Bible Strands
2 Kings 8:28
Then Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records Judah’s Ahaziah joining Israel’s King Joram to march against Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. This entry bridges the description of Ahaziah’s familial ties to Ahab’s house and the subsequent report of Joram’s retreat to Jezreel to heal.
The words — The verb וַ/יֵּ֜לֶךְ (va/i.Ye.lekh) simply denotes the past action of going or marching, while לַ/מִּלְחָמָ֛ה (la./mil.cha.Mah) literally means "for battle." These lexical choices frame the movement as a concrete military deployment rather than a metaphorical journey.
The thread — The same coalition and campaign appear in 2 Chronicles 22:5, which notes Ahaziah went with Joram after receiving counsel. The geographic site Ramoth-gilead is also identified as a Levitical city of refuge in Joshua 21:38 and a territorial district in 1 Kings 4:13.
Why it lands — The verse reports a historical engagement without moral evaluation, allowing the narrative to track the mechanics of political alliance and dynastic loyalty. It requires the reader to observe how chronological events unfold before their theological consequences are disclosed.
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
And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth–gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 22:5 Ahaziah also followed their counsel and went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram.
- Joshua 21:38 And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,
- 1 Kings 4:13 Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
- 1 Kings 19:17 Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.
- 1 Kings 22:3 who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”
- 1 Kings 22:29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
- 2 Kings 3:7 And he sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” “I will go,” replied Jehoshaphat. “I am as you are, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.”
- 2 Kings 8:12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.”
- 2 Kings 8:15 But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s face. So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 9:15 but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the Arameans in the battle against Hazael their king.) So Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king, then do not let anyone escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”