2 Chronicles 27 Study Notes

27:1 Jotham: Eleventh king of Judah; son of Uzziah; devoted to God but not influential. Jotham’s reign did not have a great impact on his kingdom. Much of his time on the throne overlapped with the time that his father, Uzziah, was king, though Uzziah was in isolation (see note at 26:19-21).

27:2 The Chronicler gives Jotham a good report card for his personal faith. He followed the example of his father, but he restrained himself from Uzziah’s arrogance and did not violate the sanctity of the sanctuary. However, Jotham did not attempt to purify the land of idolatry or encourage the people to return to God.

27:3 Jotham took advantage of the peace that he inherited to reinforce the wall of Jerusalem and to carry out improvements on the Lord’s temple.

27:4 Jotham apparently coreigned with his father Uzziah from 750 to 740 BC, the year Uzziah died.

27:5-6 Jotham continued his father’s policy of controlling the Ammonites and carried out a successful military excursion against them. This garnered him a large amount of silver and grain for several years. As usual, these items are mentioned by the Chronicler not so much for their own sake but to show Jotham’s obedience and God’s reward for his faithfulness.

27:7-9 Jotham was a good king who came to the throne early, maintained the kingdom in good condition, was taken for granted by his people, and wound up not leaving much of a legacy. He received an appropriate royal burial, yet his reign served as a transition into a dark time for the kingdom of Judah.