2 Chronicles 36

THen the people of the land took Jehoahaz The Contents of this Chapter for the Substance of them are explained in the Notes upon 2 Kings ch. 23. 31, &c. & 24. & 25. what is peculiar to it shall be here opened so far as is necessary. the son of Josiah, and made him king in his fathers stead at Jerusalem.

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

And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.

And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehojakim. And Necho took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

Jehojakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

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

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

Now the rest of the acts of Jehojakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was sound in him That Crime of Rebellion against the King of Babylon, which for a time he kept in his own Breast, but when he saw fit he discovered it and was convicted of it. See 2 King. 24. 1., behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehojachin his son reigned in his stead.

Jehojachin was eight years old when he began to reign Of which see the Notes upon 2 King. 24. 8. where he is said to be 18 years old., and he reigned three months, and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

And when the year was expired Heb. At the return of the year, i. e. At the beginning of the next year according to the Sacred Account of the Hebrews, at the Spring of the Year, the time when Kings go forth to Battel, as is elsewhere said, when Nebuchadnezzar, among others, went forth to settle and enlarge his Conquests., king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother Largely so called, for this was his Uncle or his Fathers Brother, as he is called 2 King. 24. 17. being the Son of Josiah. See 1 Chron. 3. 15. Ier. 1. 3. king over Judah and Jerusalem.

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

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself By Repentance for his past Errours and Obedience to Gods express Commands, which he would not yield to thorough the Pride of his Heart, as is intimated by this Phrase, and expressed, Jer. 38. 19. before Jeremiah the prophet, speaking from the mouth of the LORD.

And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God Who had required and forced him to swear Fealty and constant Obedience to him by the True God whom he served and whom he called upon to be a Witness against him if he broke his Oath. So his Rebellion was aggravated with Perjury and horrid Contempt of God. Compare Ezek. 17. 18.: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart i. e. He added Obstinacy and Incorrigibleness to his Sins. from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.

Moreover, all the chief of the priests, and the people transgressed very much They were universally corrupt and therefore God justly brought upon them a general Destruction., after all the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.

* And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them † by his messengers, rising up ‖ betimes, and sending i. e. Sending them early and diligently, as a careful Householder who riseth betimes about his Business, and pursues it till Night come. God sent them many Prophets and Messages, some at the very beginning of their Apostacy, and others afterward as they proceeded in their Impiety until the very day of their Captivity.; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:

But they mocked the messengers of God Of which see Instances, Ezek. 11. 3. & 20. 49., and despised his words, and misused his prophets Imprisoning and persecuting them as they did Jeremy. Or, seduced themselves by his Prophets, i. e. By their Prophecies, which they perverted or misconstrued. An Eminent Instance we have in this, That because Jeremy prophesied that Zedekiah should be led to Babylon, Ier. 32. 5. and Ezekiel, that he should not see Babylon, Ezek. 12. 13. Therefore they believed neither, as the Hebrew Writers relate., until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy Because the People would not repent, and God would not pardon them..

Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword, in the house of their sanctuary Either in Jerusalem, which was the dwelling place of Gods Sanctuary: Or, in the house which was their Sanctuary; as the River of Euphrates, Gen. 15. 18. is the River, which is Euphrates. It is probable they killed them in the very Courts and House of God, to which some of them fled for Refuge, such places being esteemed Sacred and Inviolable by the Heathens themselves., and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.

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

And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

And them that had escaped from the sword, carried he away to Babylon: where they were servants to him and his sons, until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths i. e. Had rested from the labour of the Husbandmen in plowing and harrowing it, &c. the People that should have managed it being destroyed. Of the Phrase see the Notes on Levit. 25. 2.: for as long as she lay desolate; she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years That so the 70 years Captivity prophesied of by Jeremiah, might be accomplished..

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia This, and the next verse, are repeated in the beginning of the next Book, where they will be more fitly explained., (that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished) the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdoms, and put it also in writing, saying,

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has the LORD God of heaven given me, and he has charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah; who is there among you of all his people? the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.