2 Chronicles 21

1 And Jehoshaphat [slept with his fathers, died] rested with his fathers [his ancestors, forefathers] and was buried [laid to rest, interred] with them in the City [town, settlement] of David [the city of the king]. And his son [descendant, offspring] Jehoram [Joram, son of Jehoshaphat] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study 2 Jehoram’s brothers [younger siblings, close relatives], the sons [descendants, male heirs] of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; these [specific individuals] were all sons [male offspring, heirs] of Jehoshaphat king [ruler, monarch] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, his descendants]. word study 3 Their father [the patriarch, ancestor] had given them many gifts [great presents, valuable items] of silver [money, wealth] and gold [precious metal, treasure] and precious things [choice gifts, valuable items], as well as the fortified [strong, walled] cities in Judah [the region, territory]; but he gave the kingdom [dominion, rule] to Jehoram [Joram, the son of Jehoshaphat] because he was the firstborn [the eldest, heir]. word study 4 When Jehoram [Joram, the king of Judah] had established himself [risen up, taken his place] over his father’s [paternal] kingdom, he strengthened himself [made his position safe, secured his power] by putting to the sword [slaying, killing with intent] all his brothers [male siblings, close relatives] along with some of the princes [rulers, leaders] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people]. word study 5 Jehoram [also known as Joram, a king of Judah] was thirty-two [thirty and two] years old when he became [began to reign, started ruling] king, and he reigned [ruled as king, exercised royal authority] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital city] eight [a special number] years. word study 6 And Jehoram walked [in the ways of life, following the path] in the ways of the kings [rulers, monarchs] of Israel, just as the house [family, dynasty] of Ahab had done. For he married [took as wife, became united with] a daughter [female child, woman] of Ahab and did [committed, performed] evil [bad, wicked, morally wrong] in the sight [presence, eyes] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 7 Yet the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] was unwilling [did not consent, refused] to destroy [to ruin, bring to nothing] the house [family, descendants] of David, because of the covenant [promise, agreement] He had made with David, and since He had promised [spoken, vowed] to maintain [give, provide] a lamp [a candle, a light] for David and his descendants [sons, children] forever [all the days, always]. word study 8 In the days [period of time, era] of Jehoram, Edom [the region, descendants of Esau] rebelled [revolted, transgressed] against the hand [power, authority] of Judah [the tribe, kingdom] and appointed [made, established] their own king [ruler, monarch]. word study 9 So Jehoram [Joram, the king of Judah] crossed into Edom [the region of Esau’s descendants] with his officers [princes, rulers] and all his chariots [vehicles, cavalry]. When the Edomites [Esau’s people] surrounded [encircled, turned against] him and his chariot commanders [captains of the cavalry], he rose up [stood, took a stand] and attacked [struck, smote] by night [in the darkness, under cover of night]. word study 10 So to this day Edom [the twin brother of Jacob, a region in conflict] has been in rebellion [revolted, transgressed] against the hand [power, direction] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob]. Likewise, Libnah [a city in Palestine, originally a Canaanite royal city] rebelled [transgressed, broke away] against his rule [authority, dominion] at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken [abandoned, loosened] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the God [Elohim, the supreme God] of his fathers [ancestors, forefathers]. word study 11 Jehoram had also [even, too] built high places [cultic platforms, idolatrous shrines] on the hills [mountains, elevated areas] of Judah; he had caused the people of Jerusalem [inhabitants, dwellers] to prostitute themselves [commit fornication, be unfaithful] and had led Judah [the tribe, the region] astray [away from the true path, into idolatry]. word study 12 Then a letter [writing, message] came to Jehoram from Elijah [my God is Jehovah] the prophet, which stated: “This is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the God [Elohim, the supreme God] of your father [ancestor, forefather] David, says: ‘You have not walked [followed, lived] in the ways [paths, manner of life] of your father [ancestor, forefather] Jehoshaphat [Jehovah has judged] or of Asa [healer, doctor] king [ruler, monarch] of Judah [praise, the southern kingdom], word study 13 but you have walked [in the way of disobedience] in the ways of the kings of Israel [rulers of the northern kingdom] and have caused Judah [the southern kingdom, descendants of Judah] and the people of Jerusalem [inhabitants of the city of peace] to prostitute themselves [to commit idolatry, spiritual adultery], just as the house of Ahab [a dynasty of idolatrous kings] prostituted itself. You have also killed [slain, murdered] your brothers [male siblings, close relatives], your father’s family [household, kin], who were better [more righteous, more pleasing to God] than you. word study 14 So behold [look, see], the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] is about to strike [smite, inflict judgment] your people [nation, community], your sons [children, descendants], your wives [women], and all [everything, every possession] your possessions [property, goods, riches] with a serious blow. word study 15 And day after day [daily, every day] you yourself [personally, as an individual] will suffer from a severe [great, grievous] illness, a disease [sickness, infirmity] of your bowels [internal organs, intestines], until [as far as, till the point] it causes your bowels [belly, stomach] to come out [fall out, be expelled].’” word study 16 Then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] stirred [to rouse, wake up] against Jehoram [Joram, a king of Judah] the spirit [breath of life, mind and emotions] of the Philistines [a person from the region of Philistia] and Arabs [someone from the region of Arabia] who lived near [beside, adjacent to] the Cushites [a descendant of Cush, referring to someone from Ethiopia]. word study 17 So they went to war [invaded, came up against] against Judah, invaded [broke into, wasted] it, and carried off [took captive, brake into] all the possessions [substance, property, goods] found in the king’s [royal, sovereign] palace, along with his sons [descendants, children] and wives [women, female companions]; not a son [child, descendant] was left to him except [save, but] Jehoahaz [Ahaziah, Jehovah has seized], his youngest [smallest, most insignificant]. word study 18 After [following, in the rear] all [everything, the entirety] this [these events, this situation], the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] afflicted [struck, smote] Jehoram with an incurable [having no cure] disease [sickness, grief] of the bowels [belly, internal organs, intestines] [which was impossible to heal, with no healing]. word study 19 This continued day after day [in a process of time, from days to days] until two full years [a pair of years, a couple of years] had passed. Finally, his intestines [belly, internal organs] came out because of his disease [sickness, illness], and he died [passed away, came to an end] in severe [bad, evil] pain. And his people did not make a fire [burning, cremation] in his honor as they had done for his fathers [ancestors, forefathers]. word study 20 Jehoram was thirty-two [thirty and two] years old when he became king, and he reigned [ruled as monarch] in Jerusalem [the city of peace] eight [a special number] years. He died [passed away, departed without being desired], to no one’s regret [without being mourned], and was buried [laid to rest, interred] in the City of David [the city of the beloved king], but not [not in the sense of exclusion] in the tombs [sepulchres, graves] of the kings [the royal rulers]. word study