Jehoiachin’s Brief Reign and First Exile
2 Kings 24:8-17
2 K.24.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמנה: NUM,card,f,pl,abs
- עשרה: NUM,card,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהויכין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במלכו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ושלשה: CONJ+NUM,card,pl,m
- חדשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ושם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- נחשתא: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- אלנתן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 36:9 (verbal): Near-verbatim parallel: repeats Jehoiachin's age (18), three-month reign in Jerusalem, and his mother Nehushta daughter of Elnathan.
- 2 Kings 24:12-16 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: describes Nebuchadnezzar's siege, Jehoiachin's surrender, and the exile that follows his short reign.
- Jeremiah 52:31 (verbal): Later notice about Jehoiachin in Babylon: records his treatment in exile (release by Evil‑merodach) and ties to his captivity, connecting to his brief reign and deportation.
- Jeremiah 22:24-30 (thematic): Prophetic oracle against Coniah/Jeconiah (Jehoiachin): pronounces judgement on his house and the loss of the Davidic throne—theological reflection on the consequences of his reign and removal.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
- Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
2 K.24.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ככל: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 36:9 (structural): Direct parallel in Chronicles recounting the same brief summary of the king’s reign: 'he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.'
- Jeremiah 52:31-34 (structural): Parallel account in Jeremiah recounting the fate of Jehoiachin/Coniah and the Babylonian period tied to the same reignal events recorded in 2 Kings 24.
- Jeremiah 22:24-30 (thematic): Prophetic oracle against Coniah (Jehoiachin) that reflects the judgement theme associated with his reign and lineage—an extended theological comment on the king’s culpability summarized in 2 Kings 24:9.
- 2 Kings 21:2 (thematic): Another royal summary formula—'he did evil in the sight of the LORD'—used elsewhere in Kings (here of Manasseh), showing the standard evaluative language applied to Judah’s kings and the pattern of filial continuance of evil.
Alternative generated candidates
- He did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done.
- He did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done.
2 K.24.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההיא: DEM,f,sg
- עלו: PREP+3ms_suff
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- נבכדנאצר: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותבא: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- במצור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 25:1 (structural): Repeats the same event: Nebuchadnezzar and his army come against Jerusalem and lay siege, giving the fuller narrative of the siege leading to the city's fall.
- Jeremiah 39:1 (quotation): Parallel account with nearly identical wording and dating (the ninth year of Zedekiah); records Nebuchadnezzar's army besieging Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 52:4-5 (quotation): Capsule historical summary of the siege using similar language; ties the Babylonian siege to the events that culminate in Zedekiah's capture and exile.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17-20 (thematic): Chronicler's summary links Nebuchadnezzar's invasion, siege and deportation to divine judgment and describes the exile to Babylon.
- Ezekiel 24:1-2 (allusion): Prophetic oracle dated to the same siege (ninth year, tenth month, tenth day); Ezekiel frames the siege as the subject of his symbolic prophecy.
Alternative generated candidates
- At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and laid siege to the city.
- At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
2 K.24.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- נבוכדנאצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ועבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,poss,3,m,sg
- צרים: ADJ,m,pl
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 52:4 (verbal): Retells the same event—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against Jerusalem and besieged it; language and dating closely parallel 2 Kings’ account.
- Jeremiah 39:1 (verbal): Independent Jeremiah narrative of the Babylonian campaign: Nebuchadnezzar and his army besieged Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s ninth year (parallel wording and event).
- 2 Kings 25:1 (structural): Continues the same royal narrative—records the later/final siege and capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the structural culmination of the siege introduced in 24:11.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17-20 (thematic): Chronicles’ summary of the Babylonian invasion and exile: Nebuchadnezzar’s siege and the ensuing deportation and destruction mirror the themes of 2 Kings 24–25.
- Ezekiel 24:2 (allusion): Ezekiel dates and alludes to the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem (uses the siege as the historical referent for prophetic sign-acts), echoing the same event described in 2 Kings 24:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the city, and his servants besieged it.
