Who is…
Jehoiachin

meaning: “whom Jehovah establishes”

also known as:
Jechoniah (1 Chronicles 3:16; Jeremiah 24:1; 27:20)
Jeconiah (1 Chronicles 3:16)
Coniah (an abbreviation of Jeconiah, Jeremiah 22:24; 37:1)
Jechonias (Greek)
Jekonjah
Jojachin (German version)
Yaukin, King of Judah (in The Ration Tablets discovered in ancient Babylon)

Jehoiachin was a young Israelite king who succeeded his father Jehoiakim (B.C. 599) when only 18 (or 8) years of age. His age is reported in two verses, 2 Chronicles 36:9 and 2 Kings 24:8.

Most Hebrew manuscripts for 2 Chronicles 36:9 say “8,” and it thus says “8” in most English translations (NASB, KJV, NKJV, GWT).

However, the NIV and NLT say “18,” based on one Hebrew manuscript, some Septuagint (Greek) manuscripts and Syriac, and based on the fact that according to 2 Kings 24:8, in all translations, Jehoiachin was “18.”

The record of his life can be read in 2 Kings 24:6-17 and 2 Chronicles 36:8-10.

King Jehoiachin reigned for 100 days (2 Chronicles 36:9). He was succeeded by his uncle, Mattaniah = Zedekiah.

He was the last direct heir to the Jewish crown (Kingdom of Judah).

He was carried captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, along with the flower of the nobility, all the leading men in Jerusalem, and a great body of the general population, some 13-thousand in all (2 Kings 24:12-16; Jeremiah 52:28).

After an imprisonment of 37 years (Jeremiah 52:31; 52:33), he was liberated by Evil-merodach, and permitted to occupy a place in the king's household and sit at his table, receiving “every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life” (Jeremiah 52:32-34).

Streaming video— 
“Evidence That King David’s Descendants Survived In Exile”
Joel P. Kramer, Christian archaeologist and author, describes the importance of The Ration Tablets discovered in the ruins of Babylon. When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, it appeared that King David’s descendants had not survived. However, during excavations of Babylon in 1903, archaeologist Robert Koldewey discovered an inscription mentioning the King of Judah. This find proved to be archaeological evidence demonstrating that David’s royal line lived through exile, which was necessary for God’s promise to be fulfilled that the Messiah would come from the House of David.
Video by Expedition Bible
Length: 15 minutes

Relatives of Jehoiachin

More information

Article Version: August 30, 2023