1Ki 22:47
Reciprocal: Gen 25:30 – Edom 2Ki 1:1 – after the 2Ki 3:5 – General 2Ki 14:7 – slew
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 8:20. In his days Edom revolted After they had been subject to Judah one hundred and fifty years, ever since the time of David, who subdued that country. This was a great dishonour to him. Hereby, however, the prophecy of Isaac (Gen 27:40) was fulfilled.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8:20 In his days Edom {m} revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
(m) Which had been subject from David’s time until this time of Jehoram.