He walked in the way of the kings of Israel: The verb walked is used frequently in the Bible to refer to behavior (see 1 Kgs 3.3). But in many languages there will be more natural ways of doing this. Revised English Bible, for example, says “He followed the practices of the kings of Israel” and New American Bible says “He conducted himself like….” Here the meaning is “he acted just like the kings of Israel.” Here the behavior of the king of Judah is compared to that of the kings of Israel.
As the house of Ahab had done: The comparison becomes more specific with the introduction of the house of Ahab, that is, “the dynasty of Ahab” (Peregrino). While the kings of Israel were in general thought to be bad, the family of Ahab is represented by the biblical writers as the very essence of evil. So this comparison is especially derogatory. The writer is probably referring to the worship of Baal, but this should not be made explicit in translation.
For the daughter of Ahab was his wife: The Hebrew text states that Jehoram followed the evil example of the kings of Israel “for [or, because] he had married one of Ahab’s daughters” (New Living Translation). Good News Translation does not show the causal relationship, but it should be made clear in translation. Since Ahab had more than one daughter, New Living Translation says “one of Ahab’s daughters” (also New Jerusalem Bible). Most commentators see the daughter of Ahab as a reference to Athaliah, who is said to be “the daughter of Omri” in the Hebrew text of verse 26. If she had been the daughter of Ahab, she would therefore be the granddaughter of Omri (compare also 2 Kgs 11.1). If this is the case, then the Hebrew word for “daughter” ought to be translated “granddaughter” in verse 26, as many versions (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version) have done. However, there are some arguments for translating “the sister of Ahab” here in verse 18, as New American Bible has done, in agreement with the ancient Syriac. A slight change in the Hebrew text would make it mean “sister” instead of “daughter.” And this would fit better with what is known of the chronology of the people involved. A second alternative to the literal rendering the daughter of Ahab is to take this expression as a kind of idiom closely identifying Athaliah with the wickedness of the house of Ahab, which is virtually synonymous with evil in the Old Testament. If this is the case, it would be possible to translate “a member of the wicked regime of Ahab” or something similar. In any case, Athaliah cannot be the daughter of Ahab and the daughter of Ahab’s father Omri. Since a literal translation here would lead to this contradiction, this verse must be translated in connection with the rendering of verse 26.
In most languages it will be misleading to begin the last sentence of this verse with the conjunction And. This is not an additional fact about Jehoram. Instead, it is a summary statement of what has already been affirmed earlier in the verse. The conjunction is dropped in most modern versions, including New Revised Standard Version.
He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD: See the comments on 1 Kgs 11.6.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .