2 Chronicles 36

2Ch 36:1-4.

JEHOAHAZ,

SUCCEEDING,

IS

DEPOSED BY

PHARAOH.

1. the people of the land took Jehoahaz--Immediately after Josiah's

overthrow and death, the people raised to the throne Shallum

(1Ch 3:15),

afterwards called Jehoahaz, in preference to his older brother Eliakim,

from whom they expected little good. Jehoahaz is said

(2Ki 23:30)

to have received at Jerusalem the royal anointing--a ceremony not

usually deemed necessary, in circumstances of regular and undisputed

succession. But, in the case of Jehoahaz, it seems to have been

resorted to in order to impart greater validity to the act of popular

election; and, it may be, to render it less likely to be disturbed by

Necho, who, like all Egyptians, would associate the idea of sanctity

with the regal anointing. He was the youngest son of Josiah, but the

popular favorite, probably on account of his martial spirit

(Eze 19:3)

and determined opposition to the aggressive views of Egypt. At his

accession the land was free from idolatry; but this prince, instead of

following the footsteps of his excellent father, adopted the criminal

policy of his apostatizing predecessors. Through his influence,

directly or indirectly used, idolatry rapidly increased (see

2Ki 23:32).

2. he reigned three months in Jerusalem--His possession of sovereign

power was of but very brief duration; for Necho determined to follow up

the advantage he had gained in Judah; and, deeming it expedient to have

a king of his own nomination on the throne of that country, he deposed

the popularly elected monarch and placed his brother Eliakim or

Jehoiakim on the throne, whom he anticipated to be a mere obsequious

vassal. The course of events seems to have been this: on receiving

intelligence after the battle of the accession of Jehoahaz to the

throne, and perhaps also in consequence of the complaint which Eliakim

brought before him in regard to this matter, Necho set out with a part

of his forces to Jerusalem, while the remainder of his troops pursued

their way at leisure towards Riblah, laid a tribute on the country,

raised Eliakim (Jehoiakim) as his vassal to the throne, and on his

departure brought Jehoahaz captive with him to Riblah. The old

expositors mostly assumed that Necho, after the battle of Megiddo,

marched directly against Carchemish, and then on his return came to

Jerusalem. The improbability, indeed the impossibility, of his doing so

appears from this: Carchemish was from four hundred to five hundred

miles from Megiddo, so that within "three months" an army could not

possibly make its way thither, conquer the fenced city of Carchemish,

and then march back a still greater distance to Jerusalem, and take

that city [KEIL].

3. an hundred talents of silver--£3418 15s.

and a talent of gold--£5475; total amount of tribute,

£8893 15s.

4. carried him--Jehoahaz.

to Egypt--There he died

(Jer 22:10-12).

2Ch 36:5-8.

JEHOIAKIM,

REIGNING

ILL,

IS

CARRIED INTO

BABYLON.

5. Jehoiakim . . . did that which was evil in the sight of the

Lord--He followed the course of his idolatrous predecessors; and

the people, to a great extent, disinclined to the reforming policy of

his father, eagerly availed themselves of the vicious license which his

lax administration restored. His character is portrayed with a masterly

hand in the prophecy of Jeremiah

(Jer 22:13-19).

As the deputy of the king of Egypt, he departed further than his

predecessor from the principles of Josiah's government; and, in trying

to meet the insatiable cupidity of his master by grinding exactions

from his subjects, he recklessly plunged into all evil.

6. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon--This refers

to the first expedition of Nebuchadnezzar against Palestine, in the

lifetime of his father Nabopolassar, who, being old and infirm, adopted

his son as joint sovereign and despatched him, with the command of his

army, against the Egyptian invaders of his empire. Nebuchadnezzar

defeated them at Carchemish, drove them out of Asia, and reduced all

the provinces west of the Euphrates to obedience--among the rest the

kingdom of Jehoiakim, who became a vassal of the Assyrian empire

(2Ki 24:1).

Jehoiakim at the end of three years threw off the yoke, being probably

instigated to revolt by the solicitations of the king of Egypt, who

planned a new expedition against Carchemish. But he was completely

vanquished by the Babylonian king, who stripped him of all his

possessions between the Euphrates and the Nile

(2Ki 24:7).

Then marching against the Egyptian's ally in Judah, he took Jerusalem,

carried away a portion of the sacred vessels of the temple, perhaps in

lieu of the unpaid tribute, and deposited them in the temple of his

god, Belus, at Babylon

(Da 1:2; 5:2).

Though Jehoiakim had been taken prisoner (and it was designed at first

to transport him in chains to Babylon), he was allowed to remain in his

tributary kingdom. But having given not long after some new offense,

Jerusalem was besieged by a host of Assyrian dependents. In a sally

against them Jehoiakim was killed (see on

2Ki 24:2-7;

also

Jer 22:18, 19; 36:30).

9, 10. Jehoiachin was eight years old--called also Jeconiah or Coniah

(Jer 22:24)

--"eight" should have been "eighteen," as appears from

2Ki 24:8,

and also from the full development of his ungodly principles and habits

(see

Eze 19:5-7).

His reign being of so short duration cannot be considered at variance

with the prophetic denunciation against his father

(Jer 36:30).

But his appointment by the people gave umbrage to Nebuchadnezzar, who,

"when the year was expired"

(2Ch 36:10)

--that is, in the spring when campaigns usually began--came in person

against Jerusalem, captured the city, and sent Jehoiachin in chains to

Babylon, removing at the same time all the nobles and most skilful

artisans, and pillaging all the remaining treasures both of the temple

and palace (see on

2Ki 24:8-17).

2Ch 36:11-21.

ZEDEKIAH'S

REIGN.

11. Zedekiah--Nebuchadnezzar appointed him. His name, originally

Mattaniah, was, according to the custom of Oriental conquerors, changed

into Zedekiah. Though the son of Josiah

(1Ch 3:15;

Jer 1:2, 3; 37:1),

he is called the brother of Jehoiachin

(2Ch 36:10),

that is, according to the latitude of Hebrew style in words expressing

affinity, his relative or kinsman (see

2Ki 24:18; 25:1-21).

13. who had made him swear by God--Zedekiah received his crown on the

express condition of taking a solemn oath of fealty to the king of

Babylon

(Eze 17:13);

so that his revolt by joining in a league with Pharaoh-hophra, king of

Egypt, involved the crime of perjury. His own pride and obdurate

impiety, the incurable idolatry of the nation, and their reckless

disregard of prophetic warnings, brought down on his already sadly

reduced kingdom the long threatened judgments of God. Nebuchadnezzar,

the executioner of the divine vengeance, commenced a third siege of

Jerusalem, which, after holding out for a year and a half, was taken in

the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah. It resulted in the burning

of the temple, with, most probably, the ark, and in the overthrow of

the kingdom of Judah (see on

2Ki 25:1-7;

Eze 12:13;

Eze 17:16).

21. until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths--The return of every

seventh was to be held as a sabbatic year, a season of rest to all

classes, even to the land itself, which was to be fallow. This divine

institution, however, was neglected--how soon and how long, appears

from the prophecy of Moses

(see on

Le 26:34),

and of Jeremiah in this passage (see

Jer 25:9-12),

which told that for divine retribution it was now to remain desolate

seventy years. As the Assyrian conquerors usually colonized their

conquered provinces, so remarkable a deviation in Palestine from their

customary policy must be ascribed to the overruling providence of

God.

2Ch 36:22, 23.

CYRUS'

PROCLAMATION.

22. the Lord stirred up the spirit of

Cyrus--(See on

Ezr 1:1-3).

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