Bible Strands
2 Kings 8:20
In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records a political rupture during the reign of King Jehoram of Judah, when the vassal territory of Edom breaks its subjugation. This event follows immediately after the text affirms God’s covenantal restraint in preserving Judah despite its failures.
The words — The Hebrew פָּשַׁע (pa.sha') translates literally as "rebelled" or "transgressed," denoting a formal breach of treaty or vassalage. The phrase מִתַּחַת יַד (mi.tachat yad) means "from under the hand of," describing Edom's escape from Judah's political and military control.
The thread — This shift recalls the earlier Edomite structure in 1 Kings 22:47, where the nation operated under a deputy rather than a monarch, and follows the joint campaign of the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom in 2 Kings 3:9. The immediate result appears in 2 Kings 8:21, where Jehoram's night attack fails and his troops disperse.
Why it lands — The text states a historical fact of imperial decline without moralizing, requiring the reader to track how political fragmentation occurs within a covenantal timeline. It asks the reader to observe how human rebellion proceeds alongside divine promises without voiding them.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 22:47 And there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.
- 2 Kings 3:9 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army or for their animals.
- 2 Kings 3:27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall. And there was great fury against the Israelites, so they withdrew and returned to their own land.
- 2 Kings 8:22 So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.
- Genesis 27:40 You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.”
- 2 Samuel 8:14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
- 2 Chronicles 21:8 In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.