2 Chronicles 21:2 kjv
And he had brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah: all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 21:2 nkjv
He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 21:2 niv
Jehoram's brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 21:2 esv
He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 21:2 nlt
Jehoram's brothers ? the other sons of Jehoshaphat ? were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
2 Chronicles 21 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Ch 21:1 | "Jehoram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers...and Jehoram his son reigned in his place." | Sets Jehoram's succession and the immediate predecessor. |
| 2 Ch 21:3 | "Their father had given them great gifts of silver...along with fortified cities...but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram." | Jehoshaphat's provision for his sons and Jehoram's privileged status. |
| 2 Ch 21:4 | "When Jehoram had taken over the kingdom...he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel." | Reveals the ultimate tragic fate of the brothers listed in 21:2. |
| 2 Ki 8:16 | "In the fifth year of Joram...Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign." | Parallel account of Jehoram's ascension in the Book of Kings. |
| 1 Ki 22:41 | "Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah...And he walked in all the way of Asa his father." | Details about Jehoshaphat, the righteous father of these sons. |
| 1 Ch 3:10 | "And Solomon's son was Rehoboam...Jehoshaphat his son..." | Confirms the Davidic royal lineage of Jehoshaphat and his descendants. |
| 2 Ch 11:18-23 | Rehoboam also had many wives and concubines and fathered many sons whom he strategically dispersed with gifts. | Shows the precedent of Israelite kings having many royal sons and providing for them. |
| Jdg 9:1-5 | "Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went...and killed his seventy brothers...on one stone." | A severe biblical parallel of fratricide for kingship, highlighting the extreme sin. |
| Gen 4:8 | "Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him." | The first instance of brotherhood murder in Scripture. |
| Ps 133:1 | "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" | Provides a stark contrast to Jehoram's actions against his brothers. |
| Prov 27:10 | "Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity." | Highlights the importance and strength of brotherly and friendly relationships. |
| Dt 17:15 | "You may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. He must be one of your brothers." | Reinforces the expectation that kings would maintain strong ties and righteousness among their brethren. |
| Amos 1:11 | "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword..." | God's strong condemnation of pursuing or killing a brother, referring to Edom and Israel. |
| Mt 1:8 | "and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram..." | Establishes the continuation of the messianic lineage through Jehoram despite his wickedness. |
| Heb 13:1 | "Let brotherly love continue." | New Testament emphasis on the virtue of brotherly love, contrasting Jehoram. |
| 1 Jn 3:12 | "We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother." | Directly condemns fratricide as an act stemming from evil. |
| Job 42:13 | "And he had seven sons and three daughters." | Biblical instances of many children as a sign of blessing, emphasizing the tragedy of their demise. |
| Ex 1:5 | "All the persons descended from Jacob were seventy in all." | General biblical significance and listing of numerous progeny. |
| 1 Sam 8:5 | "Give us a king to judge us like all the nations." | The broader context of Israelite kingship and its often problematic realities. |
| 2 Sam 20:9-10 | Joab betrays and murders Amasa, highlighting violence within leadership ranks. | A precedent for treacherous killing within high-ranking biblical figures. |
2 Chronicles 21 verses
2 Chronicles 21 2 Meaning
2 Chronicles 21:2 states the names of King Jehoshaphat's other sons, who were brothers to Jehoram, the reigning king. These brothers are identified as Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah (another one with the same name), Michael, and Shephatiah. The verse firmly establishes their royal lineage by explicitly naming them as "all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah." This clear listing of royal brothers, born to a righteous king, sets the immediate context for the subsequent tragic events involving Jehoram and his family.
2 Chronicles 21 2 Context
This verse is foundational to understanding the tragedy that immediately follows in 2 Chronicles 21. It transitions directly from Jehoram's ascension to the throne in 2 Chronicles 21:1. The Chronicler makes it a point to list these royal brothers immediately, highlighting their existence and their clear claim to royal blood, albeit subordinate to Jehoram's primary heirship. In ancient monarchies, numerous royal sons could be a source of strength, ensuring succession, or a source of internal conflict and insecurity for the reigning king. By specifically enumerating these six brothers (plus the possibility of other sons not listed due to death or obscurity, or other wives of Jehoshaphat, although only his queen is noted for Jehoram in Kings), the author underscores the full extent of Jehoram's depraved act detailed in verse 4: the systematic murder of his own royal siblings. This listing also implicitly contrasts Jehoram's unrighteousness with the piety of his father Jehoshaphat, who presumably raised and provided for all his sons (2 Ch 21:3).
