jehoiakim Summary and Overview

he whom Jehovah has set up, the second son of Josiah, and eighteenth king of Judah, which he ruled over for eleven years (B.C. 610-599). His original name was Eliakim (q.v.). On the death of his father his younger brother Jehoahaz (=Shallum, Jer. 22:11), who favoured the Chaldeans against the Egyptians, was made king by the people; but the king of Egypt, Pharaoh-necho, invaded the land and deposed Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:33, 34; Jer. 22:10-12), setting Eliakim on the throne in his stead, and changing his name to Jehoiakim. After this the king of Egypt took no part in Jewish politics, having been defeated by the Chaldeans at Carchemish (2 Kings 24:7; Jer. 46:2). Israel was now invaded and conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiakim was taken prisoner and carried captive to Babylon (2 Chr. 36:6, 7). It was at this time that Daniel also and his three companions were taken captive to Babylon (Dan. 1:1, 2). Nebuchadnezzar reinstated Jehoiakim on his throne, but treated him as a vassal king. In the year after this, Jeremiah caused his prophecies to be read by Baruch in the court of the temple. Jehoiakim, hearing of this, had them also read in the royal palace before himself. The words displeased him, and taking the roll from the hands of Baruch he cut it in pieces and threw it into the fire (Jer. 36:23). During his disastrous reign there was a return to the old idolatry and corruption of the days of Manasseh. After three years of subjection to Babylon, Jehoiakim withheld his tribute and threw off the yoke (2 Kings 24:1), hoping to make himself independent. Nebuchadnezzar sent bands of Chaldeans, Syrians, and Ammonites (2 Kings 24:2) to chastise his rebellious vassal. They cruelly harassed the whole country (compare Jer. 49:1-6). The king came to a violent death, and his body having been thrown over the wall of Jerusalem, to convince the beseieging army that he was dead, after having been dragged away, was buried beyond the gates of Jerusalem "with the burial of an ass," B.C. 599 (Jer. 22:18, 19; 36:30). Nebuchadnezzar placed his son Jehoiachin on the throne, wishing still to retain the kingdom of Judah as tributary to him.

JEHOI'AKIM (whom Jehovah sets up), eldest son of Josiah, and the brother and successor of Jehoahaz, king of Judah. 2 Kgs 23:36. His original name was Eliakim, but it was changed by order of the king of Egypt, 2 Kgs 23:34, who put him on the throne. The iniquity of his reign is strongly depicted by the historian and prophet, 2 Kgs 24:4; 2 Chr 36:8; Jer 22, Jer 26, Jer 36. His end was in strict accordance with the prediction concerning him. For the first four years of his reign Jehoiakim was subject to the king of Egypt, and paid an enormous tribute. Then he became tributary for three years to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 2 Kgs 24:1, but he rebelled, in punishment was attacked by neighboring tribes, and then Nebuchadnezzar took him prisoner and at first bound him with chains to carry him to Babylon, 2 Chr 36:6; Dan 1:2, but afterward set him at liberty and left him at Jerusalem, to reign as a tributary prince. The whole time of his reign was eleven years, b.c. 609-598. The expression Jer 36:30 is not to be taken strictly, and yet, as the reign of Jehoiachin was for only thirteen weeks, Jehoiakim may be said to have been comparatively without a successor. The same explanation applies to 2 Kgs 23:34, where Eliakim is said to have succeeded his father, Josiah; whereas the reign of Jehoahaz intervened. This was so short, however, as not to be reckoned in the succession. Jehoiakim was a bad king, extravagant, irreverent, and vicious. His burning of Jeremiah's roll revealed his ungodly life. Jer 36:23. His murder of Urijah, Jer 26:23, and treatment of Jeremiah indicated his reckless cruelty. The latter prophet bravely denounced the oppression, injustice, covetousness, luxury, and tyranny of this miserable monarch. Jer 22:13-17. He was murdered in the eleventh year of his reign, and was "buried with the burial of an ass." Jer 22:19.

