Jehoram (Joram) of Israel
Israel · 852 – 841 BC · 12 years · 2 Kings 3; 6 – 9
His Story
Ahab’s second son to reign. He campaigned against Moab with Jehoshaphat and saw water come miraculously to the armies — and the awful sight of Mesha sacrificing his son on the wall. Through his reign Elisha ministered: Naaman healed, the Shunammite’s son raised, Samaria delivered from siege exactly as Elisha prophesied.
His Sin — How He Displeased the LORD
He put away his father’s image of Baal — a real reform — but “cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam,” keeping the calves and the divided worship. Half-reformation was his whole story: surrounded by miracles, warned by prophets, defended by God, and never once turning to Him with all his heart.
The Good He Did
He removed the pillar of Baal his father had made (2 Kings 3:2) — Scripture notes it honestly, a step his father never took.
The LORD’s verdict
“And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.”2 Kings 3:2 (KJV)
How His Reign Ended
Wounded at Ramoth-gilead fighting Hazael of Syria, he was convalescing at Jezreel when Jehu came at furious speed and shot him through the heart — in the very field of Naboth’s vineyard, as Elijah had foretold.
Lessons for Believers Today
- Putting away one conspicuous sin while cleaving to another is not repentance. God asks for the calves too.
- A man may live in the middle of miracles and perish: proximity to grace is not possession of it.