Original Word: יוֹרָם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yowram
Pronunciation: yo-RAHM
Phonetic Spelling: (yo-rawm')
KJV: Joram
NASB: Joram
Word Origin: [a form of H3088 (יְהוֹרָם - Jehoram)]

1. Joram, the name of three Israelites and one Syrian

Joram

A form of Yhowram; Joram, the name of three Israelites and one Syrian -- Joram.

see HEBREW Yhowram

Word Origin
the same as Yehoram, q.v.
NASB Translation
Joram (20).

Name and Meaning

Joram, from a contraction meaning “Yahweh is exalted,” appears in connection with four distinct men. The name witnesses to the covenant hope that the Lord alone deserves elevation, although not every bearer lived in harmony with that confession.

Joram Son of Toi, Prince of Hamath

2 Samuel 8:10 records the first biblical Joram, the prince whom King Toi of Hamath dispatched to David. “Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze.” David, who “dedicated these to the LORD” (verse 11), transformed the gifts of a Gentile court into worship, foreshadowing the worldwide homage ultimately rendered to David’s greater Son. The episode illustrates God’s sovereign ability to turn international diplomacy into doxology.

Joram (Jehoram) King of Judah

Appears in 2 Kings 8:16–24; 1 Chronicles 3:11. The Chronicler supplies fuller detail (2 Chronicles 21):

• Royal Context – Eldest son of Jehoshaphat, he married Athaliah, daughter of Ahab, thereby importing the northern kingdom’s apostasy into Judah.
• Spiritual Failure – “He walked in the way of the kings of Israel” (2 Kings 8:18). High places flourished; fratricide removed potential rivals (2 Chronicles 21:4).
• Prophetic Warning – Elijah’s letter announced judgment, proving that prophetic ministry bridged the divided monarchies (2 Chronicles 21:12–15).
• National Upheaval – Edom and Libnah revolted (2 Kings 8:20–22), a covenantal backlash for forsaking the true King.
• Miserable End – An incurable intestinal disease culminated in a disgraceful burial: “He was not placed in the tombs of the kings” (2 Chronicles 21:20). Judah’s Joram teaches that royal privilege cannot shield from divine retribution when covenant obligations are despised.

Joram Son of Ahab, King of Israel

Reign outlined in 2 Kings 3–9 and summarized in the verses specified (2 Kings 8:28–29; 9:14–16, 29; 2 Chronicles 22:5, 7).

1. Military Alliances – Early in his reign he enlisted Jehoshaphat to suppress the Moabite revolt (2 Kings 3). The miraculous supply of water and the rout of Moab demonstrated that victory belongs to the Lord, not to political coalitions.
2. Superficial Reform – “He put away the sacred pillar of Baal… yet he clung to the sins of Jeroboam” (2 Kings 3:2–3). Partial reform without heart repentance availed nothing.
3. Encounters with Elisha – The siege of Samaria (2 Kings 6–7) exposed Joram’s alternating rage and insecurity. Elisha’s prophetic word of deliverance was authenticated within a day, underscoring the reliability of divine promise in contrast to royal vacillation.
4. Fatal Wounding and Assassination – Wounded at Ramoth-gilead, he recuperated in Jezreel. Jehu’s anointed revolt ended his life: “Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders” (2 Kings 9:24). His body was cast on Naboth’s field, fulfilling Elijah’s earlier prophecy and reaffirming God’s meticulous justice.

Joram the Levite Treasurer

In the list of Levitical supervisors (1 Chronicles 26:25), Joram stands among the sons of Eliezer, descendants of Gershon. Charged with “the treasuries of the house of the LORD” (verse 20), he pictures faithful, often unnoticed service that sustained temple worship and points forward to the stewardship entrusted to every believer.

Theological Insights

1. Covenantal Accountability – Whether prince, king, or Levite, each Joram operated under Yahweh’s covenant. Obedience produced blessing; rebellion produced curse.
2. Prophetic Certainty – From Elijah’s letter to Elisha’s counsel and Jehu’s commission, the prophetic word governed history with unerring precision.
3. Messianic Trajectory – The downfall of both Israelite and Judahite kings readies the stage for the advent of a perfect Davidic ruler whose reign will require no reforms, for He is Himself the exalted Lord.

Lessons for Faith and Practice

• Alliance with ungodliness, even for political gain, corrodes spiritual integrity (2 Kings 8:18).
• Half-hearted reforms cannot substitute for wholehearted allegiance (2 Kings 3:2–3).
• Hidden service, like that of the Levitical Joram, is indispensable to the worship life of God’s people (1 Corinthians 4:2).
• God’s promises and warnings alike are certain; their fulfillment may await His timing, but never fails (2 Kings 9:25–26).

See Also

Jehoram; Jehu; Elijah; Elisha; Covenant Blessings and Curses; House of David

וְיֹרָ֣ם וְיוֹרָם֩ ויורם וירם י֠וֹרָם יֽוֹרָם־ יוֹרָ֑ם יוֹרָ֖ם יוֹרָ֣ם יוֹרָ֥ם יוֹרָ֧ם יוֹרָ֨ם יוֹרָֽם׃ יוֹרָם֙ יורם יורם־ יורם׃ לְיוֹרָ֖ם לְיוֹרָ֤ם לְיוֹרָ֥ם ליורם lə·yō·w·rām leyoRam ləyōwrām veyoRam wə·yō·rām wə·yō·w·rām wəyōrām wəyōwrām yō·w·rām yō·w·rām- yoRam yorom yōwrām yōwrām-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts