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(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
2 Kings 24:8–20, “Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”
Jehoiachin was fairly young when he began to reign as king in Judah. There were other kings who were much younger than he was but this doesn’t change the fact. He followed in the footsteps of his father. King Nebuchadnezzar had established himself as king in Babylon and came back to conquer the kingdoms that he had not been able to before. He knew that there was great wealth in Jerusalem and wanted that for himself. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies besieged Jerusalem in order to take the city. Jehoiachin decided to surrender to the Babylonians and he went to meet them with his whole family. He was captured along with all the senior people in his government and they were all taken away to Babylon as captives. The Babylonians had a different strategy to the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar left another king to rule in Jehoiachin’s place. His uncle Mattaniah was made king but his name was changed to Zedekiah. Zedekiah reigned as king under Babylonian authority for eleven years. During this time he followed the evil practices of his father and grandfather. Eventually he decided to rebel against the Babylonians.
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