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2 Chronicles 21:12

in 2 Chronicles 21

Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, which stated: “This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah,

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

KJV

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

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This verse in 2 Chronicles 21

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

There came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet - From 2Ki 2:11, it is evident that Elijah had been translated in the reign of Jehoshaphat, the father of Jehoram. How then could he send a letter to the son?

This site's exposition

Jehoram from Elijah the prophet

on 2 Chronicles 21:12-13

A letter comes to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, his only writing in Scripture. Second Kings 2:11 appears to place Elijah's departure before Jehoram's accession. Commentators divide between a letter written earlier and delivered later, a later date for the departure, and leaving the text as it stands.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

It is true, we find Elisha attending Jehoshaphat; but that might be, while Elijah was yet on earth: for we read of Jehoram's coming to the crown, before we read of Elijah's translation, 1 Kings xxii, 50. We may suppose, the time of his departure was at hand, so that he could not go in person to Jehoram.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

), upbraiding him with his relation to David as that which, though it was his honour, was an aggravation of his degeneracy. His crimes are plainly charged upon him--his departure from the good ways of God, in which he had been educated, and which he had been directed and encouraged to walk in by the example of his good father and grandfather, who lived and died in peace and honour (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

)-- his conformity to the ways of the house of Ahab, that impious scandalous family--his setting up and enforcing idolatry in his kingdom--and his murdering his brethren because they were better than himself,

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

This is the only notice which we have of Elijah in Chronicles. As a prophet of the northern kingdom, he engaged but slightly the attention of the historian of the southern one. The notice shows that Elijah did not confine his attention to the affairs of his own state, but strove to check the progress of idolatry in Judah. And it proves that he was alive after the death of Jehoshaphat 2Ch 21:13; a fact bearing (1) upon the chronological order of 2Ki 2:1 (see the note), and (2) showing that Elisha, who prophesied in the time of Jehoshaphat. 2Ki 3:11-19 commenced his public ministry before his master’s translation.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

And a letter came to him from Elijah After he had ascended to heaven, this prophetic letter came to him [i.e., to Joram].
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on II Chronicles 21:12:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

23 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיָּבֹ֤אand it came

    vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times

  • אֵלָיו֙to him

    ʾelavH413 →5510 times

  • מִכְתָּ֔בa writing

    mikhtavH4385 →9 times

  • מֵֽאֵלִיָּ֥הוּfrom Elijah

    meeliyahuH452 →

  • הַנָּבִ֖יאthe prophet

    hanavi'H5030 →314 times

  • לֵאמֹ֑ר<to> saying

    lemorH559 →5305 times

  • כֹּ֣ה׀thus

    kohH3541 →577 times

  • אָמַ֣רhe says

    ʾamarH559 →5305 times

  • יְהוָ֗הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • אֱלֹהֵי֙[the] God of

    ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times

  • דָּוִ֣ידDavid

    davidH1732 →999 times

  • אָבִ֔יךָancestor your

    ʾavikhaH1 →1212 times

  • תַּ֗חַתbecause

    tachatH8478 →505 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֤רthat

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • לֹֽא־not

    lo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • הָלַ֙כְתָּ֙you have walked

    halakhtaH1980 →1546 times

  • בְּדַרְכֵי֙in [the] ways of

    bedarkheiH1870 →707 times

  • יְהוֹשָׁפָ֣טJehoshaphat

    yehoshafatH3092 →84 times

  • אָבִ֔יךָfather your

    ʾavikhaH1 →1212 times

  • וּבְדַרְכֵ֖יand in [the] ways of

    uvedarkheiH1870 →707 times

  • אָסָ֥אAsa

    ʾasa'H609 →57 times

  • מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of

    melekh-H4428 →2525 times

  • יְהוּדָֽה׃Judah

    yehudahH3063 →819 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

13 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

2 Chronicles 17:3–4Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek out the Baals,5 works2 Chronicles 14:2–5And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.5 works2 Kings 2:1Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal,3 worksDaniel 5:25–29Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.2 worksJeremiah 36:28–32“Take another scroll and rewrite on it the very words that were on the original scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah has burned.2 worksJeremiah 36:23And as soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut them off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll had been consumed by the fire.2 works
The other 7 cross-references, with their words ▾
1 Kings 15:11And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.2 worksJeremiah 36:2“Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until today.2 works2 Kings 2:11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.2 worksDaniel 5:5At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing,2 works1 Kings 22:43And Jehoshaphat walked in all the ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them, but did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. The high places, however, were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.2 worksHosea 6:5Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning.2 worksEzekiel 2:9–10Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,1 works

The walk

5 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    2 Kings 2:1

    Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal,

    it leads to

    • Genesis 5:24

      Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.

    • Hebrews 11:5

      By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one…

    • 1 Kings 19:16–21

      You are also to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to succeed you as prophet.

    • 1 Kings 19:11

      Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered…

    • Joshua 4:19

      On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies1

About 2 Chronicles

Saphan Reading the Book of the Law to Josiah, Philip Galle, engraving after Maarten van Heemskerck, 1569, Royal Library of Belgium. Public domain.
Saphan Reading the Book of the Law to Josiah, Philip Galle, engraving after Maarten van Heemskerck, 1569, Royal Library of Belgium. Public domain.
2 Chronicles: the study guide →Read 2 Chronicles 21 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 2 Chronicles 21 →