What is the curse of Jeconiah?

THE ROYAL FAMILY IS CONDEMNED. Beginning with king Zedekiah in chapter 21 we end with him in chapter 24. He and his princes and the residue, like bad figs, are to be cast away from the land of their fathers. The recurrent expressions “House of David” and “Throne of David” (Jer. 21:12; 22:2, 4, 30), and “unto David” (Jer. 23:5) emphatically show us what is in the mind of the Spirit. If there was one of that family to be found executing righteous judgment and mercy, then there should be given “kings of this house sitting for David upon his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people” (Jer. 22:4); but if not, “I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become waste” (v. 5). Those who afterwards beheld the desolation should know that it was because they had forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods (vv. 6-9). Following upon this statement, it is shown that the kings Shallum (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim (v. 18), and Coniah (Jehoiachin, v. 24) are to be all alike the subjects of the judgment of God; and though this royal house was as Gilead and the summit of Lebanon to the Lord yet it should be devastated. Shallum’s father, Josiah, is spoken of also (vv. 11 and 16); but only to contrast him with the wickedness of his sons. Most striking is verse 16, which tells us “He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? says the Lord.” For those who rightly value the importance of the true knowledge of God this is a notable verse. It should be well weighed by every believer.

After dealing with each of these kings of David’s line, the chapter ends by emphasizing the ruin of this royal dynasty upon which the world’s peace and prosperity depended. The whole earth is called to listen to what is said to Coniah (Jehoiachin): “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord, write this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah” (vv. 29-30). The significance of this verse is not that he should have no family, for it speaks of his seed; and Matthew 1:11-12 shows his descendants. What we are told is, God had decreed that as far as the throne of David was concerned he was to be written childless, for none of his seed should rule any more in Judah. God had determined the end of this sinful stock.

In Jeremiah 22 the sin of the representatives of the house of David is dwelt upon in further detail. Beside Zedekiah, Shallum (Jehoahaz), the son of Josiah (verse 11), Jehoiakim, also son of Josiah (verse 18), and Coniah (Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, verse 24) are all arraigned as evil rulers in the critical times when the monarchy was drawing to its close.

The kings named are out of their chronological order, but the purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah all into a cluster for the moral object of showing that virtually there was no difference. Some might be a little more pronounced in their violence and gross iniquity, but they were all faithless and godless. Hence, the solemn sentence was uttered by Jehovah: "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." It is implied, not that the line of David should fail, but that this man's line should.

Jeremiah said of Jehoiakim, (Jehoiachin's father) "He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David" (Jer. 36:30). The word "sit" here means to "firmly sit," or "dwell"; and Jehoiachin's short three months' reign was not that surely. And Zedekiah, Jehoiachin's successor, was Jehoiakim's brother, not his son.

Though, like his father, "he did evil in the sight of the Lord," Jehoiachin appears to have been a favorite with the populace. "Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol?" (or, "vase") ironically inquired the prophet. But he immediately adds, "Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure?" — which is really what he was in God's eyes. "Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they knew not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah" (Jer. 22:28-30). "Childless" here does not mean without descendants (for the prophecy itself mentions "his seed") but "no direct lineal heir to the throne" (Fausset). Matt. 1:12 shows conclusively that he had descendants ("Jechonias begat Salathiel"), as does also 1 Chron. 3:17 ("The sons of Jeconiah; Assir," etc.). The prophecy probably refers to his uncle's succeeding him to the throne instead of his son Assir — his first-born, probably; or it may have been a prophecy of Assir's premature death; and this may be why Assir is not mentioned in the genealogy in Matthew. Anyway, God made no mistake. He speaks, and it is done; He commands, and it stands fast. "And the word of our God shall stand forever."

Jeremiah 22:24-30 speaks most solemnly about the judgment of God upon Jehoiachin, who is also called Jeconiah or Coniah. "Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol, a vessel wherein is no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, and cast into a land which they do not know? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord: Write this man childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days, for none of his descendants shall prosper sitting oil the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."

