Chapter 21 of Divrei HaYamim II marks a turning point of decline. The righteous King Yehoshaphat, whom we saw active in the previous chapter, passes away, and his son Yehoram ascends the throne - and we immediately see that Yehoram was no righteous man. The chapter depicts his evil ways, the murder of his brothers, the rebellions that broke out against him, the letter from Eliyahu HaNavi, and his degrading death unlamented and unmourned. It is a chapter that teaches us how marriage ties with the House of Achav can drag a king from the House of David into the depths, and how the Holy One, Blessed be He, nonetheless preserves the Davidic dynasty.
וַיִּשְׁכַּב יְהוֹשָׁפָט עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקָּבֵר עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיִּמְלֹךְ יְהוֹרָם בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - And Yehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David, and Yehoram his son reigned in his place.
וְלוֹ־אַחִים בְּנֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט עֲזַרְיָה וִיחִיאֵל וּזְכַרְיָהוּ וַעֲזַרְיָהוּ וּמִיכָאֵל וּשְׁפַטְיָהוּ כׇּל־אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And he had brothers, the sons of Yehoshaphat: Azaryah, Yechiel, Zecharyahu, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatyahu; all these were the sons of Yehoshaphat, king of Israel.
וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אֲבִיהֶם מַתָּנוֹת רַבּוֹת לְכֶסֶף וּלְזָהָב וּלְמִגְדָּנוֹת עִם־עָרֵי מְצֻרוֹת בִּיהוּדָה וְאֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה נָתַן לִיהוֹרָם כִּי־הוּא הַבְּכוֹר׃ - And their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and precious things, along with fortified cities in Yehudah; but he gave the kingdom to Yehoram, because he was the firstborn.
Yehoram had brothers, other sons of King Yehoshaphat, and the king did not disinherit them. He gave them generous gifts: silver, gold, and precious items (migdanot). Migdanot refers to exquisite treasures - choice fruits, garments, precious stones - as Scripture states, "and precious things he gave to her brother and to her mother." Thus, he enriched his other sons as well. Not only that, but he also gave them "fortified cities in Yehudah" - fortified cities were placed under their jurisdiction. The kingdom itself he gave to Yehoram, because he was the firstborn.
The Malbim establishes the chronological timeframe: all this took place when Yehoshaphat returned from Ramot-Gilead, from the battle he had joined with Achav. At that time, Scripture describes the reign of Yoram son of Achav, which began in the second year of the reign of Yehoram son of Yehoshaphat (there were two named Yoram: Yoram son of Achav and Yehoram son of Yehoshaphat). In Sefer Melachim it is explained that this was in the eighteenth year of Yehoshaphat, meaning that Yehoshaphat had crowned his son a year earlier, in the seventeenth year of his own reign.
וַיָּקׇם יְהוֹרָם עַל־מַמְלֶכֶת אָבִיו וַיִּתְחַזַּק וַיַּהֲרֹג אֶת־כׇּל־אֶחָיו בֶּחָרֶב וְגַם מִשָּׂרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Now when Yehoram had ascended the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel.
Yehoram feared that his brothers would challenge his monarchy, and so he simply rose up and murdered them all - something that was not uncommon in those times. The Malbim notes that this happened after Yehoshaphat's death, once the kingdom was firmly established in his hand; he was no longer a newly crowned king, he already felt secure in his rule, and only then perceived a rebellion among them.
Based on the Malbim's words, it stands to reason that this "rebellion" was essentially a protest: How could you, the son of righteous Yehoshaphat, follow the ways of wicked Achav? Why do you not walk in the path of Hashem? And for this, he killed them. No one welcomes rebuke, especially when one fears that rebuke will undermine his standing and cause people to say he is unfit to be king. "And also some of the princes of Israel" - he also executed ministers whom he suspected of conspiring with his brothers.
בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה יְהוֹרָם בְּמׇלְכוֹ וּשְׁמוֹנֶה שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - Yehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Yerushalayim.
וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בֵּית אַחְאָב כִּי בַת־אַחְאָב הָיְתָה לּוֹ אִשָּׁה וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה׃ - And he walked in the way of the kings of Yisrael, as the house of Achav had done, for he had the daughter of Achav as a wife; and he did what was evil in the eyes of Hashem.
