Jehoram's Evil Reign and Jezebel's Daughter

Jehoram, a name shared by several figures in the Old Testament, most notably refers to two kings who reigned concurrently in Israel and Judah: Jehoram of Israel, son of Ahab and Jezebel, and Jehoram of Judah, son of Jehoshaphat ^{[1, 4, 7]}. This discussion focuses on Jehoram of Judah, whose reign was marked by significant wickedness, largely influenced by his marriage to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel ^{[9, 10]}.

Jehoram of Judah succeeded his father Jehoshaphat, one of Judah's most righteous kings ^[8]. Despite his godly lineage, Jehoram "betook himself to the slaughter of his brethren, and his father's friends, who were governors under him, and thence made a beginning and a demonstration of his wickedness" ^[4]. This act of violence against his own family and officials set a dark tone for his reign, indicating a departure from the righteous path of his father ^[10]. The biblical account in 2 Chronicles 21:6 states, "He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord" ^{[9, 11]}.

The "daughter of Ahab" mentioned in the text is Athaliah, who was the offspring of King Ahab of Israel and his infamous wife, Jezebel ^{[6, 9, 10]}. Jezebel herself was a Phoenician princess, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians ^{[3, 5]}. Her marriage to Ahab marked a significant turning point in Israel's religious landscape, as it introduced large-scale Phoenician worship into the court ^{[2, 5, 12]}. Jezebel is historically characterized as "designing, crafty, malicious, revengeful, and cruel," and is noted as a primary instigator of persecution against the prophets of Yahweh ^{[3, 5]}. She supported 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah at her own table, actively working to eradicate the worship of the Lord ^[5].

Athaliah, inheriting her mother's impious and cruel nature, became a powerful and destructive influence in Judah ^{[9, 13]}. Her marriage to Jehoram of Judah, while perhaps intended to create temporary harmony between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, brought "disastrous spiritual results" ^[11]. Under Athaliah's sway, Jehoram not only committed murders but also instituted various forms of false worship, following the idolatrous practices of the kings of Israel ^{[10, 11]}. This marked the first time a king of David's line received a "totally negative evaluation" in the biblical record ^[10].

The influence of Jezebel's lineage through Athaliah was so profound that it threatened the very continuation of the Davidic dynasty ^[10]. Jehoram's wickedness, fueled by Athaliah, led him to abandon the Lord God of his fathers ^[11]. The severity of his actions and the depth of his apostasy are highlighted by the observation that "if the children of good parents prove wicked, commonly they are worse than others" ^[8]. This suggests that Jehoram's deviation from his father's piety was particularly egregious due to his privileged upbringing and knowledge of the true God.

