|
|
|
|
CHAPTER 36
Various kings rule in Judah— |
||
|
1 THEN the people of the land
took aJehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him
bking in his father's stead in Jerusalem.
2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reigna, and he reigned three months in Jerusalemb. |
2a Jehoahaz was twenty and three
years old when he began to reign Jehoahaz (Jehovah has seized or
grasped' meaning the Lord had taken hold of him or he is in the Lord's hand)
was not the elder son of Josiah and why Eliakim, who would become Jehoiakim,
his elder brother by two years was not selected by the people is not so
stated but may be speculated upon.
2b he reigned three months in Jerusalem |
|
|
3 And the king of Egypt aput him
down at Jerusalem, and bcondemned the land in an hundred
talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4 And the king of Egypt [Necho] made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakima. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to aEgyptb. |
4a the king of Egypt [Necho] made Eliakim
his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to
Jehoiakim Eliakim meant 'God raiseth up' while Jehoiakim meant
'the Lord [Jehovah] raiseth up'. Why the Egyptians would care to make the
distinction between 'El' short for Elohim and 'Jeho' short for Jehovah might
be speculated upon. But the basic meaning of the name of this elder son of
Josiah did was not changed, both forms of the name meant basically the same
meaning.
4b Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt |
|
|
5 ¶ aJehoiakim was twenty
and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in
Jerusalema: and he did that
which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
6 Against him came up aNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in bfetters, to carry him to Babylona. |
5a Jehoiakim was twenty five years old
when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem
Within three months Jehoahaz age 21 son of Josiah had been replaced by the
Egyptian King with Jehoiakim age 23 son of Josaih. Josiah had led his people
in the paths or righteousness and perhaps Jehoahaz was the more 'righteous'
choice of the people, but on their return from conquest the Egyptian king
took control of Jerusalem, made them a tributary of Egypt and replaced
Jehoahaz, the choice of the people with Jehoiakim who did not rule according
to the righteousness of the Lord and in fact was the basis of the Jews looking
to Egypt for their support against Nebuchadnezzar in later years to come.
6a bound him in fetters [chains], to carry him to Babylon Though Jehoiakim was bound in the chains of the captives to be taken to Babylon, and had left the city of Jerusalem, he was never to reach Babylon. He would die on the way, be cut loose from the captives and his body disguarded as a dumb animal of burden, 'an ass', to be left to the animals of the desert to waste away (Jeremiah 22:18-19). The reference in 2 Kings 24:6 is can therefore be a misleading one. In one sense, Jehoiakim did die and was dead like his dead fathers. But in the proper 'traditional' sense of the proper burial of a King of Judah, Jehoiakim who had been removed from Jerusalem in 'fetters' (chains) and died on the journey and was disgaurded by the roadside, was not honorably buied in the traditional grave sites of the Kings, his fathers. Thus in that sense, he did not sleep with his fathers, he was not and could not have been buried with his fathers. |
|
|
7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the
avessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them
in his temple at Babylon.
8 Now the rest of the acts of aJehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judaha: and bJehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. |
8a the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah Not only must we look to the record of Kings but also there is much concerning Jehoiakim in the book of Jeremiah. | |
|
9 ¶ Jehoiachin was
aeight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
three months and ten days in
Jerusalema: and he did that
which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
10 And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to aBabylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made bZedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. |
9a Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem Jehoiachin was either 8 or 18. If he was 8 then he would have been born when his father Jehoiakim was about 28 [25+(11-8)=28] but if he was 18 then Jehoiakim was about 18 [25+(11-18)=18]. In either case, Jehoiachin ('Jehovah shall establish' - also refereneced as Jeconiah, Joachin and Coniah which have the same meaning) was a youthful and weaker king and likely was much under the influence and direction of the princes and rulers of the Jewish people, the 'Sarim' whose position was much anti-Babylon and pro-Egypt. | |
|
11 ¶ aZedekiah was one
and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in
Jerusalem.
12 And he did that which was aevil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before bJeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD. 13 And he also arebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him bswear by Goda: but he cstiffened his neck, and dhardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel. |
13a made him swear by God This swearing alliegence to the King of Babylon was not a singular happening but it was like unto that recommitment unto Jehovah which the Jews had been subject to during the day's of Zedekiah's father Josiah. As reference and given in Ezekiel 17:15-21 and the 34th chapter of Jeremiah it was a total covenanting of Jerusalem, the people thereof, unto their keeping the total Law of Jehovah, the Law of Moses and by that covenant unto Jehovah they were also so sworen unto their commitment unto Nebuchadnezzar. | |
|
14 ¶ Moreover all the chief of the priests, and
the people, transgressed very much after all the
aabominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the
LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
15 And the LORD God of their fathers asent to them by his bmessengers, rising up cbetimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16 But they amocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his bprophetsa, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. |
16a his prophets These prophets and messengers from God of this duration were contemporary with Lehi, Lehi being one among them. Namely as listed in the Old Testament they would be the likes of Jeremiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Daniel, Ezekiel and of course Lehi himself. Undoubtedly there were others also, who have gone unnamed due to the treatment of them by the Jews which verses 15 and 16 so state as mocking them, despising them, misusing them and even imprisoning and killing these referenced messengers and prophets. Lehi was warned and escaped 'the Jews' murderous plan for him. Jeremiah was imprisoned and 'they' did attempt to cause his death also. | |
|
17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the
Chaldees, who aslew their young men with the sword in the
house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old
man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.
18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of aJerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. |
||
|
20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried
he away to aBabylon; where they were servants to him and
his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept asabbath, to fulfil bthreescore and ten years. |
||
|
22 ¶ Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an ahouse in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up. |