2 Kings
Chapter 24
In those days, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became subject to him for three years, after which he rebelled.
The Lord then sent bands of Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites against Jehoiakim. They raided the land of Judah and destroyed it according to the word the Lord had spoken through his servants, the prophets.
All this happened only because the Lord had ordered it so. He willed to cast the people far away from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all the evils he had done.
And also because of the innocent blood he had shed that filled Jerusalem. Because of all this, the Lord would not pardon them.
The rest of the story regarding Jehoiakim and all he did is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.
Nebuchadnezzar captured them and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king’s house. He also destroyed all the objects of gold that Solomon, king of Israel, had made for the Sanctuary of the Lord. So, the word the Lord had spoken was fulfilled.
The king of Egypt did not leave his land again because the king of Babylon had conquered all that belonged to the king of Egypt, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Jeconiah of Judah (598-597)
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he succeeded his father and reigned or three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
Jehoiachin mistreated the Lord, as his father had done.
At that time, the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to attack Jerusalem, surrounding the city.
Nebuchadnezzar came while his men were besieging the city.
Jehoiachin, king of Judah, surrendered with his mother, servants, leaders, and palace officials. It was the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.
Nebuchadnezzar carried off into exile all the leaders and prominent men, the blacksmiths and locksmiths, all the men of valor fit for war. A total of ten thousand were exiled to Babylon. Only the poorest sector of the population was left.
Nebuchadnezzar also carried Jehoiachin away with his mother, his wives, the palace ministers, and the prominent men of the land.
So the king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the prominent people, numbering seven thousand, the blacksmiths, numbering a thousand, and all the men fit for war.
He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king of Jerusalem in place of Jehoiachin and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah of Judah (597-587)
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old and reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Hamutal, Jeremiah’s daughter.
He did what displeased the Lord, as Jehoiakim had done,
so the Lord punished Jerusalem and Judah until he cast them far away from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Commentaries
Jehoiachin of Judah.
Jehoiachin was the king installed in Judah by Egypt; his real name was Eliakim, but the pharaoh changed it to Jehoiachin. Still under Egyptian control, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon subjugates the kingdom of Judah. King Jehoiachin rebels, perhaps believing that Egypt will defend him; however, Babylon intensifies its attacks and not only maintains Judah’s subjugation but also corners Egypt by seizing its remaining territories in Canaan (24:7). Once again, it is emphasized that the Lord sends all these actions against Judah to punish the sins of the kings who were unfaithful to the divine will.
Jeconiah of Judah.
There is nothing left to do. Babylon now controls all lands west of the Euphrates, including Egypt. Judah, under Jeconiah’s rule, can only surrender to the invader, who takes the treasures of the Temple and all valuables in Jerusalem. To strengthen his hold, he also takes the king, his family, and the most important members of the ruling class. This begins the first of at least three selective deportations that Babylon will carry out.
Zedekiah of Judah.
Similar to Egypt, Babylon installs a new king, Mattaniah, the uncle of the deposed king, who is renamed Zedekiah. This king also “did what the Lord disapproved of” (19), thereby helping to speed up the final punishment.