2 Kings 24

Notes on the verses

sures of the house of the Lord, and the trea- 1 Jehoiakim, first subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, then rebelling against him, prooureth m came into his own ruin. 5 Jehoiachin succeedeth him. 7 The king of Egypt is vanquished sures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces by the king of Babylon. 8 Jehoiachin’s evil reign. 10 Jerusalem is taken and carried captive into Babylon. 17 Zedekiah is made king, and reigneth iii unto the utter n Je.29.1,2. all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of destruction of Judah. © or, Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as N * his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babythe Lord Phad said. lon came up, and Jehoiakim became his p ¢.20.17. 14 And che carried away all Jerusalem, and servant three years: then he turned and req Je.24.1.

all the princes, and all the mighty men of belled against him. Pharaoh-Nechoh v it seems, was at war with the king of Assy- The next circumstance that particularly merits our attenria, who was at this time at peace with Judah, and had, as we t, in order to prevent the former idolatries bein tion is, tha from his reforms being carried into Samaria, should suppose, recurred to, he defiled the altars of the idols by burning filt Josiah, therefore, in hisshown him friendly countenance: 1; and dead men’s bones upon them, according to what had been zeal for the king of Assyria, imprudently interferes, and is unpredicted by the man of God, who had foretold these things, and happily slain, just in the moment he had gained a victory over mentioned Josiah by name above 300 years before he was born.

idolatry and its supporters. le circumstance in this But the most happy and memora It is called Great was the mourning made on his account. chapter was the celebration of the Passover, which had, doubtthe mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.— less, been much neglected and despised during the prevalence ((Zechariah 12:11).) Jeremiah was the prophet who composed those of idolatry; but now was restored with all the circumstances pensive strains, and the singing men and women of the temple of its original institution, and with so much zeal and but, alas! both poetry and music are were the performers; that no such Passover had been held since the times of Joshua now lost, and lost forever!

and his immediate successors. A 1 ( It is remarkable, too, that he XXIII, Ver. 31—37, and (2 Kings 24)Josiah succarried his reforms even into the cities of Samaria, though his sons. _The former ceeded by Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, under the Assyrian yoke. the latter eleven years. Jehoiachin, the reigns three months, L d His last act, however, was an act of imprudence, arising, son of Jehoiakim, reigns three months, and then is carried with perhaps, from the natural zeal and impetuosity of his temper. Crap, XXIV. Ver. 1. Nebuchadnezzar.—{This prince, so famous in the writings of the prophets, was the son of Nabo Sear king of Babylon; who, beable, that Nechoh had landed his troops at or near Cesarea of Palestine.] d infirm, associated his son with him in the government, and sent ing old an \ ’ him against Carchemish and the provinces which had revolted from him to Ver.

30. Dead.—Rather, ‘‘dying,” (for meth is the participle.) Compare (2 Chronicles 35:24). Ver. 6. Jehoiakim slept, &c.—[As Jehoiakim was buried with the burial Ver. 33. In bands.—That is, in chains; probably taken in the act of fighting “slept with his fathers,” can only mean that he of an ass,” the expression, his i See (Jeremiah 22:12). He is called Shallwm here against him. He died a captive. died without determining what became of either body or soul.}—Bagster. Riblah.—| Theodoret expressly affirms that Riblah, and in 1 Chron. iii, 15. Ver. 8. Eighteen years old.—{In the parallel place, he is said to be only or Reblatha, was in his time called Emesa.—Emesa was a city of Syria, situ eight years old; but this must be a mistake, for we find that having reigned ated on the Orontes, and, according to the Antonine Itinerary, 18 miles from three months, he was carried captive to Babylon, and there had 2o2ves; have been said that, Laodicea ad Libanum.

It is now called Homs, or Hems, about eight hours, or had he been of such a tender age, it could scarcely ef The present 24 miles, 8. E. of Hamah or Hamath, in the road to Damascus. as aking, “he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. eg space contained within the anall the chief men, the nobles, and the town only occupies about one quarter of the sp c All Jerusalem.–[That is, Ver. 14. L 1 Here is and 1000 craftsmen and cient walls, which apparently ate from the time of the Saracens. artificers. Among these were 7000 mighty men; and a large ruined castle.) nothing remarkable, except a Roman sepulchre, smiths. ]—Bagste7, zar-adan defaceth the city, carrieth the remnant, except a few poor labourers, into captivity, 13 spoileth and carrieth away the treasures.

12 The nobles are slain at Riblah. 22 Ged: aliah, who was set over them that remained, being slain, the rest flee into Egypt. 27 Evil-merodach advanceth Jehoiachin in his court. Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they|‘"> | away. all the principal inhabitants to Babylon.—It is lamentable that so a king as Josiah should have had such wicked successors; but the iniquity of Judah is now full as that of Israel had been 150 years before. The short and inglorious reign of Jehoahaz was closed by his being carried by Pharaoh-Nechoh into Egypt, where he died. Pharaoh then set up his brother Eliakim, and to remind him of his constant dependance upon him, changed his name to Jehoiakim, -He did nothing worthy recording; but burdened the land with taxes, to gratify the king of Egypt.

The king of Babylon, however, gained the ascendancy, and Jehoiakim became ‘his servant for three years, and then rebelled against him, an much trouble during the remainder of historian would have speculated on the calamitous events, but the sacred histo great First Cause; “Surely, came this upon Judah, to rem sins of Manasseh, which the Lord would not pardon.” Ver. 18. Craftsmen and smiths.—Nadir Shah, after having taken Delhi, obli ged eight hundred builders (masons, carpenters, and smiths) to go with him into Persia. Ver. 17. His father’s brother.—He was son of Josiah, and consequently brother to Jehoiakim. See (2 Kings 3:15).—Changed his name.—|The change of name was to show Nebuchadnezzar’s supremacy; and that Zedekiah was only his vassal or viceroy.

The custom of changing names, we are assured by travellers, still exists in the East. |—Bagster