2 Kings 3:1-6

Moab Fights with Israel

3:1 In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; ¹  he ruled for twelve years. 3:2 He did evil in the sight of ²  the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3:3 Yet he persisted in ³  the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin; he did not turn from them. ⁴ 

3:4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. ⁵  He would send as tribute ⁶  to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 3:5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 3:6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war.

[3:1]  ¹ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[3:2]  ² tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[3:3]  ³ tn Heb “held tight,” or “clung to.”

[3:3]  ⁴ tc The Hebrew text has the singular, “it.” Some ancient witnesses read the plural, which seems preferable since the antecedent (“sins”) is plural. Another option is to emend the plural “sins” to a singular. One ancient Greek witness has the singular “sin.”

[3:4]  ⁵ tn For a discussion of the meaning of term (נֹקֵד, noqed), see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 43.

[3:4]  ⁶ tn The vav + perfect here indicates customary action contemporary with the situation described in the preceding main clause. See IBHS 533-34 §32.2.3e.