2 Chronicles 21:20
Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He died, to no one's regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king,

Jehoram succeeded his father Jehoshaphat over Judah, beginning a reign that sharply departed from the spiritual direction of his father. Though he was mature in years and had likely observed Jehoshaphat’s administration, he chose the ways of the house of Ahab. His marriage to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, strengthened an alliance with Israel but also opened Judah to Baal worship and the corrupting influence of pagan religion.

2Ki 8:17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king,…
1Ki 14:21 Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah.…
2Ch 26:1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen…

and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

Jehoram ruled from Jerusalem, the city God had chosen for His name and the center of Judah’s worship. During those years he murdered his brothers, led Judah into idolatry, and faced revolt from Edom and Libnah. The Lord also sent a warning through Elijah, declaring judgment because Jehoram had forsaken God and caused Judah to sin. His brief reign revealed how deeply one ruler’s rebellion could wound an entire nation.

2Ki 12:1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king…
2Ch 24:1 Joash was seven years old when he became king,…
2Ki 14:2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king,…

He died, to no one’s regret,

Jehoram’s death brought no public grief or honor because his cruelty and unfaithfulness had made his rule a burden to Judah. He had secured his throne through bloodshed and had rejected the covenant faithfulness displayed by his fathers. The dreadful illness that ended his life fulfilled Elijah’s warning and showed that royal power did not place him beyond God’s judgment.

Jer 22:18-19 Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim…
Jer 16:4-7 They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie…
Ezk 24:16 Son of man, behold, I am about to take away…

and was buried in the City of David,

Jehoram received burial within Jerusalem because he belonged to David’s royal line. The City of David remained the burial place associated with Judah’s kings and with God’s covenant promises to David’s house.

1Ki 14:31 And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried…
1Ki 11:43 And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried…
1Ki 2:10 Then David rested with his fathers and was buried…

but not in the tombs of the kings.

His exclusion from the royal tombs marked a final public dishonor. Jehoram retained the title of king, but his life and death bore witness that inherited privilege cannot replace obedience to the Lord.

2Ch 28:27 And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.…
2Ch 26:23 And Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried…
2Ki 21:18 And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jehoram
The son of Jehoshaphat, Jehoram became king of Judah and is noted for his wicked reign, which led to his unpopularity and lack of mourning at his death.

2. Jerusalem
The capital city of Judah, where Jehoram reigned as king. It holds significant historical and spiritual importance as the center of Jewish worship and governance.

3. City of David
A section of Jerusalem where Jehoram was buried, though not in the royal tombs, signifying a lack of honor due to his actions as king.

4. Jehoshaphat
Jehoram's father, who was a righteous king of Judah, contrasting with Jehoram's evil reign.

5. Tombs of the Kings
The burial place for the honored kings of Judah, from which Jehoram was excluded, indicating his dishonor.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Wicked Leadership
Jehoram's reign serves as a warning about the impact of ungodly leadership. His actions led to national suffering and personal disgrace.

Legacy Matters
The fact that Jehoram died "to no one’s regret" challenges us to consider the legacy we are leaving. Are we living in a way that honors God and blesses others?

The Importance of Godly Influence
Jehoram's marriage into Ahab's family led him astray. This highlights the importance of surrounding ourselves with godly influences.

God's Justice and Mercy
Despite Jehoram's evil, God did not destroy Judah for David's sake, showing His faithfulness and mercy even amidst judgment.

Reflecting on Our Mortality
Jehoram's death reminds us of the brevity of life and the importance of living with an eternal perspective.
Bible Study Questions
1. What can we learn from Jehoram's life about the impact of our choices on our legacy?

2. How does Jehoram's exclusion from the royal tombs reflect the biblical principle of reaping what we sow?

3. In what ways can we ensure that our leadership, whether in family, work, or community, aligns with godly principles?

4. How does Jehoram's account encourage us to evaluate the influences in our lives and their impact on our spiritual walk?

5. Reflecting on Hebrews 9:27, how should the certainty of death and judgment influence the way we live our daily lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Kings 8:16-24
Provides a parallel account of Jehoram's reign, emphasizing his marriage to Ahab's daughter and his evil actions, which led to God's judgment.

Proverbs 10:7
Discusses the memory of the righteous versus the wicked, highlighting how Jehoram's lack of regret at his death aligns with the fate of the wicked.

Hebrews 9:27
Reminds us of the inevitability of death and judgment, encouraging reflection on how we live our lives in light of eternity.
The Undesirableness of a Wicked Man's LifeHomilist2 Chronicles 21:20
The Trouble that is Worse than SorrowW. Clarkson 2 Chronicles 21:19, 20
People
Ahab, Ahaziah, Arabians, Asa, Azariah, Cushites, David, Edomites, Elijah, Ethiopians, Jehiel, Jehoahaz, Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, Michael, Shephatiah, Zechariah
Places
Edom, Jerusalem, Libnah, Mareshah
Topics
Body, Buried, Bury, David, Death, Departed, Desire, Desired, Eight, Graves, Howbeit, Jerusalem, Joyless, Kings, One's, Passed, Regret, Regretted, Reign, Reigned, Reigning, Resting-place, Ruling, Sepulchers, Sepulchres, Thirty, Thirty-two, Tombs, Town, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 21:20

     6227   regret
     9050   tombs

2 Chronicles 21:4-20

     5366   king

Library
The Prophecy of Obadiah.
We need not enter into details regarding the question as to the time when the prophet wrote. By a thorough argumentation, Caspari has proved, that he occupies his right position in the Canon, and hence belongs to the earliest age of written prophecy, i.e., to the time of Jeroboam II. and Uzziah. As bearing conclusively against those who would assign to him a far later date, viz., the time of the exile, there is not only the indirect testimony borne by the place which this prophecy occupies in
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Jericho Itself.
We read, that this city was not only wasted by Joshua with fire and sword, but cursed also. "Cursed be he before the Lord, who shall rise up and build that city Jericho," Joshua 6:26. "Nor was another city to be built (says the Talmudists), which was to be called by the name of Jericho: nor was Jericho itself to be built, although to be called by another name." And yet I know not by what chance this city crept out of dust and rubbish, lived again, and flourished, and became the second city to Jerusalem.
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

A Discourse of Mercifulness
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 These verses, like the stairs of Solomon's temple, cause our ascent to the holy of holies. We are now mounting up a step higher. Blessed are the merciful . . '. There was never more need to preach of mercifulness than in these unmerciful times wherein we live. It is reported in the life of Chrysostom that he preached much on this subject of mercifulness, and for his much pressing Christians to mercy, he was called of many, the alms-preacher,
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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