2 Chronicles 21:16

THE MESSAGE

The trouble started with an invasion. God incited the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram. They came to the borders of Judah, forced their way in, and plundered the place—robbing the royal palace of everything in it including his wives and sons. One son, his youngest, Ahaziah, was left behind. The terrible and fatal disease in his colon followed. After about two years he was totally incontinent and died writhing in pain. His people didn't honor him by lighting a great bonfire, as was customary with his ancestors. He was thirty-two years old when he became king and reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. There were no tears shed when he died—it was good riddance!—and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord roused the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Cushites to attack Jehoram.

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD stirred up against Yehoram the spirit of the Pelishtim, and of the `Aravi'im who are beside the Kushim:

King James Version
Moreover the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians:

English Standard Version
And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians.

New Century Version
The Lord caused the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Cushites to be angry with Jehoram.

New English Translation
The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the Philistines and the Arabs who lived beside the Cushites.

Amplified Bible
Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit (anger) of the Philistines and of the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians.

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians;

World English Bible
Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians who are beside the Ethiopians:

Geneva Bible (1587)
So the Lord stirred vp against Iehoram the spirite of the Philistims, & the Arabians that were beside the Ethiopians.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians;

Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD stirred against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and Arabs who lived near the Cushites.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord later caused the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to become angry at Jehoram.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then Adonai aroused against Y'horam the spirit of the P'lishtim and of the Arabs near the Ethiopians;

Darby Translation
And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, who [are] near the Ethiopians;

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord caused the Philistines and the Arabs living near the Ethiopians to be angry with Jehoram.

George Lamsa Translation
Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabians who dwelt near the Ethiopians;

Good News Translation
Some Philistines and Arabs lived near where some Ethiopians had settled along the coast. The Lord caused them to go to war against Jehoram.

Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who were near the Cushites against Jehoram.

Literal Translation
And Jehovah awakened the spirit of the Philistines against Jehoram, and of the Arabians who were beside the Ethiopians;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So ye LORDE raysed vp agaynst Ioram, the sprete of the Philistynes, & Arabians, which lye besyde the Morians,

American Standard Version
And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians that are beside the Ethiopians:

Bible in Basic English
Then the Philistines and the Arabians, who are by Ethiopia, were moved by the Lord to make war on Jehoram;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so the Lorde stirred vp against Iehoram the spirite of the Philistines, and the Arabians that were besyde the blacke Moores.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians that are beside the Ethiopians;

King James Version (1611)
Moreouer, the Lord stirred vp against Iehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were neere the Ethiopians.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So the Lord stirred up the Philistines against Joram, and the Arabians, and those who bordered on the Æthiopians:

English Revised Version
And the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians which are beside the Ethiopians:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the Lord reiside ayens Joram the spirit of Filisteis and Arabeis, that marchen with Ethiopiens; and thei stieden in to the lond of Juda,

Update Bible Version
And Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians that are beside the Ethiopians:

Webster's Bible Translation
Moreover, the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that [were] near the Cushites.

New King James Version
Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians who were near the Ethiopians.

New Living Translation
Then the Lord stirred up the Philistines and the Arabs, who lived near the Ethiopians, to attack Jehoram.

New Life Bible
Then the Lord made the Philistines and the Arabs who were near the Ethiopians angry against Jehoram.

New Revised Standard
The Lord aroused against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabs who are near the Ethiopians.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and the Arabians, who were under the direction of the Ethiopians;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord stirred up against Joram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, who border on the Ethiopians.

Revised Standard Version
And the LORD stirred up against Jeho'ram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabs who are near the Ethiopians;

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah waketh up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, who [are] beside the Cushim,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians;

Contextual Overview

¹²One day he got a letter from Elijah the prophet. It read, "From God , the God of your ancestor David—a message: Because you have not kept to the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and Asa your grandfather, kings of Judah, but have taken up with the ways of the kings of Israel in the north, leading Judah and Jerusalem away from God, going step by step down the apostate path of Ahab and his crew—why, you even killed your own brothers, all of them better men than you!— God is going to afflict your people, your wives, your sons, and everything you have with a terrible plague. And you are going to come down with a terrible disease of the colon, painful and humiliating." ¹⁶The trouble started with an invasion. God incited the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram. They came to the borders of Judah, forced their way in, and plundered the place—robbing the royal palace of everything in it including his wives and sons. One son, his youngest, Ahaziah, was left behind. The terrible and fatal disease in his colon followed. After about two years he was totally incontinent and died writhing in pain. His people didn't honor him by lighting a great bonfire, as was customary with his ancestors. He was thirty-two years old when he became king and reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. There were no tears shed when he died—it was good riddance!—and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 3117, bc 887

the Lord: 2 Chronicles 33:11, 1 Samuel 26:19, 2 Samuel 24:1, 1 Kings 11:11, 1 Kings 11:14, 1 Kings 11:23, Ezra 1:1, Ezra 1:5, Isaiah 10:5, Isaiah 10:6, Isaiah 45:5-7, Amos 3:6

Philistines: 2 Chronicles 17:11

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 22:1 - slain 2 Chronicles 24:25 - great diseases 2 Chronicles 26:6 - warred against 2 Chronicles 26:7 - the Arabians 2 Chronicles 36:22 - the Lord stirred Joel 3:4 - and what Amos 1:6 - carried

Cross-References

Genesis 27:38
"But don't you have just one blessing for me, Father? Oh, bless me my father! Bless me!" Esau sobbed inconsolably.

