Chapter 36

1 Jehoahaz succeeding is deposed by Pharaoh, and carried into Egypt. 5 Jehoiakim reigning ill is carried bound into Babylon. 9 Jehoiachin succeeding reigneth ill, and is brought into Babylon. 11 Zedekiah succeeding reigneth ill, and despiseth the prophets, and rebelleth against Nebuchadnezzar. 14 Jerusalem, for the sins of the priests and people, is wholly destroyed. 22 The proclamation of Cyrus.

1. Jehoahaz. Also called Shallum (Jer. 22:11). He was not the eldest son of Josiah (see 2 Chron. 36:2, 5; see on 1 Chron. 3:15). Thus he would not normally have succeeded his father on the throne. The people must have had some reason for preferring Jehoahaz to Jehoiakim, and the reason may be that Jehoiakim belonged to a pro-Egyptian group.

2. Twenty and three years. The parallel passage gives the name of Jehoahaz’ mother and her parentage (2 Kings 23:31).

3. Put him down. According to 2 Kings 23:33 “Pharaoh-nechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath.” Riblah was in Syria, on the Orontes River. Necho possibly summoned Jehoahaz to Riblah and there put him in bonds.

4. Eliakim. See on 2 Kings 23:34.

Carried him to Egypt. See Jer. 22:10–12 for Jeremiah’s reference to Jehoahaz’ being taken to Egypt, and his prediction that he would not return from exile.

5. Twenty and five years. He was thus older than Jehoahaz (see v. 2). The parallel passage adds the mother’s name 2 Kings 23:36).

6. Bound him. See on 2 Kings 24:5.

8. The acts. Compare 2 Kings 24:5.

Abominations. Compare Jer. 22:13–19.

9. Jehoiachin. See on 2 Kings 24:6.

Eight years old. This is obviously a scribal error. The Syriac, several versions of the LXX, and 2 Kings 24:8, read “eighteen” (see on Jer. 22:28). Jehoiachin was married and already had five children in 592, five years after going to Babylon, as we know from cuneiform records excavated in Babylon.

10. When the year was expired. Literally, “at the return of the year” (see on 1 Kings 20:22). This was Nisan, the spring New Year, “the time when kings go forth to battle” (2 Sam. 11:1).

Brought him to Babylon. See 2 Kings 24:10–16 for a fuller account of the siege and the deportation to Babylon.

The goodly vessels. Some of these had already been taken to Babylon in the campaign of the third year of Jehoiakim (Dan. 1:1, 2).

Zedekiah his brother. “Brother” here is equivalent to “kinsman” (see on 1 Chron. 2:7), since Zedekiah was the uncle of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:17) and a son of Josiah (1 Chron. 3:15).

11. Zedekiah. For the parallel account see 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:21.

12. Before Jeremiah. Compare Jer. 21:1–7; 24:1–10; 27:12–22; 32:3–5; 34:1–22; 37:1, 2; 38:4–6, 14–28.

13. Against king Nebuchadnezzar. Compare Jer. 52:3; Eze 17:13, 15, 18, 19.

14. Moreover. This section (vs. 14–16) deals with the sins that resulted in the downfall of Judah. Compare 2 Kings 17:7–23 for a much longer account, giving the reasons for the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Chief of the priests. Compare the vision of Eze. 8:11, 12.

All the abominations. Compare Ezekiel’s vision in which are portrayed some of these abominations that brought the Lord’s fury upon the nation (see Eze. 8:3, 10, 14, 16; cf. Jer. 7:11, 17, 18, 30). There seem to have been few of the terrible abominations of the heathen that were not then practiced by the professed people of God within the sacred Temple courts. With such a situation the day of doom could not be long delayed.

15. By his messengers. These included such men as Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. Compare Jer. 7:25, 26; 25:3, 4; 35:15; 44:4. Jeremiah made it clear that judgments were already beginning to fall and that a refusal to hearken could end only in complete destruction (Jer. 7:12–16, 32–34; 25:29–31).

16. Mocked the messengers. Compare Jer. 5:12; 17:15; 20:8; 26:20–23; 37:15–21.

17. Therefore he brought. When Israel sinned the Lord allowed the Assyrians to bring judgments against them (Isa. 10:5, 6), and now He permitted the Chaldeans to bring judgment upon a people “more righteous” than themselves (Hab. 1:6–13).

18. All the vessels. Compare 2 Kings 25:13–16 and Jer. 52:17–20.

19. Burnt the house of God. See 2 Kings 25:9; cf. Ps. 74:3, 6, 7.

20. Carried he away. The Hebrews were not all carried to Babylon at one time. The earliest captivity probably took place in 605 b.c. (see on 2 Kings 24:1; cf. Dan. 1:1–6). Other captivities were in Nebuchadnezzar’s 7th year, 598 b.c. (Jer. 52:28), his 8th year, 597 b.c. (2 Kings 24:12–16), his 18th year, 587 b.c. (Jer. 52:29), his 19th year, 586 b.c. (2 Kings 25:7, 8, 11), and his 23d year, 582 b.c. (Jer. 52:30).

21. Threescore and ten years. See Jer. 25:11, 12; 29:10.

22. First year. Not the first year counted from the conquest of Media, c. 553. The Babylonians and the Jews did not count his reign as beginning until after he took control of Babylon. Verses 22, 23 are repeated in Ezra 1:1, 2 (see pp. 115, 116).

Ellen G. White comments

1–4PK 412

6, 7 PK 422

9, 10 PK 438

9–19PK 422

10 PK 439

12, 13 PK 447

13 PK 451

14 PK 449

14–161T 280

15, 16 GC 19; ML 285

19–21PK 459