2 Chronicles 21 2 Word analysis
- And he had brothers,: The "he" refers to Jehoram, who has just succeeded his father Jehoshaphat (v. 1). The Hebrew "וְלוֹ אָחִים" (ve-lo' akhim) directly states "and to him, brothers." This establishes Jehoram as having multiple male siblings of royal blood, an important detail given the subsequent events.
- the sons of Jehoshaphat: Hebrew "בְּנֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט" (b'nei Yehoshaphat). This clearly identifies their parentage from a king renowned for his piety and reforms in Judah. This legitimacy highlights the heinousness of Jehoram's future actions.
- Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah: The listing of specific names is characteristic of the Chronicler's detailed genealogies and rosters.
- Azariah (עֲזַרְיָהוּ - 'Azaryahu): Meaning "Yahweh has helped." The appearance of this name twice in the list for different individuals is not uncommon in the Bible and can indicate the name's popularity, or simply the existence of two distinct individuals bearing it, especially common when large families might reuse traditional names. It doesn't imply a mistake.
- Jehiel (יְחִיאֵל - Yechiel): Meaning "May God live" or "God lives."
- Zechariah (זְכַרְיָהוּ - Zecharyahu): Meaning "Yahweh remembers." A prophet later bears this name.
- Michael (מִיכָאֵל - Micha'el): Meaning "Who is like God?" A well-known angelic name, also a common human name.
- Shephatiah (שְׁפַטְיָהוּ - Shefatyahu): Meaning "Yahweh has judged." This name carries a note of divine judgment, which, in hindsight, resonates with the consequences of Jehoram's wicked deeds.
- —all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah: This emphatic statement, "כָּל־אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה" (kol-'elleh b'nei Yehoshaphat melech Yehudah), reiterates and firmly confirms the full list as the legitimate offspring of the king, strengthening the foundation for understanding Jehoram's grievous sin of fratricide. The Chronicler emphasizes their shared royal status.
2 Chronicles 21 2 Bonus section
- The naming convention "Azariah" twice within the list might subtly imply the sheer number of children born to a king, or the commonality of particular names reflecting pious sentiments in that era. It underscores that Jehoshaphat had a remarkably large number of male heirs for the throne.
- While this verse just lists names, the broader biblical narrative (especially in 2 Ch 21:3-4) immediately fills in the ominous purpose of this listing: to highlight the victims of Jehoram's atrocity. This specific, comprehensive list adds to the horror of his actions compared to a mere generic statement of "he killed his brothers."
- In the broader theological scheme of Chronicles, this act by Jehoram is a significant deviation from the Davidic covenant's promise of lasting descendants. Jehoram's purge jeopardizes the continuity of the royal line, although God in His sovereignty ensures a remnant.
- This verse contributes to the Chronicler's larger project of chronicling the reigns of the kings of Judah, often contrasting faithful and unfaithful rulers, and emphasizing the consequences of their actions on their lineage and the nation. Here, the numerous sons are initially a blessing but become victims due to their brother's wickedness.
2 Chronicles 21 2 Commentary
2 Chronicles 21:2 serves as a pivotal, yet deceptively simple, verse that lays the groundwork for the tragic downfall of King Jehoram. By meticulously listing the six royal brothers, sons of the righteous King Jehoshaphat, the Chronicler sets the stage for a dramatic contrast between Jehoshaphat's godly rule and Jehoram's subsequent depravity. This is not just a dry genealogical record; it is a vital part of the narrative build-up, showing the human collateral damage of a wicked king's reign. The seemingly factual enumeration of names, implying the existence of multiple viable heirs or strong royal household members, accentuates the later shock and moral outrage of Jehoram's cold-blooded act of assassinating his own kin for political security (2 Ch 21:4). It highlights how severely Jehoram broke not only God's law but also the natural bonds of family and leadership expectation in Israel. This deliberate detailed listing emphasizes that Jehoram systematically eliminated a significant portion of the royal household, leaving his own lineage vulnerable and demonstrating his ruthlessness from the outset of his reign.