Jehoram of Israel
A king of Israel, son of Ahab, who removed the pillar of Baal his father had made but kept the golden calves. He campaigned with Jehoshaphat against Moab and was rescued in the desert by Elisha's word, and Elisha repeatedly warned him of Aramean movements. Wounded fighting Hazael at Ramoth-gilead, he went to Jezreel to recover — and there Jehu, newly anointed, shot him through the heart and had his body thrown into the field of Naboth.
What we know — and how we know it
![Tel Dan Stele (Fragment B), excavated 1993–94 by A. Biran at Tel Dan; Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Reconstructed to name '[Jo]ram son of [Ahab] king of Israel'; A. Biran & J. Naveh, 'The Tel Dan Inscription: A New Fragment', Israel Exploration Journal 45 (1995).](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/JRSLM_300116_Tel_Dan_Stele_01.jpg/1280px-JRSLM_300116_Tel_Dan_Stele_01.jpg)
Oren Rozen — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyThe Tel Dan Stele, raised by an Aramean king, boasts of killing '[Jo]ram son of [Ahab] king of Israel' — an external echo of his fall.
Where in scripture
2 KingsNow Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 Kings 3:1 — Reigns over Israel
Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and struck Joram between his arms; and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.
2 Kings 9:24 — Slain by Jehu
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 16 recorded sayings
“And he sent to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has got free from my authority: will you go with me to make war on Moab? And he said, I will go with you: I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.” — 2 Kings 3:7
“And he said, Which way are we to go? And he said in answer, By the waste land of Edom.” — 2 Kings 3:8
“And the king of Israel said, Here is trouble: for the Lord has got these three kings together to give them into the hands of Moab.” — 2 Kings 3:10
“But Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with you? go to the prophets of your father and your mother. And the king of Israel said, No; for the Lord has got these three kings together to give them up into the hands of Moab.” — 2 Kings 3:13
“But the king of Israel, after reading the letter, was greatly troubled and said, Am I God, to give death and life? why does this man send a leper to me to be made well? is it not clear that he is looking for a cause of war?” — 2 Kings 5:7
“And the king of Israel, when he saw them, said to Elisha, My father, am I to put them to the sword?” — 2 Kings 6:21
“And he said, If the Lord does not give you help, where am I to get help for you? from the grain-floor or the grape-crusher? And the king said to her, What is troubling you? And she said in answer, This woman said to me, Give your son to be our food today, and we will have my son tomorrow.” — 2 Kings 6:27-28
“Then he said, May God's punishment come on me if Elisha, the son of Shaphat, keeps his head on his body after this day.” — 2 Kings 6:31
…and 8 more recorded sayings.
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).