2 Kings 8:18

18 And he went in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had gone; for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did that, that was evil in the sight of the Lord.

2 Kings 8:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 8:18

And he walked in the way of the king's of Israel, as did the
house of Ahab
Imitated them in idolatry:

for the daughter of Ahab was his wife;
whose name was Athaliah, ( 2 Kings 8:26 ) , and by her he was drawn into idolatrous practices; of such bad consequence are marriages with idolaters; it is very much that so good a king as Jehoshaphat his father was should contract such an affinity; he suffered for it in more instances than one:

and he did evil in the sight of the Lord;
was guilty of idolatry, than which nothing was more displeasing to the Lord; for he made high places, and compelled his subjects to commit idolatry, ( 2 Chronicles 21:11 ) .

2 Kings 8:18 In-Context

16 In the fifth year of Joram , son of Ahab, king of Israel, and of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Jehoram , the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, reigned. (In the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, began to reign.)

17 He was of two and thirty years when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

18 And he went in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had gone; for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did that, that was evil in the sight of the Lord.

19 Forsooth the Lord would not destroy Judah, for David, his servant, as he promised to David, that he should give to him a lantern, and to his sons in all days. (But the Lord did not destroy Judah, for the sake of his servant David, as he had promised David, that he would give him, and his sons, a light, or a flame, to burn forever.)

20 In those days Edom, that is, Idumea, went away, that it should not be under Judah; and made a king to itself (and got themselves a king).