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NASB | 2 Chronicles 21:12 ¶ Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet saying, "Thus says the LORD God of your father David, 'Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and the ways of Asa king of Judah, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Chronicles 21:12 ¶ Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, saying, "Thus says the LORD God of David your father (ancestor): 'Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, |
Subject: drbloor, where is your Biblical support? |
Bible Note: Greetings Dr. B! Thanks for the reply! As I understand it, the timing would allow for the possibilty that Elijah's chariot ride had not yet taken place at the time of the letter of 2 Chr. 21:12. Allow me to demonstrate. 2 Kings 3:1 says that Joram began to reign in the 18th year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. 1 Kings 22:42 tells us that Jehoshaphat reigned for 25 years. Yet, 2 Kings 1:17 tells us that Joram began to reign in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat. Further, 2 Kings 8:16 tells us that Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began to reign in the 5th year of Joram. This would indicate that Jehoram co-reigned with Jehosphaphat for a period of about 7 years. Joram's reign is actually mentioned for the first time in 2 Kings 1:17, prior to Elijah's chariot ride in 2 Kings 2. This is simply a long way of saying that it is possible that the letter of 2 Chr. 21:12 was written prior to the events of 2 Kings 2. We simply don't know exactly when that famous chariot ride took place. Here is what the Bible Knowledge commentary says about it: "This letter from Elijah is of more than passing interest because it is the only known written message from the great prophet. Some scholars allege that it could not be authentic since, they say, Elijah was translated to heaven before Jehoram began to reign. But Elijah was still living on earth in the days of Joram, son of Ahab, who succeeded his brother Ahaziah in 852 b.c. (cf. 2 Kings 1:17). This event, the author of 2 Kings wrote, occurred ”in the second year of Jehoram . . . king of Judah.“ Though Jehoram’s sole regency in Judah began in the year of Jehoshaphat’s death (848), he co-reigned with his father from 853 to 848. It is still true, of course, that Jehoram could not have murdered his brothers until after 848 so the matter of Elijah’s knowledge of this fact still remains. Since there is no certain way to date Elijah’s translation perhaps it did not take place until 848 or even later." Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |