2 Chronicles 36

1

Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem.

2

Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Joahaz is a variant of Jehoahaz .

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3

The king of Egypt removed him from office at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 3. Him. Joachaz had attempted to defend himself, and had been conducted prisoner to Reblatha. 4 Kennicott. 23:33 and Ezekiel 19:4. He was now deposed in from, and a tribute laid upon the people. Calmet.

EXPLANATION

A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces

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4

The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 4. Brother. From the time of David, the son had always succeeded his father. Worthington.

EXPLANATION

Joahaz is a variant of Jehoahaz .

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5

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in the LORD his God’s sight.

6

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 6. Babylon, but sent him back soon after; ( Tirinus.) unless he altered his first design, ( D.) and slew him disgracefully at Jerusalem. Lyran. E. Calmet. 4 Kennicott. 23:5.—He allowed him to reign as a vassal other three years, but took Daniel, and so forth captives. The seventy years of Jeremias, (25:11) are to be dated from this event. A. 3402. Usher.

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7

Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the vessels of the LORD’s house to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 7. The vessels. Hebrew and Septuagint “a part of the vessels;” probably the most precious, (verse 10) breaking the rest in pieces, as he left none behind, verse 18.—Temple of his God. Daniel 1:2.

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8

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 8. In him. The Jews explain this of the diabolical characters forbidden, Leviticus 19:28. Carthusian. R. Sal. and so forth—But it may simply denote the hidden sins of the king, which God will bring to light, or his rebellious conduct. Amama. Genesis 44:16. Calmet.

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9

Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 9. Eight years old. He was associated by his father to the kingdom, when he was but eight years old; but after his father’s death, when he reigned alone, he was eighteen years old. 4 Kennicott. 24:8. Challoner.—He only enjoyed the throne three months and ten days. Tirinus.—We must however observe, ( Bible.) that the Alex. Septuagint the Syr. and Arab. read here, eighteen. Calmet.—“It is, in my opinion, a pity that the translators have not mended such apparent errata of the scribe of the present Hebrew out of 2 Kennicott. 24:8, or out of Septuagint or out of common sense.” Wall. Kennicott.—These eight years may be dated from the captivity, and not from the king’s birth. Usher. D.

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10

At the return of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of the LORD’s house, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 10. Year, in spring, when kings go out to war. Calmet.—Uncle. Septuagint “brother of his father,” which comes to the same sense, and was certainly the case. Hebrew “his brother.” Abraham indeed gives the title to his nephew. Genesis 13:8. Calmet.

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11

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

12

He did that which was evil in the LORD his God’s sight. He didn’t humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the LORD’s mouth.

13

He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 13. By God, to be faithful. Tirinus.—This enhances his crime.

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14

Moreover all the chiefs of the priests and the people trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the LORD’s house which he had made holy in Jerusalem.

15

The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place;

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 15. Early. Prot. “betimes, and sending: because,” and so forth Bible.—Like a good master, God ( Tirinus.) sent his servants to work at day-break, ( Bible.) omitting nothing to induce them to return to him, that he might not be forced to punish them with severity. Calmet.

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16

but they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the LORD’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 16. Remedy. All attempts to convert them proved in vain; ( Tirinus.) and God, perceiving that they even despised his calls, became inexorable. Calmet.

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17

Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm. He gave them all into his hand.

18

All the vessels of God’s house, great and small, and the treasures of the LORD’s house, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 18. Vessels. Only a few remained, to be restored by Cyrus, verse 19. Calmet.

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19

They burned God’s house, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all of its valuable vessels.

20

He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon, and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 20. Sons; Evilmerodac and Baltassar.—Persia; Cyrus, who subdued the country.

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21

to fulfill the LORD’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 21. Sabbaths, every seventh year. Leviticus 25:2 and 26:43. Jeremiah 25:11 and 29:10.—Expired: not that the earth was quite neglected, all that time, from the third year of Joakim, A.Menochius. 3398 till 3468. Calmet.—But it was almost: particularly after the murder of Godolias, ( Menochius.) the public worship was at a stand, and so forth Bible.—During this fifth age, the true religion subsisted invariable, not only in the kingdom of Juda, but also in that of Israel. See Worthington. Bible.

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22

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the LORD’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 22. First. Cyrus had ruled over Persia from A. 3444. He was now emperor of the east. A. 3468. Calmet.—These two verses are repeated by Esdras, which evinces that he was the author of this work also, ( Tirinus.) adding them when he restored ( Worthington.) or revised ( Bible.) the holy scriptures. Worthington.

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23

“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.’”

ExplanationCommentary

EXPLANATION

Verse 23. The Lord, (Jehova.) In Esdras we find yehi, “Let,” his God. Bible.—Up. The sentence is completed in the following book, which makes it probable that these verses are here inserted improperly, by some transcriber. The book of Chronicles, though for many ages the last in the Hebrew MSS. was, perhaps, once followed by Ezra, as in Camb. MS. 1. (Kennicott) and as it is now in the Protestant version, taken from the Hebrew Bible.

1 ESDRAS

THE FIRST BOOK OF ESDRAS

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