2 Chronicles 21:20
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
What's striking here isn't just the king's ignominious end, but that his own people literally refused to "regret" his passing, a sharp contrast to how faithful rulers were mourned. This detail underscores the complete failure of his reign, marked by such wickedness that even his burial place was a stark rejection of royal honor.
He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jehoram, the king who reigned after his father Jehoshaphat, chose to walk in wicked ways, even murdering his own brothers to secure the throne. This verse marks the ignominious end of his eight-year reign, a reign characterized by rebellion against God and disastrous military defeats. His death is met with indifference, and even his burial is a step down from the royal tombs, a stark indicator of his displeasing legacy.
Some rulers are remembered for great deeds, others for their failures. King Jehoram falls into a category all his own.
Jehoram's reign is a stark portrait of leadership detached from divine guidance. At 32, he ascended the throne, ruling for eight years. The text doesn't detail specific policy failures, but it delivers a devastating verdict: 'he departed with no one’s regret.' This isn't just a neutral observation; it's a condemnation. It suggests a reign characterized by self-interest, injustice, or a complete disregard for God and His people, leaving no positive legacy. His departure from life mirrors his departure from righteousness, unmourned and unmissed by those he led.
Even in death, Jehoram's legacy is sealed by where he is laid to rest.
The final sentence reveals a profound spiritual and political disgrace: 'They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.' While buried within Jerusalem's royal precinct, the refusal to place him among the honored kings is highly significant. This exclusion was a clear signal that he had not upheld the Davidic covenant or the standards expected of a Davidic king. His rejection by God and his people was so complete that even his burial place marked him as an unworthy successor, set apart from the lineage he was meant to represent.
Understand the original words
Ask a follow-up
Yerushalayim · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the capital city of Judah, the site of the Temple, and the location of the Davidic throne. It serves as the symbolic and spiritual center of God's kingdom on earth.
qeburah · Hebrew Noun
The burial site of the kings of Judah. To be denied a place here was a significant sign of disgrace and divine disapproval, indicating the monarch had failed to live up to the legacy of David.
975 BC
Death of Solomon
King Solomon dies, leading to the division of the united kingdom into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 913-911 BC
Reign of Jehoshaphat
Jehoshaphat, a righteous king, rules Judah. He forms an alliance with the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which unfortunately leads to his son Jehoram marrying Athaliah, daughter of Ahab.
c. 911 BC— this verse
Jehoram Begins to Reign
Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, ascends the throne of Judah at age 32. He initially walks in the ways of Israel's kings, influenced by his wife Athaliah.
c. 911-907 BC
Jehoram's Wicked Reign
Jehoram murders his six brothers and other princes. He leads Judah into idolatry and faces rebellion from Edom and attacks from Philistines and Arabs, resulting in great loss.
c. 907 BC
Death of Jehoram
Jehoram dies of a terrible, incurable disease in his bowels, unmourned by his people. He is buried in Jerusalem but not in the royal tombs, marking a dishonorable end.
This passage describes the rejection of Saul as king because he disobeyed God, mirroring how Jehoram's reign was marked by wickedness and ultimately led to God's judgment and a lack of honorable remembrance.
Jeremiah 22:18-19The prophet Jeremiah pronounces a curse on Jehoiakim, stating he will be buried like a donkey, emphasizing the ignominious end for rulers who act unjustly, which parallels Jehoram's unregretted death and burial outside the royal tombs.
Proverbs 10:7This proverb directly states that the memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot, offering a thematic contrast to Jehoram's legacy of being remembered with no regret and buried without honor.
2 Kings 8:16-18This parallel account shows the beginning of Jehoram's reign and the reasons for his downfall, connecting his evil deeds, including the murder of his brothers, to the divine judgment that followed and resulted in his poor legacy.
What's striking here isn't just the king's ignominious end, but that his own people literally refused to "regret" his passing, a sharp contrast to how faithful rulers were mourned. This detail underscores the complete failure of his reign, marked by such wickedness that even his burial place was a stark rejection of royal honor.
Jehoram, the king who reigned after his father Jehoshaphat, chose to walk in wicked ways, even murdering his own brothers to secure the throne. This verse marks the ignominious end of his eight-year reign, a reign characterized by rebellion against God and disastrous military defeats. His death is met with indifference, and even his burial is a step down from the royal tombs, a stark indicator of his displeasing legacy.
Jehoram, the king who reigned after his father Jehoshaphat, chose to walk in wicked ways, even murdering his own brothers to secure the throne. This verse marks the ignominious end of his eight-year reign, a reign characterized by rebellion against God and disastrous military defeats. His death is met with indifference, and even his burial is a step down from the royal tombs, a stark indicator of his displeasing legacy.
"He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings." — What's striking here isn't just the king's ignominious end, but that his own people literally refused to "regret" his passing, a sharp contrast to how faithful rulers were mourned. This detail unders…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
