Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
Jehoiachin came to the throne at eighteen and held it for three months. Behind that short entry lie a puzzle about his age, a prophecy already spoken against him, and a name that held hope for a ruined kingdom.
The same man appears in Scripture under several different names.
Son and successor of Jehoiakim king of Judah. He reigned only three months. Then Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem, and the great captivity of Judah took place. They carried Jehoiachin to Babylon and kept him in prison for thirty-six years. When Evil-merodach came to the throne, he freed him from prison and raised him above the other captive kings. Jehoiachin ate bread before the king all the days of his life. He is called JECONIAH in 1 Chr. 3:16-17; Esther 2:6; Jer. 24:1. He is also called CONIAH in Jer. 22:24, 28, and JECHONIAS in Matt. 1:11-12.
The parallel record in Chronicles gives a different age. Which number is right?
2 Chronicles 36:9 says he was eight years old when his reign began, not eighteen as here. The Greek and Latin versions say the same. But some Hebrew manuscripts read "eighteen" in Chronicles, and so do the Syriac and Arabic. So "eight" must be a copying error. All the internal evidence is in favour of eighteen.
A brief reign is not a mild one.
It was a very short reign. But it was long enough for him to show what he was, for "he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done" (verse 9).
Another writer reads the surrender to Babylon that followed as the one sensible thing he did.
Jehoiachin (also called Coniah) was only 18 years of age when he reigned for three months. But this was time enough to prove his evil character. He followed the course of his father, apparently in idol worship (vv. 8-9). Jehoiachin took the wise course of surrendering to Babylon. He and his servants were taken prisoner (v. 12).
The record of these last kings keeps naming the queen mother, and one commentator sees a pattern in it.
Jehoiachin, otherwise known as Coniah, continues in his father's path. His mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. It becomes more and more clear that the mothers of these last kings had forgotten the Lord, just as their sons had.
Her name itself reads like a warning of what was coming: "Nehushta, his mother's name, means copper. It refers to anything made of copper, whether a copper coin, a copper mirror, or fetters: and both she and her son, with all his family and household, were carried captive to Babylon."
Even a wicked king's name could steady the faith of godly people watching the throne crumble.
His character was no different from that of his two predecessors. It is the same sad, unchanging record: "He did what was evil." How the godly must have longed for the "King" Isaiah spoke of, the one who would "reign in righteousness"! They little knew, or even suspected, all that their nation would have to suffer. Nor did they know how many long, weary centuries would pass before that day of "righteousness and peace" would come. But there was something about even this wicked king that could give them hope — his name, Jehovah will establish. They might not know the time; the fact they were assured of.
One word in the prophecy against his line is easy to misread.
"Childless" here does not mean he had no descendants. The prophecy itself mentions "his seed." It means he had no direct heir in line for the throne. Matt. 1:12 shows conclusively that he had descendants ("Jechonias begat Salathiel"), as does 1 Chron. 3:17. The prophecy probably refers to his uncle succeeding him to the throne instead of his son Assir. Anyway, God made no mistake. He speaks, and it is done; He commands, and it stands fast.
The genealogy of Matthew names him, and then stops naming kings.
His name (as "Jechonias") is the last of the kings of Judah mentioned in the list of Matthew chapter 1. The next is "Jesus who is called Christ," anointed King, not of Israel or the Jews only, but of the nations also.
- Named — one man, four names: Jehoiachin here, Jeconiah in Chronicles, Coniah in Jeremiah, Jechonias in Matthew 1.
- Numbered — eighteen, not eight. The reading in Chronicles is a copying error, and all the evidence favours eighteen.
- Judged — three months on the throne was long enough to show he was his father's son in evil.
- Written childless — he had descendants, but no heir who would ever rule in Judah again.
- Replaced — the royal list closes with Jechonias. The next King named is Jesus, and in Him the meaning of Jehoiachin's name comes true: Jehovah will establish.
And he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his father had done.
Jehoiachin came to the throne of Judah at eighteen and lasted three months, and God's record of him repeats the record of his father. So how much time does a person need to show what he really is — and what happens to a royal line that keeps repeating the same sin?
His reign was one of the shortest in Judah's history. One commentator says it was still long enough to show what the young king was:
Jehoiachin (also called Coniah) was only 18 years old when he reigned for three months. But this was time enough to prove his evil character, following the course of his father, evidently in idol worship.
The verse measures the son by his father: "according to all that his father had done." One writer follows that pattern through Judah's last kings, and notes that their mothers were no help either:
Jehoiachin, otherwise known as Coniah, continues in his father's path. His mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. It appears more and more evident that the mothers of these latter kings had themselves, like their sons, forgotten the Lord.
One writer links the verdict of this verse to the army already on its way, and asks whether such a man could be said to sit on David's throne at all:
But did Jehoiakim not have a son? He did: Jehoiachin, a wretched man, who inherited his father's guilt and misery. How could he be said to sit on the throne of David? He reigned in Jerusalem only three months. Then the lion came up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations was on his way — the avenger, under God's providence, of one who did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.
God's sentence on this king reached past his three months. One writer explains what it did and did not mean:
The significance of that sentence is not that he should have no family, for it speaks of his offspring; and Matthew 1:11-12 shows his descendants. What we are told is that God had decreed that, as far as the throne of David was concerned, he was to be written down as childless, for none of his offspring should rule any more in Judah. God had determined the end of this sinful stock.
So where did that leave the promise of a King from David's family? One writer follows the family tree:
He had children; no offspring of the line of Solomon was ever to occupy the throne of David. But there were the descendants of David through another line, that is, Nathan's; no curse rested upon that line. The virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, was of David through Nathan (Luke 3:31). Joseph, to whom Mary the virgin was betrothed, was a son of David through Solomon's line.
Even this king's name carried a promise. One writer shows what the godly could still hold on to:
His character was no different from that of his two predecessors. It is the same sad, unchanging record: "He did what was evil." How the godly must have longed for that "King" mentioned by Isaiah, who should "reign in righteousness"! ... But there was something about even this wicked king that could give them hope — his name, Jehovah will establish. They might not know the time, but they were sure of the fact. And so they could "with patience wait for it."
- Evil — three months was long enough to show what Jehoiachin was — his father's son in conduct, not just in birth.
- Inheritance — the verse ties him to his father's path, most likely idol worship. One writer notes that even the mothers of these last kings had forgotten the Lord.
- Verdict — his three months ended with the destroyer of the nations on his way — the avenger, under God's providence, of a king who did evil.
- Curse — God wrote him down as childless as far as the throne was concerned. He still had descendants, but none of them would rule in Judah, and one writer traces the promised King to David's other line, through Nathan.
- Hope — his name means "Jehovah will establish." The godly could not know the time, but they were sure of the fact, and could wait patiently for the King who would reign in righteousness.