And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, [that] Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison;
The book of Jeremiah ends not with fire and sword, but with a prison door opening after thirty-seven years. What does this late kindness to a captive king say about God's promise to David's line?
This is the last scene in a long record of ruin. One commentator reads it as evidence of God's hand behind the throne of Babylon:
He did not only bring the captive king of Judah out of prison with kind words. He also set his throne above the other subject kings who were there, and gave him bread at his own table every day for the rest of his life. One king of Judah was now proving the truth of the prophets' solemn warnings in his own misery. But in Jehoiachin's case God was showing that He holds the hearts of all men under His control. He can turn long years of suffering into a peaceful end of life — though not a prosperous one, just as His word had said (Jer. 22:30). Yet this does not hold back His pity and tender mercy.
Readers meet this king in Scripture under four different names:
He reigned only three months, in 599 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem and carried Judah away in the great captivity. The Babylonians took Jehoiachin to Babylon and kept him in prison for thirty-six years. When Evil-merodach came to the throne in 561 BC, he freed Jehoiachin and raised him above the other captive kings, and Jehoiachin ate his meals in the king's presence 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; Jer. 37:1, and JECHONIAS in Matt. 1:11-12.
Commentators differ on the motive. One suggests the two men had probably met years before, in the same prison:
Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of forty-three years, and his son Evil-merodach succeeded him on the throne. This son had once been shut up in prison by his father himself, and there he probably got to know the royal Hebrew captive. He was not like the ungrateful cupbearer who forgot Joseph once he was out of prison. He remembered his old prison companion.
Another declines to guess, and reads the silence itself as the point:
We are not told why he showed Jehoiachin this favour. But it is a striking picture of grace shown to someone long in shame and disgrace. Is it not a foreshadowing of the day when Israel recovers from its long history of disobedience to God? Jehoiachin was not worthy of this grace. It came only from the kindness of the king of Babylon, just as God will bring Israel back from misery and slavery by His own sovereign work of grace toward them.
An earlier word of Jeremiah had already sentenced this king. One writer explains what that sentence did and did not mean:
This prophecy does not mean that he would have no family, for it speaks of his offspring, and Matthew 1:11-12 lists his descendants. It means that God had decreed this: as far as the throne of David went, he was to be written down as childless, because none of his offspring would ever rule in Judah again. God had determined the end of this sinful family line.
One writer draws the line between mercy and grace here, and marks what the release did not undo:
So he received both mercy and grace. Mercy is compassion shown to someone in need. Grace gives abundant provision as a free gift, enough to satisfy every need and much more… He was never restored to his place as king of Judah, and none of Coniah's descendants will ever reign as king. But they will rejoice to recognise the Lord Jesus as the true King of all Israel.
Small as the incident is, it keeps a promise alive at the darkest moment of the story:
The lamp that seemed to have gone out began again to shed a feeble glimmer. It was proof that the Lord always remembers the promises He made to David, His anointed, and that despite everything His grace is watching over this guilty people. A day was coming, and it was not far off, when, as Isaiah said, the Spirit would announce liberty to the captives and proclaim the year of the Lord's favour… Their final jubilee will come when the sword of judgment has finished its strange work on earth, and the everlasting gates are lifted up to let the King of glory enter!
- Curse. Jehoiachin — also called Coniah, Jeconiah and Jechonias — was written down as childless as to the throne. He had descendants, but none would ever rule in Judah.
- Captivity. Three months as king, then thirty-six years in a Babylonian prison. This verse dates his release to the thirty-seventh year of that captivity.
- Kindness. A new king of Babylon frees him, speaks kindly to him, and seats him above the other captive kings — and we are never told why.
- Grace. Mercy meets the need; grace adds daily provision for life. Neither was earned, and neither gave him his crown back.
- Hope. David's lamp flickers instead of dying, keeping God's promise in view until the true King comes.
and he spoke kindly unto him, and set his seat above the seat of the kings that were with him in Babylon.
Jeremiah's book does not end with a burned city. It ends with a prisoner from David's line brought out of a Babylonian jail and honoured by the king who held him captive — and the question is why.
One writer sets out what happened and what it showed about God:
The last incident of the chapter is the compassion that Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, showed to Jehoiachin in the thirty-seventh year of his captivity. He brought the captive king of Judah out of prison with kind words. He also set his throne above the other kings who were subject to him there. And he gave him bread to eat in his own presence every day for the rest of his life. So one king of Judah was now proving the truth of the prophets' solemn warnings in his own misery. But in Jehoiachin's case God was showing that He has the hearts of all men under His control. He was showing too that long years of languishing may be changed at His will to a peaceful end of life, though not a prosperous one, according to His word (Jeremiah 22:30). But this does not hinder His compassion and tender mercy.
Scripture gives no reason for the new king's goodwill. One writer suggests the two men had met years before, in the same place:
In Babylon he spent thirty-six years in prison until Nebuchadnezzar died... His son Evil-merodach succeeded him on the throne. This son had once been himself shut up in prison by his father, where he probably made the acquaintance of the royal Hebrew captive. He was not like the ungrateful cupbearer who forgot Joseph once he was out of prison. He remembered his old prison companion.
