2 Chronicles 22:1—Were Jehoram’s sons taken captive or were they killed?

Problem: According to 2 Chronicles 21:16–17, Jehoram’s sons were only taken captive by the Philistines and the Arabians. By contrast, this passage says they “killed all the older sons.”

Solution: There is no contradiction here for two reasons. First, it was only the “older” sons who were killed, not all of them. The others could have been taken captive. Second, they could have first taken them captive and then afterward killed them.

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.