Yehoram did not follow in the ways of his righteous father, Yehoshaphat. Generally, the kings of Yisrael - that is, the kings of Shomron - were all wicked, whereas among the kings of the House of David there were both righteous and wicked monarchs. Here, the text explicitly notes that he walked in the way of the kings of Yisrael just as the house of Achav did, and immediately explains why: "for he had the daughter of Achav as a wife." Consider the match he made, and you will understand everything. When your father-in-law is Achav and your mother-in-law is Izevel, it does not do much for your spiritual growth. People have quipped on the verse, "The ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death" - the shveger (father-in-law) shall be stoned... In any case, do not be surprised that he committed such deeds.
וְלֹא־אָבָה יְהֹוָה לְהַשְׁחִית אֶת־בֵּית דָּוִיד לְמַעַן הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת לְדָוִיד וְכַאֲשֶׁר אָמַר לָתֵת לוֹ נִיר וּלְבָנָיו כׇּל־הַיָּמִים׃ - Yet Hashem was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and as He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons for all days.
The Holy One, blessed be He, did not wish to destroy the house of David, because He had established a covenant that the house of David would endure forever. And what is meant by nir? The commentary attributed to Rashi explains that this refers to a yoke over Yisrael, derived from the yoke placed upon an ox. One must examine how he arrived at this explanation, since nir ordinarily refers to plowing and a furrow, as in "Plow for yourselves a furrow (niru lachem nir) and sow not among thorns." Radak, on the other hand, explains that nir is related to ner, an illuminating lamp. If you ask how ner turns into nir, this can be understood from other instances where a yud is inserted: ben (son) becomes bin, as in "And it shall be, if the wicked man is deserving (bin) of lashes"; and similarly rash (poor) becomes rish: "Give me neither poverty (rish) nor riches," spelled with a yud. It emerges that a yud is sometimes added, and thus this lamp, an emblem of a burning, shining light, is termed nir.
The Malbim, in his foundational commentary on Sefer Melachim, highlights a very insightful principle here. In the covenant that Hashem made with David, He promised him that if his sons - meaning the kings descended from him - should forsake Hashem's Torah, He would punish them, yet He would never strip the monarchy from them. As Scripture states: "When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him... but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him" (Shmuel II 7:14-15), and likewise in Tehillim: "If his sons forsake My Torah... then I will punish their transgression with the rod... but My lovingkindness I will not break off from him" (Tehillim 89:31-34).
Notice, however, that this guarantee was stated only regarding sons, not regarding grandsons. Grandsons who rebelled - from them the Holy One, blessed be He, does indeed remove the monarchy, as written in Tehillim 132: "If your sons keep My covenant... their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore." If the sons keep the covenant, the grandsons will also occupy the throne; but if not, the grandsons will not. In plain terms: there is a divine promise for sons, but there is no such promise for grandsons.
This operates in a recurring cycle: always a son, a grandson, then another son and another grandson. The son possesses a guarantee; the grandson does not. The Malbim explains: trace the historical record and you will see this principle borne out. In the kingdom of Yehudah, you find sons of wicked kings who followed in their fathers' evil ways and were cut down - such as Aviyam the son of Rechavam, and Yehoachaz the son of Yehoram. Yet Yoram himself was not deposed from the throne, because he was a son; his own son Yehoachaz, however, was indeed removed. And so the pattern repeats: the son remains on the throne and suffers chastisement, while the grandson who persists in the evil path is stripped of the crown.
This is what the verse means: "Yet Hashem was not willing to destroy the house of David... and as He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons for all days" - the direct sons would endure throughout all days even if they sinned, and only their sons, the grandsons, would be swiftly removed from the kingship. The sons themselves would be chastised with the rod of men, enduring afflictions and rebuke. Thus you find that Rechavam was chastened through the invasion of Shishak, and thus you find that Edom rebelled during the reign of Yehoram - until that time they were subjugated beneath the house of David and had no king of their own, but now they revolted. Suffering, yes; deposition from the monarchy, no.
The underlying rationale is clear: if you were to strip the kingship from both the son and the grandson, the entire royal line would be severed. But if the son remains and absorbs the blows, while the grandson is removed, it remains guaranteed that the next in line will return to occupy the throne. In this manner, the royal line, continuity, and succession are preserved. Had two, three, or four consecutive generations been dethroned, the dynasty would have been extinguished entirely. Therefore, the sons are always chastised, whereas the grandsons are removed from their reign.
