Jehoiachin(coniah, jeconiah)
“Jehovah will establish, or Jehovah has appointed”
Summary
King of Judah who reigned only three months before being taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, where he remained imprisoned for 37 years before being released and honored.
☩Brief Reign and Captivity
Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah and Coniah) was the son of King Jehoiakim and succeeded him as king of Judah at age eighteen, but reigned only three months and ten days (2 Kings 24:8; 2 Chronicles 36:9). When Nebuchadnezzar's army besieged Jerusalem, the young king surrendered along with his mother Nehushta, his servants, and officials. Nebuchadnezzar carried him to Babylon with 10,000 captives—including nobles, soldiers, and craftsmen—along with the treasures of the Temple and palace (2 Kings 24:10-16). Among the captives was the prophet Ezekiel, who dated his prophecies from 'the year of King Jehoiachin's captivity.'
☩Release and Honor
Jehoiachin remained in prison wearing prison garments for 37 years throughout Nebuchadnezzar's reign (2 Kings 25:27). When Evil-merodach succeeded his father as king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin, spoke kindly to him, and elevated him above all other captive kings, allowing him to dine at the royal table for the rest of his life (2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34). Despite the curse pronounced upon him by Jeremiah that none of his descendants would sit on David's throne prosperously (Jeremiah 22:24-30), Jehoiachin appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:11-12).
Related Verses25 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Jehoiachin," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Jehoiachin," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Jehoiachin," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).