2 Chronicles36

The final chapter of 2 Chronicles details the rapid succession of Judah's last four kings: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Each king did evil in the sight of the LORD, leading to increasing foreign domination and the desecration of the temple. Ultimately, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple, carried away its vessels, and exiled the people, fulfilling divine judgment and prophetic warnings.
Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Jehoahaz Reign and Egyptian Control

1
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father. ​
2
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
3
And the king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. ​
4
Then Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt. ​

Jehoiakim Rebels Against Babylon

5
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. ​
6
Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jehoiakim and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
7
Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon some of the articles from the house of the LORD, and he put them in his temple in Babylon. ​
8
As for the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations he committed, and all that was found against him, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.

Jehoiachin and the Second Deportation

9
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. ​
10
In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. ​

Zedekiah's Rule and the Final Judgment

11
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
12
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD. ​
13
He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel. ​
14
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. ​
15
Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. ​
16
But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy. ​
17
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, ​
18
who carried off everything to Babylon—all the articles of the house of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king and his officials.
19
Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value. ​
20
Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
21
So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD through Jeremiah. ​

The Edict of Cyrus and Restoration

22
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows: ​
23
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and may he go up.’” ​

Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 36

Verse 1

Jehoahaz (also called Shallum in Jeremiah) was Josiah's successor, chosen by the people, but his brief reign signaled the end of Judah's political independence.

Verse 3

Pharaoh Necho deposed Jehoahaz and imposed a heavy tribute on Judah, demonstrating that the nation was now a vassal state under Egyptian control.

Verse 4

Changing Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim was a standard practice used by imperial overlords to assert dominance and ownership over their client kings.

Verse 5

Jehoiakim, placed on the throne by Egypt, continued the pattern of unfaithfulness, ignoring the covenant and the warnings of the prophets (Jeremiah 26).

Verse 7

This removal of the Temple vessels (605 BC) marked the first major Babylonian deportation and signaled the impending desacralization and destruction of Jerusalem.

Verse 9

Jehoiachin’s extremely short reign ended in the second major deportation (597 BC), which included many skilled people and the prophet Ezekiel, further crippling Judah.

Verse 10

Zedekiah was Jehoiachin's uncle (referred to here as 'brother' in the sense of kinsman). He was installed by Nebuchadnezzar, making him a puppet king bound by oath to Babylon.

Verse 12

Zedekiah’s refusal to heed Jeremiah was his ultimate theological failure, as the prophet spoke directly from the mouth of the LORD, making the king’s disobedience high treason against God.

Verse 13

Rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar was particularly grievous because Zedekiah had sworn loyalty to the Babylonian king in God’s name, thus profaning the covenant (cf. Ezek. 17:13-19).

Verse 14

The Chronicler emphasizes that the guilt leading to the Exile was corporate, extending beyond the king to include the chief priests and the general populace who embraced pagan worship.

Verse 15

This verse highlights God’s immense patience and compassion, repeatedly sending prophets ('rising up betimes') because He desired to save His people from destruction.

Verse 16

The persistent mockery and rejection of God's messengers resulted in a state where divine judgment became inevitable ('no remedy'), illustrating the consequence of hardening the heart against grace.

Verse 17

Nebuchadnezzar (the king of the Chaldees) is depicted as the instrument of God’s wrath, executing a judgment that was comprehensive and without mercy, fulfilling covenant curses (Deut. 28).

Verse 19

The burning of the Temple and the destruction of the walls (586 BC) marked the complete end of the Davidic monarchy and the central place of worship for Israel.

Verse 21

The 70 years of exile are interpreted as a necessary theological suspension, allowing the land to 'enjoy her sabbaths,' linking the duration of the Exile to the failure to observe the sabbatical years required by the Law (Lev. 26:34-35).

Verse 22

The conclusion shifts from judgment to restoration. God sovereignly 'stirred up the spirit' of the pagan king Cyrus, ensuring that His promise given through Jeremiah would be accomplished.

Verse 23

This edict, which grants permission for the exiles to return and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, serves as the hopeful conclusion to the history recorded in Chronicles, focusing on the continuity of God's covenant promises.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options