2 Kings 8:21

So Ioram went ouer to Zair, and all the charets with him, and hee rose by night, and smote the Edomites, which compassed him about: and the captaines of the charets, and the people fled into their tents. 2 Kings 8:21 (KJV)

The passage records the actions of Joram, also called Jehoram, who was the king of the southern kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Jehoshaphat and was married to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. This verse forms part of the narrative that describes Joram’s military activity against the Edomites during his reign.

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (Israel), and they occupied the region of Edom southeast of Judah. Throughout Israel’s history the Edomites had been hostile toward Judah, and that antagonism continued into Joram’s time. Their long‑standing enmity provides the backdrop for the conflict recorded in this verse.

According to the verse, Joram led his chariots to the city of Zair, a location identified in biblical geography as an Edomite town. By night he launched a surprise assault on the Edomite forces that had surrounded him. The attack succeeded in striking the Edomite captains, and the enemy troops fled back into their tents. The description emphasizes the effectiveness of a night‑time strike and the decisive defeat of the opposing commanders.

While the specific night‑time assault at Zair is not detailed elsewhere in the canonical text, the verse itself preserves this account of Joram’s campaign. The reference to Zair underscores the geographical setting of the encounter, and the narrative highlights Joram’s use of surprise and mobility with his chariots to overcome the Edomite opposition. This episode illustrates the broader pattern of regional warfare in the period and the ongoing tension between Judah and its neighboring peoples.