Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. His eight years are counted from a joint accession with his father Jehoshaphat in 796 B.C., with Ahaziah beginning to reign in 789 B.C. His accession is an example of father and son serving as rulers in succession, as with Uzziah and Jotham.
Since he began at thirty-two and reigned eight years he died at forty, so his son Ahaziah cannot have begun at forty-two; the age in 2 Chronicles 22:2 is twenty-two, because a son cannot be older than his father. His reign was the fruit of Jehoshaphat's sinful alliance in marrying him to the idolatrous daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, a near-sighted parental scheme for a child's welfare. Through his wife's evil influence he became despotic and cruel, slaying his own brothers with the sword and many of the princes of Israel, which destined Judah to sixteen years of government by wicked rulers and shows how one man's selfish blunder causes a whole nation to mourn.
Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. His eight years are counted from a joint accession with his father Jehoshaphat in 796 B.C., with Ahaziah beginning to reign in 789 B.C. His accession is an example of father and son serving as rulers in succession, as with Uzziah and Jotham.
Since he began at thirty-two and reigned eight years he died at forty, so his son Ahaziah cannot have begun at forty-two; the age in 2 Chronicles 22:2 is twenty-two, because a son cannot be older than his father. His reign was the fruit of Jehoshaphat's sinful alliance in marrying him to the idolatrous daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, a near-sighted parental scheme for a child's welfare. Through his wife's evil influence he became despotic and cruel, slaying his own brothers with the sword and many of the princes of Israel, which destined Judah to sixteen years of government by wicked rulers and shows how one man's selfish blunder causes a whole nation to mourn.