Joram (II)

II. JORAM, the son and Successor of Ahab King of Israel. He did not immediately succeed his father Ahab, but his eldest brother Ahaziah, who dying without children 2 Kings viii.16,&c.left him the kingdom¹. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not so much as Ahab his father and Jezebel his mother; for he removed the statues of Baal which his father had caused to be erected; but he followed the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that is to say, he continued to pay an impious worship to the Golden calves. Mesha King of Moab, who owed the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams with their fleeces, having revolted, and refused to pay this tribute, Joram prepared to make war against him, and invited Jehoshaphat King of Judah to accompany him. He came and brought besides the king of Edom who was tributary to him. These three Princes advanced with their army thro’ the wilderness of Edom, but soon discovered, that they were in danger of perishing for want of water. Elisha procured it for them, and delivered them from this apprehension, but not out of any consideration for Joram. The prophet reproached him to his face with his impieties, and told him, that if he had not had more regard for Jehoshaphat than for him, he would not have condescended so much as to look upon him. Elisha notwithstanding did very important services for Joram during his wars with the King of Syria². This prophet discovered to him all the designs and resolutions which were concerted in Benhadad’s council, and thereby rendered all the efforts of this Prince ineffectual. Benhadad having laid siege to Samaria³, the famine was so terrible there, that a woman was known to eat her own son.

Joram being informed of it, rent his clothes, and all the people saw he wore sackcloth upon his flesh. At the same time he ordered one of his servants to go and cut off Elisha’s head, as if he had been the cause of these calamities, or that it had been in his power to put a stop to them. Elisha, who was then in his house, desired his friends, who were with him, to shut the door, and hinder the persons whom the King had sent from 2 Kings vii. 1, 2, 3, &c.entring; telling them, that Joram was coming himself, to revoke the order which he had too rashly given.

Accordingly the King came almost at the same time, and said to Elisha, You see the extreme misery we are reduced to, and what more can we expect from the Lord? Elisha answered him, Tomorrow at this same hour, a measure of fine flour, and two measures of barley, shall be sold at the gate of Samaria for a shekel. (A shekel was worth about two shillings and three pence.) One of the Officers of the army, on whose hand the King leant, answered the man of God, If the Lord were to open the cataracts of Heaven, would it be possible, think you, that what you are speaking of should come to pass? Elisha replied, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not partake of this plenty. Four lepers who were without the city, going by night to the Syrian camp, discovered that the enemy were all retired, that they had been seized with a pannick terror, and were fled, leaving their camp full of provisions. The lepers gave intelligence of this to the sentinels of the city, who sent notice of it to the King. Joram at first thought it was a feint, and that the enemy made a shew of retreating, with a design of drawing the besieged out of the city, and putting all of them to the sword. He sent a Body of horse therefore to make farther discoveries, and they reported, that they had found the ways full of arms and clothes, which the Syrians had thrown away, that they might be swifter in their flight.

Hereupon all the people went out of Samaria, pillaged the enemy’s camp, and Elisha’s prophecy was accomplished, concerning the price of wheat and barley at the gate of Samaria. The King’s officer, who had declared the thing to be impossible, having his station by Joram’s order at the city gate, was stiffled by the crowd. Some time after⁴ the King conversing with Gehazi about Elisha’s miracles: the Shunamite 2 Kings viii. 3,4,5.woman, whose son he had raised from the dead, appeared before the King, and demanded of him the restitution of her estate, which had been confiscated in her absence, because the prophet advised her to depart into some foreign country during the famine, which was to continue seven years. At the end of this term therefore she returned; and Gehazi informing the King, that this was the very woman whose son had been restored to life by Elisha, Joram immediately gave directions for making restitution of all that had been taken from her.

About that time⁵, Joram attacked the city of Ramoth Gilead, and carried it; but he was dangerously wounded in the assault, 2 Kings viii. 27,28. ix. 1, 2, 3, &c. 2 Chr. xxii. 4, 5, &c.and obliged to return to Jezreel to have his wounds dressed. He left Jehu, who commanded his army, to reduce the citadel, which still held out. In the mean time, Jehu having received the royal unction by a young Prophet, sent from God with orders directing him to root out the whole family of Ahab and destroy Joram, he immediately departed, and made haste to Jezreel. The sentinel, who had his station upon the Tower of Jezreel, saw Jehu with his company coming, and immediately gave intelligence of it to the king. Joram without delay sent a chariot to meet them; but Jehu commanded him who drove it to go behind and follow him, without farther explaining his intentions. Joram hereupon sent a second person; but neither did he return.

Then he himself got into his chariot, and went accompanied with Abaziah King of Juda, who was in another chariot, to meet Jehu. They met in the field that belonged heretofore to Naboth the Jezreelite: there Joram said to Jehu, Is it peace? Jehu replied, What peace canst thou hope for, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezabel, and her witchcrafts, are so many? Joram immediately turning his bridle, cried out, We are betrayed, Ahaziah. At the same time Jehu drew his bow, and wounded Joram with an arrow between his shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he fell down dead in his chariot; which Jehu observing, he called to the Captain of his Guards, and commanded him to take him and throw his body into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, saying, that he remembred the word of Elijah, that the blood of Ahab and his family should be shed in this field, to revenge the murder of Naboth and his sons, whom he put to death so unjustly. Thus died Joram king of Israel, in the twelfth year of his reign, in the year of the world 3120, before J.C. 880, before the vulgar Æra 884: Jehu succeeded him. See above, Benhadad and Jehu.

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