King Jehoram, also known as Joram, was one of the kings of the divided kingdom of Israel. He was the son of Ahab and Jezebel, and the brother of King Ahaziah. Jehoram ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel from around 852-841 BC.
Jehoram’s story is told in 2 Kings 3-9 and 2 Chronicles 21-22. He is first mentioned in 2 Kings 1:17, where we learn that he succeeded his brother Ahaziah as king of Israel. Ahaziah had died without an heir after reigning for only two years over Israel. Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king.
Jehoram’s Family Background
Jehoram was part of the notorious Omri dynasty in Israel. His father Ahab was one of the wickedest kings, led astray by his evil wife Jezebel into worshipping the false god Baal. Jehoram’s parents promoted Baal worship and persecuted the prophets of the Lord during their reign.
Despite his parent’s wickedness, the Bible says Jehoram was not quite as bad as his father and mother. 2 Kings 3:2 tells us “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.” So while he continued in idolatry, he did remove an idol that his parents had made.
Jehoram’s Co-Regency and Early Years as King
It appears that Jehoram had a few years of co-regency with his father Ahab before becoming the sole king. We know this because 2 Kings 1:17 says Jehoram became king “in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.” But earlier in 2 Kings 3:1 it notes that Jehoram began to reign in the 18th year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
These differing dates have led most scholars to conclude that Jehoram must have had a co-regency with his father Ahab starting around the 17th year of Jehoshaphat, before Ahab died and Jehoram then reigned independently starting in the 2nd year of Jehoram of Judah. This was a common practice in those days to ensure a smooth transition of power.
During Jehoram’s co-regency, his father Ahab died in battle against the Arameans. After Ahab’s death, the king of Moab rebelled against Israel’s control. So one of Jehoram’s first acts as king was to try and subdue this Moabite rebellion. He enlisted the help of Jehoshaphat king of Judah and the king of Edom to attack Moab. But their campaign failed when the Moabite king sacrificed his son to his god Chemosh, causing the allied invasion to fall apart (2 Kings 3:4-27).
Jehoram was able to maintain control over Moab, however. The famous Mesha Stele discovered by archaeologists records this same conflict from the Moabite perspective. It confirms that Omri and his successors (Jehoram) ruled over Moab for many years until they finally threw off Israelite domination.
Jehoram’s Reign in Israel
Besides battling Moab early on, the Bible does not record many other details about most of Jehoram’s reign. But we are told “he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 3:2), so he maintained the idolatrous practices of his parents promoting Baal worship in Israel.
However, later in his reign Jehoram started to remove some idols. As mentioned earlier, he removed the pillar of Baal that his father had made. He also removed Baal idols according to 2 Kings 10:18-28. But the pagan shrines were still left in place and worship of false gods continued under Jehoram.
During his reign, Jehoram was constantly at war with the Arameans to the north. The capital city of Samaria was besieged by Ben-hadad king of Aram (2 Kings 6:24). The prophet Elisha helped rescue the city and brought an end to the famine conditions inside Samaria at that time.
But overall, the Lord was very displeased with Jehoram and the idolatry of Israel. So he allowed the king of Aram to oppress Jehoram and Israel throughout his reign (2 Kings 13:3-7). The armies of Israel were weak and outmatched during Jehoram’s kingship.
Relations with Judah
In the southern kingdom of Judah, Jehoram’s reign coincided with the reign of his brother-in-law Jehoram. The two Jehorams were married to daughters of Ahab – Athaliah and Jezebel respectively. Due to these family ties, Jehoram king of Judah joined with Jehoram king of Israel in war against Edom who had rebelled (2 Kings 8:20-22).
However, later when Jehoram king of Judah was slain, the southern kingdom became independent of Israel. Jehoram’s own wife Athaliah then briefly ruled over Judah for several years promoting Baal worship there as well. But she was eventually overthrown and the worship of Yahweh restored to Judah (2 Kings 11:1-20).
Jehoram’s Death
After reigning for 12 years, Jehoram died and was buried with his ancestors in Samaria as recorded in 2 Kings 8:25 and 2 Chronicles 21:20. But there are slightly differing accounts about the circumstances of his death.
2 Kings 9:14-26 relates that Jehoram was struck down by Jehu in the field of Naboth when Jehu was anointed king and slaughtered the house of Ahab as judgment from God. Yet 2 Chronicles 21:18-19 says Jehoram died from an incurable disease in his bowels, and was not buried with the other kings.
Most likely, Jehoram did suffer from a painful intestinal disease which eventually led to his death. Perhaps this illness forced him to withdraw from battle against Hazael king of Aram mentioned in 2 Kings 8:28-29. So he was not killed directly by Jehu, but his body may still have been discarded without proper burial after Jehu’s coup.
Either way, Jehoram’s death was seen as divine judgement because of his continued idolatry and evil in the sight of the Lord. Thus his reign ended violently as God poured out vengeance upon the house of Ahab.