Eliakim (="whom El, God, established") at first; 25 years old at his accession. Second son of Josiah and Zebudah, daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah (Arumah in Manasseh, near Shechem? Judges 9:41); Johanan was the oldest son. Raised to the throne by Pharaoh Necho, who named him Jehoiakim (whom Jehovah establishes), having deposed see JEHOAHAZ , the people's nominee, his younger brother. Pharaoh bound Jehoiakim to exact tribute from Judah, for Josiah's having taken part with Babylon against him: one talent of gold and 100 talents of silver (40,000 British pounds). So "Jehoiakim valued (‘taxed') the land to give the money to Pharaoh ... he exacted the silver and gold of every one according to his valuation"("taxation"): 2 Kings 23:33,34; Jeremiah 22:10-12; Ezekiel 19:4. In Jehoiakim's fourth year Necho suffered his great defeat from Babylon at Carehemish, wherein he lost his possessions between Euphrates and the Nile, and returned no more to Judaea; so that Josiah's death was not unavenged (2 Kings 24:7; Jeremiah 46:2). The change of Jehoiakim's name marked his vassalage (Genesis 41:45; Ezra 5:14; Daniel 1:7). The names were often from the pagan gods of the conqueror. In this case not so; the pagan kings Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiakim and Zedekiah (= Jehovah's righteousness) confirm their covenant of subjection with the seal of Jehovah's name, the Jews' own God, by whom they had sworn fealty. Jehoiakim reigned 11 years, doing evil throughout, as his forefathers before him. "His eyes and heart were only for covetousness, shedding innocent blood, oppression, and violence"(Jeremiah 22:13-17). "He built his house by unrighteousness and wrong, using his neighbour's service without wages," using his people's forced labour to build himself a splendid palace, in violation of Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14,15; compare Micah 3:10; Habakkuk 2:9; James 5:4. God will repay those who repay not their neighbour's work. His "abominations which he did, and that which was found in him,"are alluded to 2 Chronicles 36:6. God finds all that is in the sinner (Jeremiah 17:11; 23:24). Sad contrast to his father Josiah, who "did justice, and it was well with him."Nebuchadnezzar from Carchemish marched to Jerusalem, and fettered him as Pharaoh Necho's tributary, in the third (Dan 1) or fourth year of his reign (the diversity being caused by reckoning Jehoahaz' reign as a year, or not), intending to take him to Babylon; bat afterward for the sake of his former ally Josiah, his father, restored him as a vassal. At this time Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were taken to Babylon. Three years subsequently Jehoiakim rebelled with characteristic perfidy, sacrificing honour and truth in order to spend the tribute on his own costly luxuries (Jeremiah 22:13-17). Nebuchadnezzar, not able in person to chastise him, sent marauding "bands" of Chaldaeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites (2 Kings 24:1-7). Ammon had seized on Gad's territory, upon Israel's exile, and acted as Nebuchadnezzar's agent to scourge Judah (Jeremiah 49:1,2; Ezekiel 25:3). Jehovah was the primary sender of these scourges (rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar, after promising fealty, was rebellion against God: Jeremiah 27:6-8; Ezekiel 17:16-19), not only for Jehoiakim's sins but for those of his forefather Manasseh, in whose steps he trod, and the "innocent blood which Jehovah would not pardon." Jeremiah (22:18,19) foretold "concerning Jehoiakim, they shall not lament for him, Ah, my brother! or Ah, my sister!" (his queen, the lamentation of blood relatives for a private individual) nor, "Ah, lord; ah, his glory (the public lamentations of subjects for a king; alas, his majesty), he shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem"; again, 36:30, "he shall have none to sit (i.e. firmly established and continuing) upon the throne of David (for his son see JECONIAH 'S reign of three months is counted as nothing, and Zedekiah