Open English Translation 2 CHR Chapter 21

Edom and Libnah Revolt

2 Kings 8:16-24; 2 Chronicles 21:1-11

Throughout history–from ancient times to modern–the death of a powerful leader has often initiated a cascade of political changes within the leader’s former sphere of influence, and the death of King Jehoshaphat of Judah was no different. The nation of Edom had been subjugated by King David of Israel (2 Samuel 8:13-14), and after the northern tribes of Israel broke away from the rule of David’s descendants in 930 B.C., Edom remained under the rule of Judah. By the end of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, however, the political landscape had changed significantly. Edom’s neighbor Moab had already declared independence from Israel after the death of King Ahab just a few years earlier in 853 B.C. (2 Kings 1:1; 3:5), and they had even survived an attempt by King Jehoram of Israel to bring them back under his rule (2 Kings 3; see map). Their success may have emboldened Edom to seize upon a new window of opportunity to reestablish their own sovereignty when King Jehoshaphat died in 848 B.C. Edom, too, would survive an attempt by another King Jehoram–King Jehoram (or sometimes Joram) of Judah–to bring them back under his rule, and this apparently led the Levitical city of Libnah to revolt from Judah as well. After Edom declared their independence, Jehoram set out with his chariots and his army to attack Edom at Zair (probably the same as Zoar), but the Edomites and their chariot commanders surrounded his forces, and Jehoram’s army fled home.

Philistines and Arabs Attack Judah

2 Chronicles 21

During the reign of Jehoram of Judah, the Philistines and the Arabs near the Cushites attacked Jerusalem and carried off all his possessions, his wives, and his sons except Jehoahaz, his youngest son. The Arabs who joined in the attack were likely those who lived southeast of Edom, and the Cushites were likely those who lived along the western coast of Arabia (Genesis 10:6-7). It is likely that the primary motivation for their attack was the same as that of Zerah the Cushite over fifty years earlier (2 Chronicles 14; see “Zerah the Cushite” map): They wanted to prevent Judah from impeding or heavily taxing their lucrative trade along the Incense Route, which stretched from the southern tip of Arabia to the Mediterranean Sea ports in Philistia. Both the Arabs and the Philistines would later be attacked by King Uzziah of Judah about fifty years after Jehoram’s encounter with them (2 Chronicles 26:6-7; see “Resurgence of Israel and Judah” map). During Jehoram’s reign, the Philistines and the Arabs were most likely taking advantage of the perceived weakness of Judah after Edom and Libnah declared their independence from Judah (2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chronicles 21:8-10) and Jehoram had lost a battle to retake Edom (2 Kings 8:21-22; 2 Chronicles 21:9-10; see “Edom and Libnah Revolt” map).