בְּיָמָיו פָּשַׁע אֱדוֹם מִתַּחַת יַד־יְהוּדָה וַיַּמְלִיכוּ עֲלֵיהֶם מֶלֶךְ׃ - In his days, Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and they set up a king over themselves.
Ever since David subdued Edom, they had always remained under the rule of Judah. They had no kings of their own, only appointed governors, as they were subject to our authority. Here, "Edom rebelled" denotes an uprising. How did this express itself? Whereas until now they had no king, now "they set up a king over themselves."
וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוֹרָם עִם־שָׂרָיו וְכׇל־הָרֶכֶב עִמּוֹ וַיְהִי קָם לַיְלָה וַיַּךְ אֶת־אֱדוֹם הַסּוֹבֵב אֵלָיו וְאֵת שָׂרֵי הָרָכֶב׃ - Yehoram crossed over with his officers and all the chariots with him, and he arose at night and struck Edom, which had surrounded him, and the chariot commanders.
Yehoram could not let the rebellion pass in silence, so he set out with his officers and all the chariots with him - the war chariots. "And he arose at night" - in order to take them by surprise. The Metzudat David explains that he arose at night because by day, out in the open, he lacked the strength to attack. Furthermore, he lacked the power to penetrate deep into their territory, so he struck only "Edom, which had surrounded him" - those in his immediate vicinity. This is comparable to an army that fears entering deep into Gaza: once you go inside, you do not know how you will get out. Therefore, he struck only those immediately around him, without advancing inward.
וַיִּפְשַׁע אֱדוֹם מִתַּחַת יַד־יְהוּדָה עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אָז תִּפְשַׁע לִבְנָה בָּעֵת הַהִיא מִתַּחַת יָדוֹ כִּי עָזַב אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָיו׃ - So Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day; then Libnah rebelled at that time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Hashem, the God of his fathers.
Edom rebelled "until this day" - they never again submitted to the authority of Judah. At that same juncture, Libnah rebelled as well. The Metzudat David explains that Libnah was in the territory of Judah, bordering Edom, and it rebelled too. Apparently, one development triggered the next: when they saw that the king was weak, they realized that if Edom could rebel against him, so could they. "Because he had forsaken Hashem, the God of his fathers" - the prophet reveals the underlying cause of this misfortune: as long as you walked in the ways of Hashem, no one rebelled against you.
The Malbim notes that everything written here up to verse 11 parallels the account in II Kings chapter 8. The difference, however, is that there it states, "Yet Hashem would not destroy Judah, for the sake of David," whereas Ezra comes and clarifies, "the House of David" - meaning the royal dynasty of David, "because of the covenant He made with David." It is not speaking here of the land of Judah itself, but of the Davidic dynasty, as we explained earlier. In addition, Ezra includes an explanation for "then Libnah rebelled": do you know why Libnah rebelled? "Because he had forsaken Hashem, the God of his fathers."
The wording of the Malbim implies that the people of Libnah were part of the nation of Israel who were subject to the kingdom of Judah. The Malbim explains that the reason Libnah rebelled was that the king had forsaken Hashem, whereas the people of Libnah wished to remain faithful to Hashem and walk in His ways. Once the king abandoned the path of Hashem, they reasoned: why should we continue under his authority? Therefore, they rebelled. Thus, "because he had forsaken Hashem" represents not only the divine punishment, but also the direct catalyst: they would not accept a king who abandoned the ways of Hashem, the God of his fathers. They wanted a king who would follow in the ways of his ancestors, in the path of Yehoshaphat, and when they saw that he had departed from it, they departed from him as well.
גַּם־הוּא עָשָׂה־בָמוֹת בְּהָרֵי יְהוּדָה וַיֶּזֶן אֶת־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וַיַּדַּח אֶת־יְהוּדָה׃ - He too made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to stray into idolatry, and led Judah astray.
"He made high places in the mountains of Judah" - high places for idolatry. "And led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into straying" - in the simple sense, he incited them to promiscuity, but all the commentators, and especially the Malbim, emphasize a consistent rule: whenever the language of straying or harlotry is applied to the congregation - that is, to the assembly, to the collective of Knesset Yisrael - it refers to idolatry. When spoken of an individual, it may refer to marital infidelity or promiscuity with a woman; but when spoken of the community as a whole, it means the straying of idol worship. And so we find in the Torah: "And stray after the foreign gods of the land...", and in many similar expressions.
