days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 9Then Jehoram passed over with his captains, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots. 10So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, unto this day: then did Libnah revolt at the same time from under his hand: because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his
8—10 (= 2 Kin. viii. 20—22). The Revolt of Edom.
8. In his days Edom revolted] From 1 Chr. xviii. 11—13 (cp. 2 Sam. viii. 13 f.) it appears that Edom was subjugated in the reign of David, and it seems to have remained so until Jehoram's reign. If, as is probable, the Meunim are to be reckoned an Edomitic tribe (see the notes on xx. 1, 10), Edom may have made a vain attempt to throw off the Judean suzerainty in Jehoshaphat's time, and this would suit the remark in 1 Kin. xxii. 47 "And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king"—i.e. a nominee of Jehoshaphat. Moreover the tradition of Jehoshaphat's shipbuilding at Ezion-geber on the Gulf of Akaba implies the maintenance of his hold over Edom.
9. Then Jehoram passed over] In Kings "passed over to Zair" (the place is not otherwise known; for a suggestion that the Moabite Zoar should be read, see Ency. Brit. s.v. Moab, p. 631 ad fin.). Without the addition of a place name the verb "passed over" in Chron. is somewhat awkward. It is possible that the Chronicler used it in the meaning that Jehoram with a vanguard of chariots passed by his main body of "the people" to take the lead. Although the text in 1 Kin. viii. 21 appears to have suffered some corruption, it is fairly clear that Jehoram pushed on with his chariots as a vanguard, was hemmed in by the Edomites, and, though he succeeded in cutting his way out by a night attack, his main army had dispersed in the belief that the king and the chariots were cut off and lost.
and the captains of the chariots] The clause is governed by the verb "compassed" (read perhaps el for eth in the Heb.).
10. then did Libnah revolt at the same time] The exact position of Libnah is not known, but it was in the south of Judah, probably not far from Lachish (Tell el-Hesi) and the Edomite territory. The active hostility of the Edomitic (Arabian) and Philistine districts about this period afforded an opportunity to any elements of discontent in the townships of southern Judah; see the note on xxvi. 7. Probably the population of Libnah included many Edomite and Philistine families, cp. the Pesh. rendering of this clause, viz. "Then did the Edomites who dwell in Libnah revolt."
became he had forsaken, etc.] Not in Kings; a moralistic comment by the Chronicler.