Lessons from Jehoram’s Life
Although not as wicked as his parents Ahab and Jezebel, Jehoram followed in their idolatrous footsteps as king over Israel. His life teaches us several valuable lessons:
- Parents have a profound influence on the future faith of their children. Jehoram continued the evil established by his father and mother even though he may have been less zealous in it.
- Tolerance of false religions leads to corruption. Jehoram’s compromise and partial reforms were ineffective. He should have removed all idolatry and false worship.
- Disobedience always brings consequences. Jehoram experienced military defeat, famine, illness, and other troubles because he rejected God’s ways.
- Judgment catches up with sin eventually. Jehoram could not escape God’s vengeance on the house of Ahab for leading Israel into false worship of idols.
Jehoram had moments of devotion to God but lacked the zeal to completely turn the nation back to true worship of Yahweh. His example serves as a warning about allowing sin to gradually corrupt ourselves and others around us.
Legacy
The prophet Elisha lived during Jehoram’s reign and performed many miracles. Elisha helped deliver Israel from military threats and encouraged worship of Yahweh (2 Kings 4-6).
But overall Jehoram left a negative legacy of military failure and religious compromise. After his death, his son Ahaziah briefly became king but was soon killed. Jehu then exterminated all of Ahab’s family and descendants.
Jehoram’s legacy lived on in his daughter Athaliah, who became queen of Judah and brought Baal worship there. But she too came under God’s judgement. So in the end, Jehoram’s corrupting influence was largely cleansed from both Israel and Judah.
The history of Jehoram stands as a somber example that God ultimately judges those who forsake Him and lead others astray. Half-hearted devotion is not enough. God desires total allegiance and faithfulness from His people and their leaders.
Jehoram in the Bible
Here is a summary of the key Bible passages about the reign of Jehoram king of Israel:
- 2 Kings 1:17 – Jehoram succeeded Ahaziah as king
- 2 Kings 3:1-3 – Jehoram’s reign dates and activities
- 2 Kings 3:4-27 – Jehoram teams up with Judah’s king to battle Moab’s rebellion
- 2 Kings 6:8-7:20 – Elisha helps Israel defeat Aram and relieves Samaria’s famine
- 2 Kings 8:16-24 – Further details about Jehoram’s reign
- 2 Kings 8:28-29 – Conflicts with Hazael king of Aram
- 2 Kings 9:14-26 – Jehu kills Jehoram
- 2 Chronicles 21:1-20 – Jehoram’s reign and death in Judah’s record
In the Bible, Jehoram’s name is sometimes spelled “Joram” such as in Matthew 1:8. But he is the same king of Israel originally called Jehoram.
Other Key People Related to Jehoram
Several other important biblical people were part of Jehoram’s life and reign in Israel.
- Ahab – Jehoram’s wicked father who promoted Baal worship
- Jezebel – Jehoram’s evil mother who persecuted God’s prophets
- Ahaziah – Jehoram’s brother who briefly ruled Israel just before him
- Jehoram of Judah – Jehoram’s brother-in-law, king of Judah, who married Athaliah
- Athaliah – Jehoram’s daughter who later ruled Judah spreading Baal worship there
- Elisha – the prophet in Israel who performed miracles and opposed Baal worship
- Hazael – Aramean king who oppressed Israel during Jehoram’s reign
- Jehu – the general who killed Jehoram and wiped out Ahab’s family
Examining Jehoram’s relationships sheds light on the complex dynastic ties between Israel and Judah during this period when the kingdom was divided. His life was enmeshed with other key biblical figures of his time.
Jehoram’s Reign in Context of Israel’s History
Jehoram ruled Israel from about 852-841 BC. This places him towards the end of what is considered the “divided monarchy” period after the unified kingdom of David and Solomon split apart.
Some key events that occurred in Israel’s history around Jehoram’s reign include:
- c. 930 BC – The united monarchy splits apart into the northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah after Solomon’s death.
- c. 875 BC – Omri establishes the city of Samaria as the capital of Israel.
- c. 870 BC – Jehoram’s father Ahab marries Jezebel and promotes Baal worship.
- c. 840 BC – Jehu assassinates Jehoram and seizes the throne of Israel.
- 722 BC – The Assyrian Empire conquers and destroys the northern kingdom of Israel.
So Jehoram ruled Israel in the middle of its existence as an independent nation. It was a time marked by constant warfare, religious syncretism, and the rise and fall of various dynasties like Omri and Jehu.
Jehoram’s reign also occurred in the midst of the prophetic ministries of Elijah and Elisha. These prophets confronted Israel’s idolatry and rebellion against God. But their warnings went mostly unheeded by Jehoram and the people.
In the end, Jehoram was one more link in Israel’s steady drift away from exclusive worship of Yahweh before the nation was ultimately conquered and dispersed by Assyria. His legacy lived on as a testimony of the wages of sin and compromise with false religions leading to ruin.