And why is idolatry referred to in terms of straying and marital betrayal? The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: because it is just like a woman who is unfaithful, who has a husband yet pursues other 'masters' (be'alim). This is precisely the relationship between Knesset Yisrael and the Holy One, blessed be He: Hashem is called our Beloved, we Knesset Yisrael are the bride, and when we go after the Ba'alim and foreign gods, we are like an unfaithful wife who strays from under her husband.
וַיָּבֹא אֵלָיו מִכְתָּב מֵאֵלִיָּהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי דָּוִיד אָבִיךָ תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הָלַכְתָּ בְּדַרְכֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט אָבִיךָ וּבְדַרְכֵי אָסָא מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה׃ - And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying: Thus says Hashem, the God of David your father: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah.
Before examining the letter itself, let us dwell upon an idea that emerges from this parable of marital fidelity. When the Jewish people went into exile, some thought that perhaps it was now permissible to abandon Hashem's commandments. They reasoned: a woman whose husband divorced her because he found fault with her conduct - he has cast her out, and she is free of him. To this, the prophet replies: "Where is your mother's bill of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of My creditors did I sell you?" You claim that I divorced you - where is the bill of divorce? Where is the get? In plain terms: the Holy One, blessed be He, never divorces the Jewish people. This is a marriage that can never be severed.
And what is the reason? Our Sages teach that when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah to Israel, He suspended the mountain over them like a barrel - meaning the Torah was accepted under duress. And what is the halachic status of one who coerces a woman? "He may not send her away all his days." One reason the Torah was given under duress was, as it were, to bind the Holy One, blessed be He, irrevocably to us, ensuring that He will never abandon His people. But then what happens? If we misbehave, there are tribulations and suffering. Yet the suffering itself proves that we are still connected. A child you have thrown out of the house completely - you do not continue chasing after him to discipline him; you cast him out, and let him fend for himself. But if he is still at home, you rebuke him and keep after him. Why? Because I want you here; I care about you. When you no longer care, you do not bother rebuking.
This serves as the ultimate refutation of the claim that Hashem has abandoned His people Israel: if He had forsaken them, why would He still pursue them? Why would there be suffering and tribulations meant to awaken them? On the contrary, we see that the prophecies are being fulfilled and the Jewish people are returning to their Land, exactly as promised in the words of the Prophets. This is proof that Hashem has not abandoned His people, and that everything is directed toward bringing Israel to mend its ways.
The difficulty is that we are pressed for time; we look at a stopwatch. Decades have passed since the establishment of the State, and much of the Jewish people still resides in the Diaspora. True - but we are in a hurry, whereas the Holy One, blessed be He, has all of eternity. As we noted, when Hashem acts "quickly", it can mean eight hundred and fifty years: "and you shall perish quickly from off the good land" - how long did that take? The Gemara says that Hashem's "quickly" was eight hundred and fifty years. And when Hashem says He will do something "today", it can mean a thousand years: "For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes." He told Adam HaRishon, "On the day you eat of it you shall surely die", and Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years - which was within that very "day". We operate with stopwatches and feel pressure, while the Holy One, blessed be He, declares the generations from the beginning, and according to His timetable, everything will unfold in its proper time.
Would that any person could bestow upon his child what the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows upon us. Look at even the most wicked person, how much Hashem grants him: continuously pumping life into him, even while that person blasphemes. Even while he curses and shoots upward, Hashem supplies him with the ammunition. Who can comprehend the extent of Hashem's lovingkindness? It is beyond human grasp. If someone treated any of us with even a fraction of such insolence, we would have severed ties long ago, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, continues to breathe life into him even as he insults and blasphemes.
The Ya'avetz writes: By my life, greater in my eyes than all the miracles of Egypt - the splitting of the Red Sea and the Ten Plagues - is the survival of the Jewish people. Who can explain how the Jewish people has survived for thousands of years? A nation pursued by everyone, the most scattered of peoples, with every natural reason to vanish from history. Yet there is a divine promise: "Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I abhor them to destroy them utterly, to break My covenant with them." The Jewish people will endure forever, and this is Hashem's eternal lovingkindness.