Jehoram's reign was met with divine judgment. The Lord, however, remained faithful to His covenant with David, promising to preserve a lamp for him and his descendants ^[10]. Despite Jehoram's evil, the dynasty was preserved, though it faced severe threats, including further violence against the royal family ^[10]. The narrative of Jehoram serves as a stark reminder of the corrupting influence of ungodly alliances and the profound impact of leadership on the spiritual well-being of a nation. His reign stands in contrast to the piety of his father, Jehoshaphat, illustrating the principle that personal faith is not automatically inherited ^[8]. The legacy of Jezebel, through her daughter Athaliah, extended its destructive reach from Israel into Judah, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of idolatry and wickedness in positions of power.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Jehoram — Jehovah-exalted. (1.) Son of Toi, king of Hamath, sent by his father to congratulate David on the occasion of his victory over Hadadezer (2 Sam. 8:10). (2.) A Levite of the family of Gershom (1 Chr. 26:25). (3.) A priest sent by Jehoshaphat to instructruct the people in Judah (2 Chr. 17:8). (4.) The son of Ahab and Jezebel, and successor to his brother Ahaziah on the throne of Israel. He reigned twelve years, B.C. 896-884 (2 Kings 1:17; 3:1). His first work was to reduce to subjection the Moabites, who had asserted their independence in the reign of his bro”
1 Kings “As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. -- 1 Kings 16:31”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Jezebel — Chaste, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Zidonians, and the wife of Ahab, the king of Israel (1 Kings 16:31). This was the "first time that a king of Israel had allied himself by marriage with a heathen princess; and the alliance was in this case of a peculiarly disastrous kind. Jezebel has stamped her name on history as the representative of all that is designing, crafty, malicious, revengeful, and cruel. She is the first great instigator of persecution against the saints of God. Guided by no principle, restrained by no fear of either God or man, p”
Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 5, section 1: . Concerning The Wickedness Of Jehoram King Of Jerusalem; His Defeat And Death. 1. Now Jehoram the king of Jerusalem, for we have said before that he had the same name with the king of Israel, as soon as he had taken the government upon him, betook himself to the slaughter of his brethren, and his father's friends, who were governors under him, and thence made a beginning and a demonstration of his wickedness; nor was he at all better than those kings of Israel who at first transgressed against the laws of their country, and of t”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Jezebel — (chaste), wife of Ahab king of Israel. (B.C. 883.) She was a Phoenician princess, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians. In her hands her husband became a mere puppet. (1 Kings 21:25) The first effect of her influence was the immediate establishment of the Phoenician worship on a grand scale in the court of Ahab. At her table were supported no less than 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Eastward. (1 Kings 16:31,21; 18:19) The prophets of Jehovah were attacked by her orders and put to the sword. (1 Kings 18:13; 2 Kings 9:7) At last the people, at the instig”
STEPBible TBESG “[H6271] H6271G = (H6271G) — A queen living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.8.26; daughter of: Ahab (H0256); sister of: Joash (H3101H), Ahaziah (H0274) and Joram (H3141H); married to Jehoram (H3088); mother of: Ahaziah (H0274H) and Jehosheba (H3089) § Athaliah = "afflicted of the Lord" 1) son of Jeroham of the tribe of Benjamin 2) father of Jeshaiah of the sons of Elam who was one of the heads of a family who returned with Ezra from exile 3) the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel and the wife of king Jehoram of Judah; killer of all the members of th”
Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 4, section 1: . Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat; How Joram, His Namesake, King Of Israel, Fought With The Syrians; And What Wonders Were Done By The Prophet Elisha. 1. Jehoshapat had a good number of children; but he appointed his eldest son Jehoram to be his successor, who had the same name with his mother's brother, that was king of Israel, and the son of Ahab. Now when the king of Israel was come out of the land of Moab to Samaria, he had with him Elisha the prophet, whose acts I have a mind to go over particularly, for they were illustrious, ”
2 Kings (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 8:16: We have here a brief account of the life and reign of Jehoram (or Joram), one of the worst of the kings of Judah, but the son and successor of Jehoshaphat, one of the best. Note, 1. Parents cannot give grace to their children. Many that have themselves been godly have had the grief and shame of seeing those that came forth out of their bowels wicked and vile. Let not the families that are thus afflicted think it strange. 2. If the children of good parents prove wicked, commonly they are worse than others. The unclean spirit brings in seven others more wicked than”
2 Chronicles (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 2 Chronicles 21:6: He had the daughter of Ahab to wife - This was Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, who was famous for her impieties and cruelty, as was her most profligate mother. It is likely that she was the principal cause of Jehoram's cruelty and profaneness.”
2 Chronicles (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Chronicles 21:2: 21:2-7 Jehoram, whose wife was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (18:1; 21:6; 22:2), was the first king of David’s line to receive a totally negative evaluation. His murders (21:4) seriously threatened the continuation of the dynasty, which was only preserved because of the Lord’s own loyal faithfulness to David (21:7). On three other occasions, violence was perpetrated against the royal family that all but ended the dynasty (see 21:17; 22:8-9, 10-11).”
2 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Kings 8:18: 8:18 evil in the Lord’s sight: Not only did Jehoram marry Ahab’s daughter Athaliah but he followed the example of the kings of Israel in worshiping idols. Some have suggested that Ps 45 was composed in honor of the marriage between Jehoram and Athaliah, which joined the royal houses of Judah and Israel (see Ps 45:12; Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel, the princess of Tyre). While the marriage created temporary harmony between the kingdoms, it brought disastrous spiritual results. Under Athaliah’s influence, Jehoram instituted various false forms of worship (2 ”
1 Kings (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Kings 16:29: Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him--The worship of God by symbols had hitherto been the offensive form of apostasy in Israel, but now gross idolatry is openly patronized by the court. This was done through the influence of Jezebel, Ahab's queen. She was "the daughter of Eth-baal, king of the Zidonians." He was priest of Ashtaroth or Astarte, who, having murdered Philetes, king of Tyre, ascended the throne of that kingdom, being the eighth king since Hiram. Jezebel was the wicked daughter of this regi”
2 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Kings 11:1: 11:1-16 Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel and the wife of King Jehoram of Judah (8:18, 26). As queen mother, she wielded powerful influence. Unfortunately, it was for evil (8:18, 27; 2 Chr 22:3-4) and included her plans to destroy the rest of the royal family (see 2 Chr 22:10). The demise of Ahab’s family in Samaria was complete, but Athaliah seized power in Judah in a slaughter that mirrored Jehu’s slaughter of her family in Samaria.”

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