- And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city, and his servants laid siege to it.
2 K.24.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יהויכין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- על: PREP
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ואמו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- ועבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,poss,3,m,sg
- ושריו: NOUN,m,pl,poss,3,m,sg
- וסריסיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בשנת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- שמנה: NUM,card,f,pl,abs
- למלכו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2Chron.36.9-10 (verbal): Parallel account of Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) being taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar in the eighth year of his reign, mentioning his mother and the end of his short reign—same event described with similar details.
- Jer.52.31-34 (verbal): Restates the deportation of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) to Babylon in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar, repeating the chronological and captive details found in 2 Kings 24:12.
- Ezek.1.2 (allusion): Ezekiel dates his vision to the 'fifth year of Jehoiachin's exile,' presupposing the exile recorded in 2 Kings 24:12; the verse alludes to Jehoiachin's removal to Babylon as a chronological marker.
- Dan.1.1-2 (thematic): Narrates Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem and the deportation of youths and temple items to Babylon—themically related as part of the same deportation campaign that included Jehoiachin.
- Ps.137.1 (thematic): A lament of the exiled Judeans 'by the rivers of Babylon,' thematically connected to Jehoiachin’s deportation as part of the Babylonian exile and its communal memory.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon—he and his mother and his servants and his princes and his eunuchs—and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
- Then Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon—he and his mother, his servants, his princes, and his eunuchs—and the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign.
2 K.24.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויוצא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משם: PREP
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- אוצרות: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואוצרות: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,const
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויקצץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- כלי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- הזהב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שלמה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהיכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jer.52.17 (verbal): Nearly identical wording: Nebuchadnezzar carried off the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and cut in pieces the gold vessels Solomon made.
- 2Chr.36.18-19 (verbal): Parallel account of Jerusalem’s fall stating that the king of Babylon removed the temple and royal treasures and burned the house of the LORD.
- Dan.1.2 (verbal): Reports Nebuchadnezzar carrying away the vessels of the house of God to Babylon, later placing them in the temple of his god—echo of the removal of sacred temple items.
- 2Kgs.25.13-17 (thematic): Later chapter in the same book giving fuller detail of the removal and inventory of the temple vessels taken to Babylon after Jerusalem’s capture.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the king of Babylon carried off from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he cut in pieces all the gold vessels that Solomon king of Israel had made in the house of the LORD, as the LORD had declared.
- From there the king of Babylon carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he cut in pieces all the gold vessels that Solomon king of Israel had made for the house of the LORD, just as the LORD had foretold.
2 K.24.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והגלה: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- השרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- גבורי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- החיל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עשרת: NUM,card,ten,cons
- אלפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- גולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- החרש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והמסגר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- נשאר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- זולת: PREP
- דלת: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עם: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- 2 Kings 25:11-12 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel/continuation: Nebuzaradan carries away the remainder of the people from Jerusalem—echoing 24:14’s report that the city’s leaders, warriors and many were exiled and only the poorest were left.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17-21 (thematic): Chronicles’ account of the Babylonian exile retells the removal of the people to Babylon and the desolation that follows, paralleling 24:14’s emphasis on the mass deportation and the leaving of only the poor.
- Jeremiah 52:15-30 (verbal): Jeremiah’s recension of the fall of Jerusalem gives detailed lists and numbers of deportees in the Babylonian deportations, repeating elements found in 2 Kgs 24:14 (officials, warriors, many exiled).
- Jeremiah 39:9-10 (allusion): Nebuzaradan spares some of the poor of the land and takes others to Babylon to work the land—this echoes 24:14’s statement that none remained except the poorest of the land.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he deported all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor—ten thousand captives—and all the craftsmen and smiths; none remained except the poorest of the people of the land.
- And he deported all Jerusalem— all the princes and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand, and all the craftsmen and smiths, a thousand; none were left except the poorest of the people of the land.
