2 Chronicles 21 · Verse 12

2 Chronicles 21:12

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
2 Chronicles 21:12, King James Version

2 Chronicles 21:12 in other translations

BSBThen a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, which stated: “This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah,
WEBA letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “the LORD, the God of David your father, says, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
ASVAnd there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
YLTAnd there cometh in unto him a writing from Elijah the prophet, saying, ‘Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, Because that thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, and in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
DARBYAnd there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father: Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
BBEAnd a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, The Lord, the God of your father David, says, Because you have not kept to the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or the ways of Asa, king of Judah,
WebsterAnd there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

What does 2 Chronicles 21:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Chronicles 21:12-19
12-15. there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet--That prophet's translation having taken place in the reign of Jehoshaphat [2Ki 2:11, 12], we must conclude that the name of Elijah has, by the error of a transcriber, been put for that of Elisha.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 12 There came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet - From 2Kgs 2:11, it is evident that Elijah had been translated in the reign of Jehoshaphat, the father of Jehoram. How then could he send a letter to the son? Some say he sent it from heaven by an angel; others, that by the spirit of prophecy he foresaw this defection of Jehoram, and left the letter with Elisha, to be sent to him when this defection should take place; others say that Elijah is put here for Elisha; and others, that this Elijah was not the same that was translated, but another prophet of the same name. There are others who think that, as Elijah was still in the body, for he did not die, but was translated, he sent this letter from that secret place in which he was hidden by the Almighty. All the versions have Elijah, and all the MSS. the same reading. Dr. Kennicott contends that Elisha was the writer; for Elijah had been taken up to heaven thirteen years before the time of this writing. Our margin says, the letter was written before his assumption, and refers to 2Kgs 2:1. These are all conjectures; and I could add another to their number, but still we should be where we were. I should adopt the conjecture relative to Elisha, were not every Hebrew MS., and all the Oriental versions, against it; to which may be added, that the author of this book does not once mention Elisha in any part of his work. It is certainly a possible case that this writing might have been a prediction of Jehoram's impiety and miserable death, delivered in the time of the prophet, and which was now laid before this wicked king for the first time: and by it the prophet, though not among mortals, still continued to speak. I can see no solid reason against this opinion.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Chronicles 21:12-20
A warning from God was sent to Jehoram. The Spirit of prophecy might direct Elijah to prepare this writing in the foresight of Jehoram's crimes. He is plainly told that his sin should certainly ruin him. But no marvel that sinners are not frightened from sin, and to repentance, by the threatenings of misery in another world, when the certainty of misery in this world, the sinking of their estates, and the ruin of their health, will not restrain them from vicious courses. See Jehoram here stripped of all his comforts. Thus God plainly showed that the controversy was with him, and his house. He had slain all his brethren to strengthen himself; now, all his sons are slain but one. David's house must not be wholly destroyed, like those of Israel's kings, because a blessing was in it; that of the Messiah. Good men may be afflicted with diseases; but to them they are fatherly chastisements, and by the support of Divine consolations the soul may dwell at ease, even when the body lies in pain. To be sick and poor, sick and solitary, but especially to be sick and in sin, sick and under the curse of God, sick and without grace to bear it, is a most deplorable case. Wickedness and profaneness make men despicable, even in the eyes of those who have but little religion.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

2 Chronicles 21:12 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּבֹ֤אvai.ya.Vo'and it cameH935
אֵלָיו֙'e.Lavto himH413
מִכְתָּ֔בmikh.Tava writingH4385
מֵֽאֵלִיָּ֥הוּme.'e.li.Ya.hufrom ElijahH452
הַנָּבִ֖יאha.na.Vi'the prophetH5030
לֵאמֹ֑רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
כֹּ֣ה\׀kohthusH3541
אָמַ֣ר'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵי֙'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
דָּוִ֣ידda.VidDavidH1732
אָבִ֔יךָ'a.Vi.khaancestor yourH1
תַּ֗חַתTa.chatbecauseH8478
אֲשֶׁ֤ר'a.SherthatH834
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
הָלַ֙כְתָּ֙ha.Lakh.tayou have walkedH1980
בְּדַרְכֵי֙be.dar.Kheiin [the] ways ofH1870
יְהוֹשָׁפָ֣טye.ho.sha.FatJehoshaphatH3092
אָבִ֔יךָ'a.Vi.khafather yourH1
וּבְדַרְכֵ֖יu.ve.dar.Kheiand in [the] ways ofH1870
אָסָ֥א'a.Sa'AsaH609
מֶֽלֶךְ\־Me.lekh-[the] king ofH4428
יְהוּדָֽה\׃ye.hu.DahJudahH3063

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Chronicles 21:12

  • 2 Chronicles 14:2-5

    And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.

  • 2 Chronicles 17:3-4

    And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.

  • 2 Kings 2:1

    And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

  • Daniel 5:5

    In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

  • Jeremiah 36:2

    Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

  • Jeremiah 36:28-32

    Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not. …

  • Jeremiah 36:23

    And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

  • Daniel 5:25-29

    And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. …

  • 1 Kings 15:11

    And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father.

  • 1 Kings 22:43

    And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.

  • 2 Kings 2:11

    And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

  • Ezekiel 2:9-10

    And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A.M. 3116. B.C. 888. a writing."Which was writ before his assumption."
2Ki 2:1; Jer 36:2,23,28-32; Eze 2:9,10; Da 5:5,25-29
Elijah the prophet.If the account of the translation of Elijah be given in the order in which it happened, then it occurred in the reign of Jehoshaphat, the father of Jehoram. Hence, it is probable that he wrote it before his assumption, and left it to be delivered by Elisha or one of the prophets.
2Ki 2:11
in the ways of Jehoshaphat.
17:3,4; 1Ki 22:43
in the ways of Asa.
14:2-5; 1Ki 15:11

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Chronicles 21:11

    Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.

  • 2 Chronicles 21:12

    And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

  • 2 Chronicles 21:13

    But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself:

Read all of 2 Chronicles 21

2 Chronicles 21:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y viniéronle letras del profeta Elías, que decían: Jehová, el Dios de David tu padre, ha dicho así: Por cuanto no has andado en los caminos de Josaphat tu padre, ni en los caminos de Asa, rey de Judá,
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il vint à lui un écrit d’Élie, le prophète, disant: Ainsi dit l’ Éternel, le Dieu de David, ton père: Parce que tu n’as pas marché dans les voies de Josaphat, ton père, ni dans les voies d’Asa, roi de Juda,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da gelangte eine Schrift von Elia, dem Propheten, an ihn, welche lautete: So spricht Jehova, der Gott deines Vaters David: Darum, daß du nicht auf den Wegen deines Vaters Josaphat und auf den Wegen Asas, des Königs von Juda, gewandelt hast,
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Allatæ sunt autem ei litteræ ab Elia propheta, in quibus scriptum erat: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus David patris tui: Quoniam non ambulasti in viis Josaphat patris tui, et in viis Asa regis Juda,