Jehoram יהורם
king of Judah for eight years; husband of Athaliah, who killed his brothers
Jehoram became king at thirty-two and reigned eight years. Part of them fell within his father's lifetime — Kings dates his accession by the years of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 1:17 and 8:16), and this is one of the two coregencies that keep the sum of Judah's reigns from matching the span between the division and the Temple's destruction.
Once established, he put all his brothers to the sword, and some of the princes of Israel with them. His wife was Athaliah, daughter of Ahab, «and he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab did». In his days Edom revolted. Chronicles records a letter from the prophet Elijah pronouncing sentence: because he had brought harlotry into Jerusalem and killed his brothers, better men than he, the Lord would strike him with a disease of the bowels. After two years of illness he died, «and departed unlamented», and was not laid in the tombs of the kings (2 Chronicles 21:12–20).
The years AM 3042–3050 are derived with four years of coregency counted in, and are therefore marked approximate; academically 848–841 BCE.
Sources
Tanakh
- Melachim II (2 Kings) 8:16–24 — his accession in his father's lifetime, the eight years, and the revolt of Edom
- 2 Chronicles 21 — the killing of his brothers, Elijah's letter, and death by disease
Basis: stated in the Tanakh.