Judges 2:4
When God 's angel had spoken these words to all the People of Israel, they cried out—oh! how they wept! They named the place Bokim (Weepers). And there they sacrificed to God .

1 Samuel 24:16
When David had finished saying all this, Saul said, "Can this be the voice of my son David?" and he wept in loud sobs. "You're the one in the right, not me," he continued. "You've heaped good on me; I've dumped evil on you. And now you've done it again—treated me generously. God put me in your hands and you didn't kill me. Why? When a man meets his enemy, does he send him down the road with a blessing? May God give you a bonus of blessings for what you've done for me today! I know now beyond doubt that you will rule as king. The kingdom of Israel is already in your grasp! Now promise me under God that you will not kill off my family or wipe my name off the books."

1 Samuel 30:4
David and his men burst out in loud wails—wept and wept until they were exhausted with weeping. David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken prisoner along with the rest. And suddenly David was in even worse trouble. There was talk among the men, bitter over the loss of their families, of stoning him. David strengthened himself with trust in his God . He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the Ephod so I can consult God." Abiathar brought it to David. Then David prayed to God , "Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?" The answer came, "Go after them! Yes, you'll catch them! Yes, you'll make the rescue!" David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They arrived at the Brook Besor, where some of them dropped out. David and four hundred men kept up the pursuit, but two hundred of them were too fatigued to cross the Brook Besor, and stayed there. Some who went on came across an Egyptian in a field and took him to David. They gave him bread and he ate. And he drank some water. They gave him a piece of fig cake and a couple of raisin muffins. Life began to revive in him. He hadn't eaten or drunk a thing for three days and nights! David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian slave of an Amalekite," he said. "My master walked off and left me when I got sick—that was three days ago. We had raided the Negev of the Kerethites, of Judah, and of Caleb. Ziklag we burned." David asked him, "Can you take us to the raiders?" "Promise me by God," he said, "that you won't kill me or turn me over to my old master, and I'll take you straight to the raiders." He led David to them. They were scattered all over the place, eating and drinking, gorging themselves on all the loot they had plundered from Philistia and Judah. David pounced. He fought them from before sunrise until evening of the next day. None got away except for four hundred of the younger men who escaped by riding off on camels. David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken. And he rescued his two wives! Nothing and no one was missing—young or old, son or daughter, plunder or whatever. David recovered the whole lot. He herded the sheep and cattle before them, and they all shouted, "David's plunder!" Then David came to the two hundred who had been too tired to continue with him and had dropped out at the Brook Besor. They came out to welcome David and his band. As he came near he called out, "Success!" But all the mean-spirited men who had marched with David, the rabble element, objected: "They didn't help in the rescue, they don't get any of the plunder we recovered. Each man can have his wife and children, but that's it. Take them and go!" "Families don't do this sort of thing! Oh no, my brothers!" said David as he broke up the argument. "You can't act this way with what God gave us! God kept us safe. He handed over the raiders who attacked us. Who would ever listen to this kind of talk? The share of the one who stays with the gear is the share of the one who fights—equal shares. Share and share alike!" From that day on, David made that the rule in Israel—and it still is. On returning to Ziklag, David sent portions of the plunder to the elders of Judah, his neighbors, with a note saying, "A gift from the plunder of God 's enemies!" He sent them to the elders in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, Jerahmeelite cities, Kenite cities, Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, and Hebron, along with a number of other places David and his men went to from time to time.

1 Kings 3:26
The real mother of the living baby was overcome with emotion for her son and said, "Oh no, master! Give her the whole baby alive; don't kill him!" But the other one said, "If I can't have him, you can't have him—cut away!"

Isaiah 49:15
"Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I'd never forget you—never. Look, I've written your names on the backs of my hands. The walls you're rebuilding are never out of my sight. Your builders are faster than your wreckers. The demolition crews are gone for good. Look up, look around, look well! See them all gathering, coming to you? As sure as I am the living God"— God 's Decree— "you're going to put them on like so much jewelry, you're going to use them to dress up like a bride.

Zechariah 12:10
"Next I'll deal with the family of David and those who live in Jerusalem. I'll pour a spirit of grace and prayer over them. They'll then be able to recognize me as the One they so grievously wounded—that piercing spear-thrust! And they'll weep—oh, how they'll weep! Deep mourning as of a parent grieving the loss of the firstborn child. The lamentation in Jerusalem that day will be massive, as famous as the lamentation over Hadad-Rimmon on the fields of Megiddo: Everyone will weep and grieve, the land and everyone in it: The family of David off by itself and their women off by themselves; The family of Nathan off by itself and their women off by themselves; The family of Levi off by itself and their women off by themselves; The family of Shimei off by itself and their women off by themselves; And all the rest of the families off by themselves and their women off by themselves."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Moreover, the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines,.... Which had been depressed in the times of Jehoshaphat, to whom they brought their presents and tribute willingly, 2 Chronicles 17:11

and of the Arabians that were near the Ethiopians; not the Ethiopians of Africa, as the Targum, for the Arabians were not near them, but the Chusaean Arabs or Midianites, see Numbers 12:1. The Targum is, the Word of the Lord did this.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians - Probably Joktanian Arabs from the neighborhood of the Cushites. Southern Arabia was originally occupied by Cushites, or Ethiopians Genesis 10:7, whose descendants still exist in a remnant of the Himyaritic Arabs.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 21:16. The Philistines, and - the Arabians — We have no other account of this war. Though it was a predatory war, yet it appears to have been completely ruinous and destructive. What a general curse fell upon this bad king; in his body, soul, substance, family, and government!