Returning to our verse: "and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into straying, and seduced Judah" - he led them into straying after the Ba'alim, and thereby seduced and misled Judah, like an enticer and seducer, driving them away from the service of Hashem.
וַתֵּלֶךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַתַּזְנֶה אֶת־יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם כְּהַזְנוֹת בֵּית אַחְאָב וְגַם אֶת־אַחֶיךָ בֵית־אָבִיךָ הַטּוֹבִים מִמְּךָ הָרָגְתָּ׃ - And you have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray like the harlotries of the house of Ahab; and you have also killed your brothers, your father's household, who were better than you.
"And a letter came to him from Elijah" - this, incidentally, is the source for the title of the famous work (Michtav Me-Eliyahu); and in the pasuk it says "from Elijah the prophet," proving that it does not refer to the contemporary author. And who was this Elijah who sent him a letter? The commentary attributed to Rashi writes: after he ascended to heaven, a written text containing this prophecy reached him, meaning Elijah was no longer among the living at that time.
The Radak elaborates further: this took place after he ascended, and how so? Elijah appeared through the spirit of prophecy to one of the prophets, placed the words of the letter in his mouth, and instructed him to write them down in a letter and deliver it to Yehoram, telling him that it was a letter from Elijah - so that Yehoram would think the letter came to him from heaven, humble his heart, and recognize the great evil he had done. In other words, Elijah did not write it himself; rather, he dictated it to one of the prophets and instructed him to deliver it to Yehoram. The reason: so that the words would make the proper impression upon him. Had an ordinary prophet come to rebuke him, one might question whether it was true or not; but a letter from heaven, a letter from Elijah the prophet, leaves a profound impression.
And how does the Radak know that this occurred after Elijah had ascended to heaven in a whirlwind, and not while he was still alive? Consider this: Elijah had already ascended during the lifetime of his father, Yehoshaphat. For when Yehoshaphat joined with Yehoram son of Ahab to go to war against Moab, Yehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here?" and they told him, "Here is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah." Elisha was constantly attached to Elijah and never left his side; why is he suddenly alone here? It is a clear sign that Elijah had already ascended. Especially since they said "who poured water" and not "who pours water" - in the past tense, as an established historical fact. Furthermore, Seder Olam states that this occurred seven years after Elijah's departure.
The Malbim likewise states that the letter from Elijah came after he was taken up, but he explains it more straightforwardly: the holy Ari had revelations of Elijah (gilui Eliyahu), as did the Vilna Gaon and other great tzaddikim. Elijah reveals himself to the sages in every generation to learn Torah with them and guide them, and here too, there was a revelation of Elijah. Elijah appeared and wrote a letter, but since Yehoram was neither worthy nor deserving of a personal revelation of Elijah himself, he did not appear to him directly, but rather sent him a letter.
And why specifically Elijah? The Malbim explains: because it was Elijah who prophesied the annihilation of the house of Ahab - he was the one who declared, "In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood," and he was the one who prophesied Ahab's bitter end. Yehoram, after all, was Ahab's son-in-law. Therefore, Elijah is the one to bring the prophecy to a close: you too are included with your father-in-law; I prophesied concerning him, and now I am completing the task - destruction has been decreed upon you as well. The Malbim also notes: Ahaziah, who was Ahab's grandson, likewise died alongside Yoram - proof that the very same narrative continues here, and Elijah's prophecy that the entire house of Ahab would be destroyed reaches its ultimate fulfillment.
הִנֵּה יְהֹוָה נֹגֵף מַגֵּפָה גְדוֹלָה בְּעַמֶּךָ וּבְבָנֶיךָ וּבְנָשֶׁיךָ וּבְכׇל־רְכוּשֶׁךָ׃ - Behold, the Lord will strike a great plague among your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions.
Do not wonder why Hashem showed patience to the house of Omri, to the wicked kings of Israel, while punishing you immediately - for in your case, several factors make it unfitting for patience to be extended. The first: "Because you have not walked in the ways of Yehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah" - you had righteous examples from whom to learn. The kings of Israel, toward whom the Holy One, blessed be He, extended patience, had no one from whom to learn, and therefore He waited longer for them.
Incidentally, the true identity of Elijah is a profound mystery in its own right. According to the holy Ari, there are two Elijahs: Elijah the Tishbite and Elijah the Gileadite; they are two distinct figures. What is Elijah's origin? There is an entire sefer dedicated to investigating this subject, and at an appropriate opportunity, this matter can be explored further.
