2 Kings 3:7 - Exposition

And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the King of Judah, saying. Jehoshaphat had originally allied himself with Ahab, and had cemented the alliance by a marriage between his eldest son, Jehoram, and Athaliah, Ahab's daughter ( 2 Kings 8:18 ; 2 Chronicles 18:1 ). He had joined Ahab in his attack on the Syrians at Ramoth-Gilead ( 1 Kings 22:4-36 ), and had thereby incurred the rebuke of Jehu the son of Hanani ( 2 Chronicles 19:2 ). This, however, had net prevented him from continuing his friendship with the Israelite royal house; he "joined himself with Ahaziah" ( 2 Chronicles 20:35 ), Ahab's successor, and though their combined naval expedition met with disaster ( 1 Kings 22:48 ), yet he still maintained amicable relations with the Israelite court. Jehoram, therefore, confidently sought his active help when he made up his mind to engage in a war with Moab. The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle! And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my hones as thy horses. Compare the answer which the same king had made to Ahab, when requested to join him in his attack on the Syrians ( 1 Kings 22:4 ). The words were probably a common formula expressive of willingness to enter into the closest possible alliance. Jehoshaphat, it appears from 2 Chronicles 20:1-35 , had, a little before this, been himself attacked by the united forces of Moab and Ammon, and brought into a peril from which he was only delivered by miracle. It was, therefore, much to his advantage that Moab should be weakened.