was not his son but uncle); his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost." Jehoiakim was probably slain in a battle with Nebuchadnezzar's Chaldean and other "bands," and had no burial; possibly his own oppressed subjects slew him, and "cast out" his body to conciliate his invaders. Nor is this inconsistent with "Jehoiakim slept with his fathers"(2 Kings 24:6); it simply expresses his death, not his burial with his royal ancestors (Psalm 49:16); "slept with his fathers" and "buried with his fathers" are found distinct (2 Kings 15:38; 16:20). He reigned 11 years. Early in his reign (Jeremiah 26:1,20, etc.) Jehoiakim showed his vindictive malice against Jehovah's prophets. Urijah, son of Shemaiah, of Kirjath Jearim, prophesied against Jerusalem and Judah in the name of Jehovah thereupon Jehoiakim sought to kill him; he fled to Egypt, but Jehoiakim sent Elnathan of Achbor, and men with him, who brought Urijah back from Egypt, the Egyptian king allowing his vassal Jehoiakim to do so. Jehoiakim "slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people,"instead of burial in the cemetery of the prophets (Matthew 23:29). Jehoiakim gained by it only adding sin to sift, as the argument of the elders in Jeremiah's behalf implies, the notorious prostration of the state at the time intimating that heavier vengeance would ensue if Jeremiah too, as was threatened, should be slain. By God's retribution in kind Jehoiakim's own body fared as he had treated Urijah's body. 1 Esdras 1:42 speaks of "his uncleanness and impiety." His intense selfishness and indifference to the people's sufferings appear in his lavish expenditure upon building palaces for himself at the very time the people were overwhelmed with paying heavy tribute to Pharaoh (Jeremiah 22:13-18). His crowning impiety, which had no parallel in Jewish history, was his cutting up, and burning in the fire before him, the written roll of Jeremiah's inspired prophecies (Jeremiah 36). Jeremiah being "shut up," i.e. prevented by fear of the king, sent Baruch to read them to the people assembled out of Judah to the Lord's house on the fasting day. "In the fifth year of Jehoiakim they (the princes) proclaimed a fast to all the people," or (Michaelis) "all thepeople proclaimed a fast"; in either reading Jehoiakim had no share in appointing it, but chose this season of all seasons to perpetrate such an audacious act. On hearing of the roll, Jehoiakim sent Jehudi his ready tool to fetch it from Elishama the scribe's chamber; for sinners fleeing from God yet, by an involuntary instinct, seek to hear His words against them. Then, as often as Jehudi read three or four columns of the long roll, Jehoiakim cut the parts read consecutively, until all was destroyed. Yet he and his servants "were not afraid," a contrast even to the princes who "were afraid both one and other when they had heard all the words"; a still sadder contrast to his father Josiah whose "heart was tender," and who "rent his clothes" on hearing the words of the law just found (2 Kings 22:11,13,19,20). Even Elnathan, who had been his tool against Urijah, recoiled from this, and interceded with Jehoiakim not to burn the roll; but he would not hear, nay even commanded his minions to apprehend Baruch and Jeremiah: but the Lord hid them (Psalm 31:20; 83:3; Isaiah 26:20). Judicial blindness and reprobation! The roll was rewritten, not one word omitted, and with awful additions (Matthew 5:18; Acts 9:5; 5:39; Revelation 22:19); his body should be exposed to the sun's "heat," even as he had exposed the roll to be burnt by the heat of the fire. Sinners only gain additional punishment by fighting with God's word, which is a sharp sword; they cut themselves, when trying to cut it. Compare the rewriting of the law's two tables (Exodus 34:15,16; 31:18; 34:1,23; Deuteronomy 31:9). The two-edged sword of God's Spirit converts the humble and tender as Josiah, draws out the latent hatred of the ungodly as J. (2 Corinthians 2:15,16; Hebrews 4:12,13). Jehoiakim reigned from 609 B.C. to 598 B.C.