The second reason: "And you have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray" - until now they were righteous, yet you went and caused them to sin as well. And the third reason: "And you have also killed your brothers, your father's household, who were better than you" - as the Malbim explains, they protested against him for abandoning the path of Hashem, and instead of accepting their rebuke, he went and murdered them. There were men here who were better than you, and you killed them. Therefore, in your case, there is no waiting.
This is why it says "Behold" (hinei) - and wherever "behold" appears, it implies immediacy. As explained in the past, and as noted in Mishnat HaChalomot, one of the recurring expressions in dreams is "and behold": "And behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright," "and behold, your sheaves gathered around," "and behold, a vine was before me, and on the vine were three branches" - always "and behold." Why? Because the hallmark of an authentic dream is the immediate present: I see it right now, before my very eyes. So too here: "Behold, the Lord will strike a great plague" - this is destined to occur very soon. "Among your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions": a devastating blow of the sword falling upon his household and his wealth.
וְאַתָּה בׇּחֳלָיִים רַבִּים בְּמַחֲלֵה מֵעֶיךָ עַד־יֵצְאוּ מֵעֶיךָ מִן־הַחֹלִי יָמִים עַל־יָמִים׃ - "And you shall suffer severe illnesses with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day."
And this is the second decree: a severe illness, a disease of the bowels. This was not like those righteous people of whom the Gemara says die of bowel disease, but rather for you it will be a repulsive bowel sickness, where the intestines protrude from time to time - somewhat like what is described with hemorrhoids where the intestines begin to prolapse, except that with him there would be an actual extrusion of the bowels, a degrading and foul affliction.
וַיָּעַר יְהֹוָה עַל־יְהוֹרָם אֵת רוּחַ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים וְהָעַרְבִים אֲשֶׁר עַל־יַד כּוּשִׁים׃ - "And the Lord stirred up against Yehoram the spirit of the Pelishtim and the Arabs who were near the Cushites."
Immediately we see that Hashem stirs up the spirit of the Pelishtim. "Spirit" here means will, as in "Behold, I will put a spirit in him" - Hashem placed in them the desire to go out and wage war against him. "And the Arabs who were near the Cushites" - those bordering the land of Cush. Through this, the decree of the sword was fulfilled. Note that these very Pelishtim and Arabs had previously brought tribute to Yehoshaphat, as we saw earlier in chapter 17, verse 11; yet now, under his son, they not only rebel but also come to wage war against him.
וַיַּעֲלוּ בִיהוּדָה וַיִּבְקָעוּהָ וַיִּשְׁבּוּ אֵת כׇּל־הָרְכוּשׁ הַנִּמְצָא לְבֵית־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְגַם־בָּנָיו וְנָשָׁיו וְלֹא נִשְׁאַר־לוֹ בֵּן כִּי אִם־יְהוֹאָחָז קְטֹן בָּנָיו׃ - "They came up into Yehudah and breached it, and carried away all the property that was found in the king's palace, along with his sons and his wives; and no son was left to him except Yehoachaz, the youngest of his sons."
"They came up into Yehudah and breached it" and captured all the property - corresponding to what was foretold to him, "and among all your possessions." "Along with his sons and his wives" - corresponding to "and among your children and your wives." And no son was left to him except Yehoachaz, the youngest of his sons, who is Achazyahu with transposed letters; and as we will see later, he had yet another name.
וְאַחֲרֵי כׇּל־זֹאת נְגָפוֹ יְהֹוָה בְּמֵעָיו לׇחֳלִי לְאֵין מַרְפֵּא׃ - "And after all this, the Lord afflicted him in his bowels with an incurable disease."
After all this, Hashem afflicted him in his bowels, just as the prophet had promised him, "with an incurable disease" - a fatal blow for which there is no cure; and the Metzudat David explains, not even temporary relief. Endless suffering.
וַיְהִי לְיָמִים מִיָּמִים וּכְעֵת צֵאת הַקֵּץ לְיָמִים שְׁנַיִם יָצְאוּ מֵעָיו עִם־חׇלְיוֹ וַיָּמׇת בְּתַחֲלֻאִים רָעִים וְלֹא־עָשׂוּ לוֹ עַמּוֹ שְׂרֵפָה כִּשְׂרֵפַת אֲבֹתָיו׃ - "And it came to pass from day to day, and as the end of the time approached after two years, his bowels came out because of his sickness, and he died of terrible diseases; and his people made no burning for him like the burning for his fathers."
