Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 21

Verses 1-20

With the passing of Jehoshaphat another period of degeneracy and darkness set in for the kingdom of Judah. He was succeeded by his first-born, Jehoram, who seems to have been a man of utterly evil nature. He attempted to secure the throne by the murder of his brothers. Perhaps the secret of his evil courses lay in the fact that he took to wife the daughter of Ahab. That would seem to be the thought of the chronicler expressed in the words, "He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife." Trouble fell on his kingdom in the revolt of Edom and invasion by the Philistines and the Ethiopians.

In the midst of his wickedness a message came to him by writing from Elijah the prophet of fire, who had exercised so powerful an influence against Ahab in the kingdom of Israel. It contained a terrible message of judgment, which was fully carried out after eight years of reign. So evil were his courses that the nation loathed him, and the tragic words were written concerning his death, "he departed without being desired."