Another writer looks past the motive to the act itself:
We are not told why he showed this favour to Jehoiachin, but this is a striking picture of grace shown to one who has long been in shame and disrepute... This was not because Jehoiachin was worthy of grace. The grace came only from the kindness of the king of Babylon. In the same way, God will bring Israel back from misery and bondage by His sovereign work of grace toward them.
A throne above the other captive kings is still a throne in Babylon. One writer weighs what Jehoiachin was given against what he never got back:
Jehoiachin no longer wore prison clothes. Instead he ate his food in the king's presence all the days of his life. So he received both mercy and grace. Mercy is compassion shown to someone in need. Grace freely gives abundant provision that satisfies every need and much more... He was not restored to his place as king of Judah. No descendant of Coniah will ever reign as king. But they will rejoice in recognising the Lord Jesus as the true King of all Israel.
One writer sees God's promises to David still alive in this one prisoner:
In the thirty-seventh year of the exile, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, took Jehoiachin out of prison. He kept him at his court for the rest of his life. The lamp that seemed to have gone out began to shed a feeble glimmer again. This is proof that the Lord always remembers the promises He made to David, His anointed. It is proof too that, despite everything, His grace is watching over this guilty race.
Another writer sees the same gleam as a preview of the nation's future, arriving just as the book closes: Evil-merodach's kind words and the throne set above the other kings were "a ray of divine light and grace... a sure indication of what the last end of Israel would be."
One writer sets this scene beside Daniel, who was at the same palace and refused the king's food:
Daniel would not defile himself with the king's food. Yet God still gave him distinction, by giving him divine wisdom and understanding. At this time, when Evil-merodach became king, Daniel does not seem to have been prominent. But Jehoiachin, the Coniah of Jeremiah 22:28, a despised broken idol, an outcast of the Lord, is raised up.
He applies this to Jewish history ever since: some "have held exceptionally exalted places among the kings of the Gentiles... but it is not, generally speaking, that they owe their high position to faithfulness to the God of Israel, as was the case with Daniel."
- Ruin first. Thirty-six years in a Babylonian prison proved the truth of the prophets' warnings in Jehoiachin's own misery.
- Grace next. Jehoiachin was not worthy of grace. The kind words and the higher seat came only from the kindness of the king of Babylon.
- God's hand behind it. God holds the hearts of all men under His control. He can turn long years of misery into a peaceful end of life.
- Limits kept. Mercy met his need and grace overflowed it. Yet he never got his throne back, and no descendant of his will ever reign.
- A lamp, not a sunrise. The feeble glimmer says God still remembers David, and points past this prisoner to the true King of Israel.
And he changed his prison garments; and he ate bread before him continually all the days of his life;
The book of Jeremiah ends not with thunder but with a meal. A king of Judah had spent thirty-seven years in a Babylonian prison. Babylon's new king brings him out, gives him new clothes, and seats him at the royal table. Why does a book of judgment close with this small act of kindness?
The figure in this verse is not a hero. He is Jehoiachin, the Coniah of Jeremiah 22. One writer sets the scene by comparing him with another captive in the same palace, a man who refused to defile himself.
The last four verses close this remarkable book with an incident at the palace of Babylon. It stands in sharp contrast to what we are told of Daniel at that same royal court. Daniel would not defile himself with the king's food, yet God still gave him honour, by giving him divine wisdom and understanding. At the time when Evil-merodach became king, Daniel does not appear to have been prominent. But Jehoiachin — the Coniah of Jeremiah 22:28, a despised broken idol, an outcast of the Lord — is raised up.
Daniel refused the king's food and God honoured him anyway. Jehoiachin eats it, and is raised up too. and the commentators leave the difference standing.
Scripture does not say why Evil-merodach did this. One writer points to something in the new king's own past.
This son had once been shut up in prison by his own father, and there he probably got to know the royal Hebrew captive. He was not like the ungrateful cupbearer who forgot Joseph after leaving prison; he remembered his old prison companion.
Another writer leaves the reason unstated and looks past Jehoiachin to the nation he came from:
We are not told why he showed this favour to Jehoiachin, but it is a striking picture of grace shown to someone who has long been in shame and disgrace. Is this not a foreshadowing of Israel's eventual recovery from their long history of disobedience to God? The favour was not given because Jehoiachin deserved grace. It came entirely from the kindness of the king of Babylon, just as Israel will be brought back from misery and bondage by God's sovereign work of grace toward them.
Two things happen here. The prison clothes come off, and food is given. One writer gives each one its name.
Jehoiachin no longer wore prison clothes. Instead he was given food at the king's table all the days of his life. So he received both mercy and grace. Mercy is compassion shown to someone in need. Grace freely gives rich provision that meets every need, and much more.
God had already spoken a word against this man. The kindness in Babylon did not cancel it, as one writer explains.
