וַיִּשְׁכַּב יְהוֹשָׁפָט עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקָּבֵר עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיִּמְלֹךְ יְהוֹרָם בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

Yehoshafat lay with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Yehoram his son reigned in his stead.

וְלוֹ אַחִים בְּנֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט עֲזַרְיָה וִיחִיאֵל וּזְכַרְיָהוּ וַעֲזַרְיָהוּ וּמִיכָאֵל וּשְׁפַטְיָהוּ כָּל־אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל

He, Yehoram, had brothers, the sons of Yehoshafat: Azarya, Yehiel, Zekharyahu, Azaryahu, Mikhael, and Shefatyahu; all these were the sons of Yehoshafat king of Israel.

וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אֲבִיהֶם מַתָּנוֹת רַבּוֹת לְכֶסֶף וּלְזָהָב וּלְמִגְדָּנוֹת עִם־עָרֵי מְצֻרוֹת בִּיהוּדָה וְאֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה נָתַן לִיהוֹרָם כִּי־הוּא הַבְּכוֹר

Their father gave them many gifts, of silver, of gold, and of precious items, with fortified cities in Judah; in addition to the gifts, each of them received a fortified city to rule over as an inheritance; but the kingdom he gave to Yehoram, because he was the firstborn. Consequently, the throne passed from Yehoshafat to his son Yehoram.

וַיָּקָם יְהוֹרָם עַל־מַמְלֶכֶת אָבִיו וַיִּתְחַזַּק וַיַּהֲרֹג אֶת־כָּל־אֶחָיו בֶּחָרֶב וְגַם מִשָּׂרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Yehoram set himself to rule over the kingdom of his father, and he grew strong, and he killed all his brothers by the sword, as well as some of the princes of Israel, so that they would not challenge him and pose a threat to his rule.

בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה יְהוֹרָם בְּמָלְכוֹ וּשְׁמוֹנֶה שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

Yehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בֵּית אַחְאָב כִּי בַּת־אַחְאָב הָיְתָה לּוֹ אִשָּׁה וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה'

He followed in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahav had done, for Ahav’s daughter became his wife. Yehoshafat and Ahav had established ties of marriage between their families (see chap. 18). It seems that this daughter of Ahav, who is a dominant figure in the next section (22:10–12), was also Izevel’s daughter. Thus, she was a descendant of gentile kings, and she adopted their modes of conduct. It was she who guided Yehoram and wielded influence over him. And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Due to his close relationship with the house of Ahav, Yehoram departed from the ways of his father and grandfather.

וְלֹא־אָבָה ה' לְהַשְׁחִית אֶת־בֵּית דָּוִיד לְמַעַן הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת לְדָוִיד וְכַאֲשֶׁר אָמַר לָתֵת לוֹ נִיר וּלְבָנָיו כָּל־הַיָּמִים

Yehoram deserved to be punished for his sins, but the Lord was unwilling to destroy the house of David, for the sake of the covenant that He had made with David, and as He had said to give him continuity, a royal dynasty, through his children always.

בְּיָמָיו פָּשַׁע אֱדוֹם מִתַּחַת יַד־יְהוּדָה וַיַּמְלִיכוּ עֲלֵיהֶם מֶלֶךְ

For years Edom did not have its own king, but was an autonomous region under the control of the Kingdom of Judah. Then, in his days, the days of Yehoram, the people of Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and they crowned a king over them, establishing their full independence.

וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוֹרָם עִם־שָׂרָיו וְכָל־הָרֶכֶב עִמּוֹ וַיְהִי קָם לַיְלָה וַיַּךְ אֶת־אֱדוֹם הַסּוֹבֵב אֵלָיו וְאֵת שָׂרֵי הָרָכֶב

Yehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him to fight the Edomites; he arose at night, and smote Edom that surrounded him, whose soldiers had surrounded him and were waiting to ambush him, and the commanders of the chariots.

וַיִּפְשַׁע אֱדוֹם מִתַּחַת יַד־יְהוּדָה עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אָז תִּפְשַׁע לִבְנָה בָּעֵת הַהִיא מִתַּחַת יָדוֹ כִּי עָזַב אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָיו

Although Yehoram had killed some of the Edomites and escaped from the battle unharmed, he was not victorious and did not manage to conquer their land and subdue them. Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah to this day. Judah lost control over the Edomites, who became its enemies. The tax payments stopped, and Judah’s security was undermined. The Edomites in the south were also able to interfere with Judah’s trade, as its commercial activities reached all the way to Eilat. Then, when Yehoram was weakened, the city of Livna, in the land of Judah, also rebelled at that time from under his hand. Its inhabitants rebelled against the king because he forsook the Lord, God of his fathers. Despite Yehoram’s attempt to establish a centralized government, and notwithstanding the killing of his brothers in an effort to concentrate all the power in his own hands, he became unable to control even the cities in his own territory.

