Verses 8-17

G. Jehoiachin"s Evil Reign24:8-17

Jehoiakim"s son Jehoiachin, whose other names were Jeconiah and Coniah, succeeded him on the throne but only reigned for three months (598-597 B.C.). When Nebuchadnezzar"s troops were besieging Jerusalem, the Babylonian king personally visited Judah"s capital, and Jehoiachin surrendered to him ( 2 Kings 24:12). The invasion fulfilled the Lord"s warning to Solomon about apostasy in 1 Kings 9:6-9. A large deportation of Judah"s population followed in597 B.C. None of Jehoiachin"s sons ruled Judah, as Jeremiah had prophesied ( Jeremiah 22:30). Rather, Nebuchadnezzar set up Jehoiakim"s younger brother, Mattaniah, on the throne as his puppet, and exercised his sovereign prerogative by changing his name to Zedekiah ( 2 Kings 24:17). The Jewish people, however, seem to have continued to regard Jehoiachin as the rightful heir to David"s throne until his death. [Note: William Albright, "Seal of Eliakim," Journal of Biblical Literature51 (1932):91-92. Cf25:27-30.]

Verse 18

H. Zedekiah"s Evil Reign24:18-25:7

Zedekiah (Mattaniah) was Josiah"s third son to rule over Judah. He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar ( 2 Kings 24:20) by making a treaty with Pharaoh Hophra (589-570 B.C.), being pressured by nationalists in Judah (cf. Jeremiah 37-38).

"Clearly, he lacks the moral fiber to be more than what he Isaiah, a man who gauges each situation by how long its results can keep him in power." [Note: House, p395.]

Jerusalem was under siege for about eighteen months (588-586 B.C.; 2 Kings 25:1-2). The resulting famine that the residents experienced ( 2 Kings 24:3) was only one of many that the Israelites underwent for their rebellion against God. Yahweh again withheld fertility as a punishment for apostasy. Jerusalem finally fell in586 B.C. Some scholars believe it fell in587 B.C. [Note: E.g, Rodger C. Young, "When Did Jerusalem Fall?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society47:1 (March2004):21-38.] The Babylonians captured King Zedekiah while he was trying to escape and took him to Riblah (cf. 2 Kings 23:33) where Nebuchadnezzar passed judgment on him. Nebuchadnezzar killed Zedekiah"s heirs to the throne thus ending his fertility, blinded him (cf. Revelation 3:17), and bound him with bronze shackles ( 2 Kings 24:7). All of these measures also represented the fate of the nation the king led. The Israelites were now without royal leadership, spiritually blind, and physically bound. The blinding of prisoners was a common practice in the ancient East (cf. Judges 16:21). [Note: Andre Parrot, Babylon and the Old Testament, p97.]

"The lesson of Samaria"s fall and exile should have been learned." [Note: Wiseman, p312.]

". . . the deuteronomistic history, which extends from Joshua through2Kings25, begins victoriously on the plains of Jericho ( Joshua 1-7) and ends in tragic defeat on the plains of Jericho ( 2 Kings 25:5)." [Note: J. Daniel Hays, "An Evangelical Approach to Old Testament Narrative Criticism," Bibliotheca Sacra166:661 (January-March2009):8.]

These bracketing references to the plains of Jericho are an indication of the narrative unity of this section of Scripture.