2 Kings 24
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 605 BC – 588 BC · Judah alone · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
20 verses · 521 words · ~3 min read · ~3 min listen
Babylon Controls Jehoiakim
1During Jehoiakimʼs reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded. So Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years, until he turned and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
2And the Lord sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the Lord had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3Surely this happened to Judah at the Lordʼs command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done, 4and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was unwilling to forgive.
5As for the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah
6And Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
7Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His motherʼs name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. 9And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father had done.
The Captivity of Jerusalem
10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it. 12Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon.
So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive. 13As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the Lord and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord. 14He carried into exile all Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained.
15Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the kingʼs mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16The king of Babylon also brought into exile to Babylon all seven thousand men of valor and a thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for battle.
17Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachinʼs uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
18Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His motherʼs name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.
19And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20For because of the anger of the Lord, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence.
Footnotes (1)
- a v2 Or Babylonian
Study notes on this chapter · 2
Hezekiah's treasures carried to Babylon
After Hezekiah shows Babylonian envoys all his treasures, Isaiah says that everything will be carried off to Babylon and some of his descendants will become officials in a foreign palace. This came true in stages from 605 to 586 BC, when Daniel and others were taken and the temple treasures were looted.
When: Isaiah, c. 701 BC; Babylonian deportations, 605, 597 and 586 BC.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Jehoiachin written down as childless
Jeremiah says that none of Jehoiachin's offspring will sit on David's throne, and that he will be recorded as childless. Jehoiachin had children, and his line continued through Zerubbabel, who governed Judah but was not crowned. Matthew's genealogy includes Jeconiah in the line to Jesus, and Luke traces another line through Nathan.
When: Jeremiah, c. 598 BC; Jehoiachin was exiled in 597 BC and released c. 561 BC.
Ways people read this (4)
- The word 'childless' means without heirs to the throne, and the verse was fulfilled when no descendant reigned after him.
- Matthew's line is Joseph's royal (legal) lineage, and Luke's is Mary's or another branch, so Jesus avoids the curse through his virgin birth (a common explanation).
- Jesus inherits the throne through legal adoption by Joseph, and the curse on Jehoiachin's line was later reversed (Haggai 2:23).
- The two genealogies are an unsolved puzzle and were written for different purposes.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.