Though Jeconiah is included in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 1:11-12, yet none of his actual descendants ever ruled in Judah. and the Lord Jesus was not the actual descendant of Jeconiah, for He was born of the virgin Mary. Matthew 1 is confined to the official line, coming down to Joseph, rather than having any connection with the actual tine which is given in Luke 3:23-38. There, Joseph is called "the son of Heli" (v.23) where it manifestly means "son-in-law," for Matthew 2:18 says that "Jacob begot Joseph," Therefore Luke records the genealogy of Mary.

A remnant, however, was left behind; Jehoiachin was carried into captivity. The last chapter of this book gives his fate. He never returned. Important is to note the curse which was pronounced upon him. Jeremiah pronounced it upon Coniah Jehoiachin). "Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no man of his seed shall prosper sitting upon the throne of David and ruling any more in Judah" (Jer. 22:28-30). 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 espoused was a son of David through Solomon's line.

Verses 20-30. Coniah, also called Jehoiachin, Joiakim and Joachim, after a brief reign of a few months had been carried away to Babylon to die there. Then the prophet's voice breaks in with a mighty appeal, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD." Every true believer feels like shouting these words in the present days of departure from God and rejection of His Word. Then there is a prediction as to Jeconiah, "Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David and ruling any more in Judah." A curse was thus pronounced upon the house of David in the line of Solomon. But there was still the line of Nathan the son of David. Messiah, the Son of David, could therefore not spring from the line of Solomon; he must come from the line of Nathan. Joseph, the husband of the virgin Mary of Nazareth was a son of David through the line of Solomon, the disinherited line; but Mary of Nazareth was a daughter of David through the line of Nathan.

The genealogy shows the ruin hopeless but to God, in that Joseph, the last of the line here before Christ, is shown by it to be Jeconiah's son; and against Jeconiah prophecy had denounced (Jer. 22:30) that he should be (as to the throne) "childless, … for no man of his seed should prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." The consequence was pressed, as far back as Irenaeus, that here the direct line of descent is smitten with a curse, while yet it was not deprived of the legal title: it could hand on to another, therefore, that which could be of no advantage to itself. The marriage of Joseph and Mary was, in the wisdom of God, the means of accomplishing this. The Lord's birth from Mary made Him the real Son of David (Luke 1:32) while the marriage of His mother made Him David's legal heir.*

There are several cases in Scripture in which people are deleted, or time deleted from the history, in order to show God's thoughts as to refusing recognition when His rights have been violated. Jehoiakim, son of Josiah is omitted in verse 11. He was the immediate father of Jeconiah (Jer.24:1). Jeconiah's brethren are mentioned because several of his close relatives were briefly put on the throne of Judah about the time of the captivity (2 Chron.36:1-4-10). Jeconiah himself Was later liberated and treated kindly by the king of Babylon (2 Kings 25:27-30), a picture of the fact that Judah's royalty would be revived. Yet Jeremiah 22:30 prophesies of him, "Write ye this man childless, a man that shell not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shell prosper sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." Not that Jeconish (or Coniah) had no child, for he "beget Solothiel" but no child of his could succeed him on the throne, and none of his seed could ever rule in Judah.

How then could it be accomplished that the Messiah must be of this line? Only by a man of this line (Joseph) marrying a virgin of another line from David, and that virgin bearing the Messiah, who was conceived in her by the Spirit of God. Officially therefore Christ came from the line of Jeconiah, but not actually. He was actually the child of Mary, who descended from Nathan, son of David. Wonderful is the wisdom of God, so high above all that men could have conceived.

And as if to make succession through Joseph an impossibility we read in Jeremiah 22:24-30, that no descendant of Coniah, or Jechonias, as he is called in Matthew 1:11, should sit upon the throne of David.

“Thus says the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah” (Jer. 22:30).

Thus, if our blessed Lord had been the son of Joseph this prophecy would have barred the throne to Him, and it was only by the marriage of Joseph to Mary, uniting the legal and natural lines, that gave the Lord the title to the throne of David.

The Davidic claim (verse 31, cf. 2 Sam. 5:14, Zech. 12:12) of Solomon's line represented by Jeconiah was barred by that king's childlessness (Jer. 22:30), so that the succession passed to that of Nathan, represented by Salathiel, whose actual father was Neri (verse 27).