What is the reason for the repeated, threefold phrasing of the verse? Metzudat David explains that the sickness lasted from the beginning of the year until its end, which is the meaning of "and it came to pass after days." "Days" refers to the completion of a full cycle of days, meaning a year, as in "Let the maiden abide with us days, or ten" - "days" meaning a year, or "ten" meaning ten months. Here too: a year was completed, and the sickness persisted in it from beginning to end without cessation. And when the end of the time arrived, which was "two days" - two years - his bowels protruded completely. Until then, his bowels would protrude and retract, protrude and retract, causing agonizing torment; and at the end of the two years, they came out completely along with his disease and he died, having endured terrible ailments and immense suffering.
The Malbim explains "And it came to pass from days to days" differently: he had a veset, a set interval for his bowels to prolapse. A veset refers to a regulated, recurring cycle - like a thermostat today that causes a heating element to operate at fixed intervals. And that interval kept growing shorter: at first, his bowels would emerge once every thirty days, then once every twenty-nine, then twenty-eight, twenty-seven, and so it gradually contracted. "And at the time the end came, at two days" - until it reached a state where his bowels emerged every two days, and then "his bowels fell out by reason of his illness, and he died": when the time arrived, they came out completely. "And he died of sore diseases" - the Malbim explains that all his ailments were aroused and he died a wretched, disgraceful death; meaning, there were additional severe illnesses here beyond the prolapse of the bowels.
After all, when Hashem sent him a warning, it was entirely so that he would repent. Yet see how callous they were, and how deeply devoted to their idol worship, that he did not even pause to consider: perhaps Someone wants something from me; perhaps I am being spoken to.
It was their custom to make a burning for kings, as the Gemara states: "We burn [belongings] for kings." What does this mean? When a king died, they would take all his personal effects and burn them as an expression of honor - so that no one else would ever make use of the king's items; they burned his garments and all royal utensils. But for Yehoram, they did not make a burning like the burnings of his fathers. The commentary attributed to Rashi notes: even though here it seemed practically called for, since he had been afflicted with terrible diseases, his flesh had decayed, and all his clothes and vessels were unfit for use due to the foul stench that emanated from him when his bowels discharged - nevertheless, this burning was an element of honor. Hashem did not want him to have this honor, and therefore they did not even perform this for him.
בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם הָיָה בְמׇלְכוֹ וּשְׁמוֹנֶה שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּלֹא חֶמְדָּה וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וְלֹא בְּקִבְרוֹת הַמְּלָכִים׃ - Thirty-two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed without being desired, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchers of the kings.
"And he departed without being desired" - the Metzudat David explains: he departed from the world without anyone desiring or longing for him to remain alive. No one wanted him. "And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchers of the kings" - they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings, for he was unworthy of that honor.
And the Malbim asks: Why does Scripture repeat the years of his reign? Verse 5 already stated: "Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem." Rather, it comes here to teach you that he died at the age of forty: he was thirty-two when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years - which totals forty. And this is the meaning of "and he departed without being desired" (belo chemdah) according to the Malbim: he did not fulfill his days and did not reach the desirable days (yemei hachemdah), which are the years of old age. He died at age forty, which is the punishment of karet. Scripture therefore repeated the tally of his years - to emphasize this very point.
Chapter 21 describes the downfall of Yehoram son of Yehoshaphat: a king from the House of David who married the daughter of Achav, walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, murdered his brothers who were better than he and who protested his path, caused Judah to sin through idolatry - and was punished measure for measure. Edom and Livnah rebelled against him "because he had forsaken Hashem, the God of his fathers," the Philistines and the Arabs plundered his possessions, his sons, and his wives, and ultimately he died of a wretched bowel disease at age forty, without being desired, unburied in the royal tombs, and without the royal funeral burning made for his fathers. Even so, "Hashem was not willing to destroy the house of David, for the sake of the covenant that He had made with David" - for the sons possess a promise, and even when they sin, they are chastised but not removed from the monarchy, so that the dynasty is never severed. From this we learn that even in the face of the greatest evil, the eternal bond between the Holy One, Blessed be He, and His nation and the House of David is preserved - suffering, yes; divorce, never.