Jehoram, Joram [Jēhō'ram,Jō'ram]—jehovah is high or exalted.

1. A son of Ahab, who became king of Israel after the brief reign of his brother Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:17; 3:1, 6; 9:24; 2 Chron. 22:5-7). When Jehoram allied himself with Jehoshaphat, he paid tribute to the power of the king of Moab. Dr. Joseph Parker has this to say of the somewhat remarkable character of Jehoram:

He was not an imitator of the evil of his father as to its precise form, but he had his own method of serving the devil. He superseded the arts of wickedness practiced by Ahab and Jezebel and found a way of his own of living an evil life ... He re-established the worship of the calf, after the pattern which Jeroboam, its founder, had patronized ... He made a kind of trick of wickedness, and knew how to give a twist to old forms.

Elisha was active during Jehoram’s reign, and rebuked the king ultimately slain by Jehu.

2. Son of Jehoshaphat, who succeeded his father on the throne of Judah. He was married to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. History does not record much of this king’s life apart from the fact that he “walked in the ways of the kings of Israel” (1 Kings 22:50; 2 Kings 1:17; 8:16, 25, 29; 12:18; 2 Chron. 21:16). He gave his patronage to the worship of the Tyrian Baal. Although he knew the fate of those who had been guilty of idolatrous worship, he yet pursued his evil way. For provoking God by his idolatry, Jehoram was severely punished, and paid for his sin. He departed without any regret on the part of the people. Dishonor followed this king who died in contempt, for his body was not buried in “the sepulchers of kings.”

3. A priest sent by Jehoshaphat with Elishama to teach the law to Judah (2 Chron. 17:8).