גַּם־הוּא עָשָׂה בָמוֹת בְּהָרֵי יְהוּדָה וַיֶּזֶן אֶת־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיַּדַּח אֶת־יְהוּדָה

Also, he made shrines in the highlands of Judah, and perverted the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and led Judah astray from the service of God.

וַיָּבֹא אֵלָיו מִכְתָּב מֵאֵלִיָּהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי דָּוִיד אָבִיךָ תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הָלַכְתָּ בְּדַרְכֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט אָבִיךָ וּבְדַרְכֵי אָסָא מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה

A letter came to him from Elijah the prophet. Apparently this letter reached Yehoram after Elijah had already ascended to heaven. Several explanations are offered for this communication, some of which refer to miraculous events. It seems likeliest that Elijah left behind a prophetic letter for Yehoram king of Judah, which came into his possession at a later date. Whatever the precise circumstances, a message from Elijah arrived, saying: So said the Lord, God of David your father: Because you have not followed in the ways of Yehoshafat your father, and in the ways of Asa king of Judah, your father’s father,

וַתֵּלֶךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַתַּזְנֶה אֶת־יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם כְּהַזְנוֹת בֵּית אַחְאָב וְגַם אֶת־אַחֶיךָ בֵּית־אָבִיךָ הַטּוֹבִים מִמְּךָ הָרָגְתָּ

but you have followed in the way of the kings of Israel, and perverted Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem like the perversion of the house of Ahav, and also you have killed your brothers from your father’s house, who were better than you. You are wicked toward God and wicked toward man;

הִנֵּה ה' נֹגֵף מַגֵּפָה גְדוֹלָה בְּעַמֶּךָ וּבְבָנֶיךָ וּבְנָשֶׁיךָ וּבְכָל־רְכוּשֶׁךָ

therefore, behold, the Lord will afflict your people, and your children, and your wives, and all your property with a great plague.

וְאַתָּה בָּחֳלָיִים רַבִּים בְּמַחֲלֵה מֵעֶיךָ עַד יֵצְאוּ מֵעֶיךָ מִן הַחֹלִי יָמִים עַל־יָמִים

As for you, there will be great illnesses, an illness of your bowels, until your bowels fall out from the illness, for many days. Alternatively, the verse means that the illness will last two years (see verse 19).

וַיָּעַר ה' עַל־יְהוֹרָם אֶת־רוּחַ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים וְהָעַרְבִים אֲשֶׁר עַל־יַד כּוּשִׁים

And indeed, the Lord stirred against Yehoram the spirit of the Philistines. The Philistines provoked Yehoram. This was after many years in which they did not try to fight Israel, during which their independence was probably limited, as they were under the control of the king of Judah. Once the Edomites cast off the yoke of the Kingdom of Judah, the Philistines also felt confident enough to open a front against them. And the Lord also stirred up the spirit of the Arabians, who were near the Kushites.

וַיַּעֲלוּ בִיהוּדָה וַיִּבְקָעוּהָ וַיִּשְׁבּוּ אֵת כָּל־הָרְכוּשׁ הַנִּמְצָא לְבֵית־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְגַם־בָּנָיו וְנָשָׁיו וְלֹא נִשְׁאַר־לוֹ בֵּן כִּי אִם־יְהוֹאָחָז קְטֹן בָּנָיו

They went up against Judah, and breached it, the borders and the walls, and captured all the property that was found in the house of the king, as well as his sons and his wives, who were killed; (see 22:1) no son remained for him, except Yeho’ahaz, who is also called Ahazyahu, a name consisting of the same Hebrew letters, only in a different order. Yeho’ahaz was the youngest of his sons.

וְאַחֲרֵי כָּל־זֹאת נְגָפוֹ ה' בְּמֵעָיו לָחֳלִי לְאֵין מַרְפֵּא

After all this, the Lord afflicted him, Yehoram, in his bowels with an incurable disease.

וַיְהִי לְיָמִים מִיָּמִים וּכְעֵת צֵאת הַקֵּץ לְיָמִים שְׁנַיִם יָצְאוּ מֵעָיו עִם־חָלְיוֹ וַיָּמָת בְּתַחֲלֻאִים רָעִים וְלֹא־עָשׂוּ לוֹ עַמּוֹ שְׂרֵפָה כִּשְׂרֵפַת אֲבֹתָיו

It was after a year and the next, at the conclusion of two years of his disease, that his bowels fell out with his illness, and he died in dire illness. He may have suffered from a form of cancer. His people did not make a ceremonial conflagration for him, like the conflagration of his fathers. They did not bestow great honor upon him in his death.

בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם הָיָה בְמָלְכוֹ וּשְׁמוֹנֶה שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּלֹא חֶמְדָּה וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וְלֹא בְּקִבְרוֹת הַמְּלָכִים

He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem; he departed without contentment, without any satisfaction from his life. Yehoram’s state continuously deteriorated until he died. They did not treat his remains with contempt, as they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the graves of the kings either. They did not see fit to inter him together with the rest of the kings of the house of David.