2 Kings 8:21
New International Version
So Jehoram went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home.

New Living Translation
So Jehoram went with all his chariots to attack the town of Zair. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he went out at night and attacked them under cover of darkness. But Jehoram’s army deserted him and fled to their homes.

English Standard Version
Then Joram passed over to Zair with all his chariots and rose by night, and he and his chariot commanders struck the Edomites who had surrounded him, but his army fled home.

Berean Standard Bible
So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes.

King James Bible
So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.

New King James Version
So Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; and the troops fled to their tents.

New American Standard Bible
Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents.

NASB 1995
Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents.

NASB 1977
Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And it came about that he arose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents.

Amplified Bible
So Jehoram [king of Judah] went over to Zair [in Edom] with all his chariots. He set out by night and struck down the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of his chariots; but the people [of his army] fled to their tents.

Christian Standard Bible
So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders, but his troops fled to their tents.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders, but his troops fled to their tents.

American Standard Version
Then Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Yoram passed to Tsira and all the chariots with him, and he arose in the night that he would destroy the Edomites who surrounded him and his Princes in chariots, and the people fled to their tents.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Joram went up to Sior, and all the chariots that were with him: and it came to pass after he had arisen, that he smote Edom who compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents.

Contemporary English Version
So Jehoram and his cavalry marched to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded him and his commanders. During the night he attacked the Edomites, but he was defeated, and his troops escaped to their homes.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Joram came to Seira, and all the chariots with him: and he arose in the night, and defeated the Edomites that had surrounded him, and the captains of the chariots, but the people fled into their tents.

English Revised Version
Then Joram passed over to Zair, 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: and the people fled to their tents.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jehoram took all his chariots to attack Zair. The Edomites and their chariot commanders surrounded him, but he got up at night, broke through their lines, and his troops fled home.

Good News Translation
So Jehoram set out with all his chariots to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded them. During the night he and his chariot commanders managed to break out and escape, and his soldiers scattered to their homes.

International Standard Version
Then Joram crossed over to Zair, along with all of his chariots. At night he attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the commanders of his chariots, but the army ran away to their tents.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Then Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him; and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents.

Literal Standard Version
and Joram passes over to Zair, and all the chariots with him, and he himself has risen by night, and strikes Edom that is coming around to him, and the heads of the chariots, and the people flee to their tents;

Majority Standard Bible
So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes.

New American Bible
Thereupon Joram with all his chariots crossed over to Zair. He arose by night and broke through the Edomites when they had surrounded him and the commanders of his chariots. Then his army fled homeward.

NET Bible
Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. The Israelite army retreated to their homeland.

New Revised Standard Version
Then Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. He set out by night and attacked the Edomites and their chariot commanders who had surrounded him; but his army fled home.

New Heart English Bible
Then Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and struck the Edomites who surrounded him, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents.

Webster's Bible Translation
So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites who encompassed him, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.

World English Bible
Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him; and he rose up by night and struck the Edomites who surrounded him with the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents.

Young's Literal Translation
and Joram passeth over to Zair, and all the chariots with him, and he himself hath risen by night, and smiteth Edom, that is coming round about unto him, and the heads of the chariots, and the people fleeth to its tents;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Edom and Libnah Revolt
20In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. 21So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes. 22So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.…

Cross References
Luke 21:20
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near.

2 Samuel 18:17
They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.

2 Samuel 19:8
So the king got up and sat in the gate, and all the people were told: "Behold, the king is sitting in the gate." So they all came before the king. Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled, each man to his home.


Treasury of Scripture

So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.

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Army Attack Broke Captains Chariot Chariots Commanders Compassed Crossed Edom Edomites E'domites Encompassed Fled Flight Forces Home However Jehoram Joram Night Passed Passeth Risen Rose Round Smiteth Smote Struck Surrounded Tents War-Carriages
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Army Attack Broke Captains Chariot Chariots Commanders Compassed Crossed Edom Edomites E'domites Encompassed Fled Flight Forces Home However Jehoram Joram Night Passed Passeth Risen Rose Round Smiteth Smote Struck Surrounded Tents War-Carriages
2 Kings 8
1. The Shunammite, having left her country seven years, to avoid the famine,
5. for Elisha's miracle's sake has her land restored by the king.
7. Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad and succeeds him
16. Jehoram's wicked reign in Judah
20. Edom and Libnah revolt
23. Ahaziah succeeds Jehoram
25. Ahaziah's wicked reign
28. He visits Joram, being wounded, at Jezreel














