Synopsis of the Chapter
Jehoiakim reigns, and after him his son Jehoiachin, verse 6, whom Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon, and substituted his uncle Zedekiah in his place, verse 17.
Verse 1: Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon Came Up ¶
1. In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant (subject and tributary) for three years, and then rebelled, — in the fourth year of his reign. Josephus narrates these things more fully, book 10, chapter 7 and following, where he recounts how the Egyptians contended with the Babylonians for empire, after the Assyrians were defeated. For first the Egyptians, having killed Josiah, subjugated Syria; then returning to Judea, having removed Jehoahaz, they appointed Jehoiakim king, who, hoping for Egyptian aid, refused to pay in the fourth year the tribute which he had given to the Babylonians for three years. Wherefore Nebuchadnezzar came against him in that same year, and carried him off to Babylon, where he sent the same man back to Jerusalem after he promised tribute. Jehoiakim kept faith for seven years; but in the eighth year, which was the eleventh of his reign, he rebelled again. Wherefore when Jerusalem was seized by the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar, he was captured in it and killed, his son Jehoiachin being put in his place. But since Nebuchadnezzar feared that Jehoiachin the son would imitate his father Jehoiakim in rebellion, and avenge his death, he captured him and led him to Babylon, and substituted his uncle Zedekiah in the kingdom, who also wavered in the fidelity and subjection he had promised to Nebuchadnezzar, relying on the vain hope of Egyptian aid; for which reason he was frequently admonished and rebuked by Jeremiah, and finally when he rebelled he was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar in Jerusalem; and when the Egyptians wished to come to his aid, they were stopped and routed by Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar therefore took Jerusalem, and Zedekiah in it, and blinded him and killed his sons, and five years later invaded and subjugated Egypt, and slew Pharaoh its king. See also Jeremiah, chapter 22, verse 13 and following, and the Author of the Marvels of Sacred Scripture, attributed to St. Augustine, volume 3, book 2, chapter 9.
Moreover this fourth year of Jehoiakim was the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, in which he carried off Jehoiakim with Daniel and other nobles to Babylon. Then after eight more years, namely in the eleventh and last year of Jehoiakim's reign, when he was killed, Nebuchadnezzar carried off his son Jehoiachin with all the princes, soldiers, and citizens of Jerusalem, as is said in chapter 24:14; whence from this eleventh year of Jehoiakim, which was the eighth of Nebuchadnezzar, the 70 years of the Babylonian captivity are to be counted; for after carrying off Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar reigned 36 years, then his son Evil-Merodach, or Belshazzar, 34 years, which together make 70. Belshazzar was succeeded by Cyrus king of Persia, who when the 70 years of captivity had been completed, taking Babylon and killing Belshazzar, freed the Jews from Babylon. See what was said on Jeremiah 29:10.
Verse 2: The Lord Sent Against Him Bands of Chaldeans ¶
2. And the Lord sent against him bands of Chaldeans. — They are called "raiders" [latrunculi], soldiers who maraud and run out to plunder like bandits. Nebuchadnezzar sent these so that, joined with the Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites, they would intercept Jerusalem, and capture and kill the rebellious Jehoiakim; which they also did, as I have already said.
And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. — Note: Jehoiakim the father, and Jehoiachin the son, are different, that is Jeconiah and Jechoniah, Matthew 1. For the father Jehoiakim is written in Hebrew with the letter Qoph and Mem; but the son Jehoiachin is written with Kaph and Nun. Jehoiakim in Hebrew means the same as "God will establish"; Jehoiachin means "God will prepare or direct." Jehoiachin or Jechoniah is shortened by Jeremiah, chapter 22, verse 24, in the Hebrew, and called Coniah, that is "prepared," namely for destruction.
Verse 8: Jehoiachin Was Eighteen Years Old When He Began to Reign ¶
8. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign. — You will object: 2 Chronicles last chapter, verse 9, says he reigned at the age of eight. I reply: At the age of 18 he reigned alone after his father, but at the age of eight he began to reign with his father Jehoiakim. For it seems that Jehoiachin was declared King in the third or fourth year of his father Jehoiakim, when Nebuchadnezzar captured the father and carried him off to Babylon. So Abulensis. And he reigned three months. — How then does 2 Chronicles last chapter, verse 10, say he was carried off by Nebuchadnezzar after a year? Cajetan replies that several months of interregnum elapsed between Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin before Jehoiachin assumed the kingship. I shall give another answer at 2 Chronicles last chapter, verse 10.
Verse 12: Jehoiachin Went Out to the King of Babylon ¶
12. And Jehoiachin went out, — at the urging of Jeremiah, to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, as is clear from Jeremiah 38:2 and following, and therefore he was indeed led to Babylon, but after the death of Nebuchadnezzar he was freed from prison by his son Evil-Merodach, and was treated with the highest honor in the thirty-seventh year after this, as is stated in the following chapter, verse 27.
Verse 14: He Carried Away All Jerusalem ¶
14. And he carried away all Jerusalem, — that is, all the citizens and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This was the second captivity. For the first occurred eight years before, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when he, having rebelled, was carried off with the leading men to Babylon, as I said at verse 1; the second was this one, in which Jehoiachin with his princes and soldiers, and with the prophet Ezekiel, was carried off; the third and final captivity occurred eleven years later, namely in the last year of Zedekiah, when Jerusalem with the temple was taken and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, as will be related in the following chapter.
And every craftsman and locksmith, — that is "encloser," as our translator renders it at Jeremiah 24:1, by which St. Jerome there understands one who sets gems in precious metals, and fastens them with the prongs of golden rings. Others better understand those who are skilled in laying out camps, and know how to enclose them with ramparts as if with barriers, as well as to fortify and defend cities. So Vatablus, Sanchez and others. Whence the Chaldean translates "doorkeepers," that is custodians of cities and closers of gates. For the subject here is soldiers and strong men, whom the Chaldeans took away from the Jews, lest they rebel again, just as the Philistines did, 1 Kings chapter 13:19. So Angelomus. Similarly by "craftsman" understand "smith," as our translator renders it at Jeremiah chapter 24, verse 1, namely one who forges swords and other weapons. The devil uses the same technique, when he strives to remove zealous men from the State, so that he may destroy it once it is deprived of its defense.
Verse 17: He Made Mattaniah His Uncle King ¶
17. And he made Mattaniah his uncle (namely of Jehoiachin, and therefore brother of Jehoiakim) king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah, — so that by his very name he would always be reminded to keep the fidelity and subjection which he had promised to Nebuchadnezzar; for "Zedekiah" in Hebrew means the same as "my justice is God." So Cajetan. Josiah, the pious king, gave his sons pious names, which would remind them of piety toward God. Hence he called one "Jehoahaz," that is "God's apprehension or possession," so that whenever he heard himself named, he would think that he was apprehended and possessed by God; another he called "Eliakim," that is "the firmness of God," so that he would think that he was established by none but God; the third he called "Mattaniah," that is "gift of God," or according to the Syriac "expectation," so that in all adversities he would flee to the Lord as to a refuge; but all, forgetful of God as much as of their own names, fled to idols, and therefore, with God avenging, they perished.