II Chronicles 21:18
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
The second punishment fell upon the body and life of the king. The Lord smote him in his bowels to (with) disease, for which there was no healing. מרפּא לאין is in apposition to לחלי, literally, "to not being healing."
Open source ↗Never surely did any kingdom change its king so much for the worse as Judah did, when Jehoram, one of the vilest, succeeded Jehoshaphat, one of the best. Thus were they punished for not making a better use of Jehoshaphat's good government, and their disaffectedness (or coldness at least) to his reformation, Ch2 20:33. Those that knew not now to value a good king are justly plagued with a bad one. Here is, I. Jehoram's elevation to the throne (Ch2 21:1-3). II. The wicked course he took to establish himself in it, by the murder of his brethren (Ch2 21:4). III. The idolatries and other wickedness he was guilty of (Ch2 21:5, Ch2 21:6, Ch2 21:11). IV. The prophecy of Elijah against him (Ch2 21:12-15). V. The judgments of God upon him, in the revolt of his subjects from him (Ch2 21:8-10) and the success of his enemies against him (Ch2 21:16, Ch2 21:17). VI. His miserable sickness and inglorious exit (Ch2 21:18-20). VII. The preservation of the house of David notwithstanding (Ch2 21:7).
Open source ↗21:18-20 Jehoram died after a long and painful bowel disease. He was not given the dignity of an honorary funeral rite (see 16:14) and was buried in disgrace away from the royal cemetery.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
And day after day you yourself will suffer from a severe illness, a disease of your bowels, until it causes your bowels to come out.’”
Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
(In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.)