2 K.24.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגל: VERB,qal,wayyiq,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- יהויכין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בבלה: PREP+NOUN,prop,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- נשי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,1cs
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- סריסיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,ms
- ואת: CONJ
- אילי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הוליך: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- גולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בבלה: PREP+NOUN,prop,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 24:12 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same narrative describing Nebuchadnezzar taking Jehoiachin captive to Babylon.
- 2 Chronicles 36:10 (verbal): Chronicles retells the same event, noting that Nebuchadnezzar carried off Jehoiachin, the king's mother and officials to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 52:29 (verbal): Parallel wording in Jeremiah's appendix listing those taken to Babylon with Jehoiachin (king's mother, wives, officials, princes).
- 2 Kings 25:27-30 (thematic): Follow-up account of Jehoiachin's fate in Babylon (his release/elevation in the exile), thematically connected to his being carried off in 24:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he carried Jehoiachin to Babylon, together with the king's mother and the king's wives and his eunuchs; the king of Babylon brought them captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.
- And he deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, along with the queen mother, the king's wives, his eunuchs, and the chiefs of the land; he carried them captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2 K.24.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- אנשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- החיל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שבעת: NUM,card,construct
- אלפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והחרש: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- והמסגר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- הכל: PRON,m,sg,abs
- גבורים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עשי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- מלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויביאם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בבלה: PREP+NOUN,prop,sg
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 36:17-20 (structural): Parallel narrative of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest and deportation: the chronicler recounts the removal of people, officials, and valuables to Babylon—corresponds directly to 2 Kgs 24:16’s report that officers and craftsmen were carried to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 52:28-30 (verbal): Provides numerical summaries of deportations to Babylon in different years; echoes the attention to numbers and the fact of mass deportation (cf. the 7,000 officers and 1,000 craftsmen in 2 Kgs 24:16).
- 2 Kings 25:11-12 (thematic): Later account of the fall of Jerusalem and subsequent deportations by Babylonian officials; continues the same theme of removing remaining people, including leaders and skilled workers, to Babylon.
- Isaiah 39:6-7 (allusion): Isaiah’s prophecy that some of Hezekiah’s descendants would be taken to serve in Babylon foreshadows the fate described in 2 Kgs 24:16, framing the deportation as fulfillment of earlier prophetic warning.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he deported all the officers of the army, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and smiths, a thousand—every strong man for war; the king of Babylon brought them captive to Babylon.
- Of the warriors he took seven thousand, and the craftsmen and smiths a thousand— all the men of might fit for war— and the king of Babylon brought them captive to Babylon.
2 K.24.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- מתניה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחתיו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויסב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- צדקיהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 52:1-3 (structural): Parallel account of Zedekiah (formerly Mattaniah) as king of Judah and his reign; repeats the historical notice about Zedekiah's kingship and its consequences.
- 2 Chronicles 36:11-12 (structural): Chronicles retells the rise and conduct of Zedekiah (the renamed Mattaniah), repeating the basic narrative of his appointment and evil reign.
- Daniel 1:7 (verbal): Illustrates the Babylonian practice of giving new names to Judean youths/officials (e.g., Hebrew names replaced by Babylonian ones), paralleling the renaming of Mattaniah as Zedekiah.
- Ezekiel 17:15-18 (thematic): Addresses the same political reality—Babylonian suzerainty and the Judean ruler's unfaithfulness/rebellion—echoing the context in which Nebuchadnezzar set up and later judged Zedekiah.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, his father's brother, king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
- And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
He did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father had done.
At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants laid siege to it.
Then Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon—he, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers—and the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. And the king of Babylon carried off from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he removed all the gold vessels that Solomon king of Israel had made in the house of the LORD, just as the LORD had declared.
He deported all Jerusalem, all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor—ten thousand captives—and all the craftsmen and smiths; none remained except the poorest people of the land. And he deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, the queen mother, the king's wives, his officers, and the leading men of the land; he led them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Of the fighting men he took seven thousand, and of the craftsmen and smiths a thousand—every warrior able to bear arms—and the king of Babylon carried them captive to Babylon. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.