(21) So Joram went over to Zair.--No town called Zair is otherwise known. Hitzig and Ewald would read Zoar, but Zoar lay in Moab, not in Edom. (Jeremiah 48:34; Isaiah 15:5; Genesis 19:30; Genesis 19:37.) The Vulg. has Seira, and the Arabic Sa'ira, which suggest an original reading, "to Seir," the well-known mountain chain which was the headquarters of the Edomite people. Perhaps the reading of the text �?'ir?h represents a dialectic pronunciation. (Comp. the forms Yish?q and Yich?q for Isaac.)

And he rose by night.--There may be a lacuna of a few lines in the text here, or the compiler, in his desire to be brief, may have become obscure. Jehoram appears to have been hemmed in by the Edomites in the mountains, and to have attempted escape under cover of night.

Smote the Edomites which compassed him about.--Cut his way through their ranks.

And the captains of the chariots.--Part of the object of the verb "smote." Jehoram smote (cut his way through) the Edomites--that is to say, the captains of the Edomite war-chariots which hemmed him and his army in. . . .

Verse 21. - So Joram went over to Zair. Naturally, Joram did not allow Edom to become independent without an attempt to reduce it. He invaded the country in full force, taking up a position at a place called Zair, which is not otherwise known. Zair (צָעִיר) can scarcely be Zoar (צועַר), which, wherever it was, was certainly not in Edom; and it is hardly likely to be a corruption of "Seir" (צָעִיר), since the utterly unknown צעיר would scarcely be put by a copyist in the place of the well-known שׂעיר. Moreover, if Mount Seir were intended, it would probably have had the prefix הַר, as in 1 Chronicles 4:42; 2 Chronicles 20:10, 22, 23; Ezekiel 35:2, 3, 7, 15. "Seir" alone is poetical rather than historical, especially in the language of the later books of the Old Testament. And all the chariots with him; or, all his chariots (Revised Version). The article has the force of the possessive pronoun. And he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about. Josephus understands the writer to mean that Joram made his invasion by night, and smote the Edomites on all sides ('Ant. Jud.,' 9:5. § 1); but it seems better to suppose, with most modern commentators, that the meaning is the following: Soon after Joram invaded the country, he found himself surrounded and blocked in by the Edomite troops, and could only save himself by a night attack, which was so far successful that he broke through the enemy's lines and escaped; his army, however, was so alarmed at the danger it had run, that it at once dispersed and returned home. And the captains of the chariots; i.e. the captains of the Edomite chariots. They too were "smitten," having probably taken the chief part in trying to prevent the escape. And the people fled into their tents; i.e. dispersed to their homes. Compare the cry of Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:16), "To your tents, O Israel!"

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Joram
יוֹרָם֙ (yō·w·rām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3141: Joram

crossed over
וַיַּעֲבֹ֤ר (way·ya·‘ă·ḇōr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

to Zair
צָעִ֔ירָה (ṣā·‘î·rāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6811: Zair -- a place on the border of Edom

with
עִמּ֑וֹ (‘im·mōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

all
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

his chariots.
הָרֶ֖כֶב (hā·re·ḵeḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7393: A vehicle, a team, cavalry, a rider, the upper millstone

When the Edomites
אֱד֜וֹם (’ĕ·ḏō·wm)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 123: The name of a condiment

surrounded
הַסֹּבֵ֤יב (has·sō·ḇêḇ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround

him
אֵלָיו֙ (’ê·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

and
וְאֵת֙ (wə·’êṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

his chariot
הָרֶ֔כֶב (hā·re·ḵeḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7393: A vehicle, a team, cavalry, a rider, the upper millstone

commanders,
שָׂרֵ֣י (śā·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 8269: Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

he
ה֞וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

rose up
קָ֣ם (qām)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

and attacked
וַיַּכֶּ֨ה (way·yak·keh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221: To strike

by night.
לַ֗יְלָה (lay·lāh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity

His troops, however,
הָעָ֖ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

fled
וַיָּ֥נָס (way·yā·nās)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5127: To flit, vanish away

to their homes.
לְאֹהָלָֽיו׃ (lə·’ō·hā·lāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 168: A tent


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OT History: 2 Kings 8:21 Then Joram passed over to Zair (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 8:20
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