2 Chronicles 21 · a question people ask

2 Kings tells Jehoram's reign too. Do the two books tell it the same way?

In the text

They share much. Both give his age and years: "He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign. He reigned eight years in Jerusalem" (2 Kings 8:17), and "Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem" (21:5). Both say, "He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did Ahab’s house" (2 Kings 8:18; 2 Chronicles 21:6), with "for he married Ahab’s daughter" (2 Kings 8:18) and "for he had Ahab’s daughter as his wife" (21:6). Both tell the lamp promised to David, in different words (2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chronicles 21:7), and Edom's revolt and the battle by night (2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chronicles 21:8-10); only 2 Kings names Zair (2 Kings 8:21), and only 2 Chronicles gives a reason for Libnah's revolt (21:10). Only 2 Chronicles tells of the brothers (21:2-4), the high places (21:11), Elijah's letter (21:12-15), the Philistines and Arabians (21:16-17) and the disease (21:18-19). 2 Kings says he "was buried with his fathers in David’s city" (2 Kings 8:24), and 2 Chronicles, "They buried him in David’s city, but not in the tombs of the kings" (21:20). 2 Kings calls him Jehoram in 8:16 and Joram in 8:21, 8:23 and 8:24. These notes set the two tellings side by side and don't explain the differences.

From Favor's study of 2 Chronicles 21

2 Chronicles 21: A lamp for David's house

Where 2 Kings says the LORD spared Judah "for David his servant’s sake" (2 Kings 8:19), 2 Chronicles says he would not destroy David's house "because of the covenant that he had made with David" (21:7). And only 2 Chronicles tells of the letter from Elijah that named what Jehoram had done (21:12-15).

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