2 Chronicles 21
During the reign of Jehoram of Judah, the Philistines and the Arabs near the Cushites attacked Jerusalem and carried off all his possessions, his wives, and his sons except Jehoahaz, his youngest son. The Arabs who joined in the attack were likely those who lived southeast of Edom, and the Cushites were likely those who lived along the western coast of Arabia (Genesis 10:6-7). It is likely that the primary motivation for their attack was the same as that of Zerah the Cushite over fifty years earlier (2 Chronicles 14; see “Zerah the Cushite” map): They wanted to prevent Judah from impeding or heavily taxing their lucrative trade along the Incense Route, which stretched from the southern tip of Arabia to the Mediterranean Sea ports in Philistia. Both the Arabs and the Philistines would later be attacked by King Uzziah of Judah about fifty years after Jehoram’s encounter with them (2 Chronicles 26:6-7; see “Resurgence of Israel and Judah” map). During Jehoram’s reign the Philistines and the Arabs were most likely taking advantage of the perceived weakness of Judah after Edom and Libnah declared their independence from Judah (2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chronicles 21:8-10) and Jehoram had lost a battle to retake Edom (2 Kings 8:21-22; 2 Chronicles 21:9-10; see “Edom and Libnah Revolt” map).