The prophets had given solemn warnings, and one king of Judah was now proving them true in his own misery. But in Jehoiachin's case God was showing that He holds the hearts of all men under His control. He can turn long years of suffering, whenever He wills, into a peaceful end of life — though not a prosperous one, just as His word had said (Jeremiah 22:30). Yet this does not hinder His pity and tender mercy.
Zedekiah had been blinded and the throne emptied; on the face of it, David's line was finished. This last scene says otherwise.
The lamp that seemed to have gone out began to give a faint light again. This was proof that the Lord never forgets the promises made to David, His anointed, and that despite everything His grace is watching over this guilty people.
One writer sees Jehoiachin's kind of rise repeated later among the Jewish people, and draws the contrast with Daniel once more:
Like Jehoiachin, though, some of the Jews have held very high places among the kings of the nations. They do so even now, and they will do so more and more. But as a rule they do not owe that high position to faithfulness to the God of Israel, as Daniel did.
- Condemned. The man at the table is Coniah, a despised broken idol and an outcast of the Lord.
- Remembered. Scripture gives no reason for the favour. One writer points to a shared prison past. Another says the kindness came only from the king who gave it.
- Reclothed. Losing the prison clothes is mercy, compassion to a man in need. The daily food at the king's table is grace, giving far more than need asks.
- Restrained. God turned a king's heart yet kept His own word: a peaceful end to a long imprisonment, but not a prosperous reign restored.
- Rekindled. The lamp of David flickers again. It is a sign that God still remembers His promises. Israel's recovery will come from His grace, not from their record.
and his allowance was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.
The book of Jeremiah ends at a dinner table in Babylon, where a captive king of David's line eats at his conqueror's cost until the day he dies. Why does a book of warning and ruin close on that quiet note?
The verse piles up small details: a regular allowance, given daily, until the day he died. One writer finds two different things in that kindness: mercy and grace.
Jehoiachin no longer wore prison clothes. Instead he was given food "before the king" all the days of his life. So he was shown both mercy and grace. Mercy is compassion shown to someone in need. Grace freely gives abundant provision to meet every need and much more. He had a regular allowance for each day as long as he lived. He was not restored to his place as king of Judah, and no descendant of Coniah will ever reign as king. But they will rejoice in recognising the Lord Jesus as the true King of all Israel, and they will be greatly blessed all the days of their life.
The king of Babylon pays for the food. One writer looks past him to the God whose warnings had just come true.
If one king of Judah was now proving the truth of the prophets' solemn warnings in his own misery, God was also showing something in Jehoiachin's case. He has the hearts of all men under His control. At His will He can turn long years of suffering into a peaceful end of life — though not a prosperous one, according to His word (Jer. 22:30). But this does not hinder His pity and tender mercy.
The allowance was food, not a throne. Jeremiah had already set the limit on this man's future.
"Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot?" the prophet asked, with irony. But he at once adds, "Is he a vessel no one cares for?" — which is really what he was in God's eyes. "Thus says the LORD: 'Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.'" "Childless" here does not mean without descendants (the prophecy itself mentions his offspring) but without a direct heir to the throne.
The same writer traces the name forward into Matthew's genealogy:
His name (as "Jeconiah") is the last of the kings of Judah mentioned in the list in Matthew 1. The next is "Jesus who is called Christ," anointed King, not of Israel or the Jews only, but of the nations also.
A daily ration for a prisoner looks like a small thing to end a prophetic book with. Read against the promises to David, it is not small at all.
The lamp that seemed to have gone out began again to shed a feeble glimmer. It is proof that the Lord always remembers the promises made to David, His anointed. Despite everything, His grace is watching over this guilty race.
One writer sees in this favour a picture of something much larger:
We are not told why he showed this favour to Jehoiachin, but this is a striking picture of grace shown to one who has long been in shame and disrepute. Is it not a foreshadowing of the eventual recovery of the nation Israel from their long history of disobedience to God? Jehoiachin was not worthy of grace. The grace came only from the kindness of the king of Babylon. In the same way, God will bring Israel back from misery and bondage by His own sovereign work of grace toward them.
Another writer draws out a contrast with Daniel:
Daniel would not defile himself with the king's food. God gave him distinction anyway, by giving him divine wisdom and understanding. At this time, when Evil-merodach became king, Daniel does not seem to have been prominent. But Jehoiachin is raised up — the Coniah of Jeremiah 22:28, a despised, broken pot, an outcast of the Lord.
The same writer sees Jehoiachin's case repeated in the later history of the Jewish people:
Like Jehoiachin, some of the Jewish people have held very high places among the kings of the nations. They do so at this very time, and will do so more and more. But in general they do not owe their high position to faithfulness to the God of Israel, as Daniel did.
- Control — a foreign king signs the order, but God holds the hearts of all men in His hand.
- Mercy — the prison clothes come off; compassion meets the need of a man in disgrace who had earned none of it.
- Grace — the daily portion goes beyond need: abundant, regular, and lasting to the day of his death.
- Limit — food, not a throne; Jeremiah 22:30 stands, and no descendant of Coniah rules in Judah.
- Hope — the lamp of David's house still flickers: a captive's daily ration now, and then the King who sits where Jeconiah never could.