2 kings 23:31-24:20 and 2 chronicles 36

Read 2 Kings 23:31-24:20 and 2 Chronicles 36 at Bible Gateway.

Hebrew paragraph divisions:

2 Kin 23:31-35 [s} Jehoahaz son of Josiah king, but removed by Pharaoh who made Jehoiakim son of Josiah king
2 Kin 23:36-24:7 {p} Jehoiakim’s reign of eleven years: he did evil in the eyes of YHVH
2 Kin 24:8-17 {p} Jehoiachin reigned 3 months (allied with Egypt) Nebuchadnezzar took him captive
2 Kin 24:18-20 {s} Zedekiah (son of Josiah) reigned 11 years: did evil, rebelled against Babylon

2 Chr 36:1-4 {p} The reign of Jehoahaz son of Josiah, deposed by Pharaoh Necho, who took him captive to Egypt
2 Chr 36:5-8 {p} The reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah 11 years doing evil in YHVH’s eyes, taken captive to Babylon
2 Chr 36:9-10 {p} The reign of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim 3 months doing evil, taken captive to Babylon
2 Chr 36:11-21 {s} The reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, who did evil, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city + temple
2 Chr 36:22 {s} At the end of 70 years, Cyrus king of Persia, at the prompting of the Spirit, made a proclamation
2 Chr 36:23 {p} God has commanded me to build His temple at Jerusalem/ let His people go up

2 Chr 36:11-23 {s+s+p} chiastic structure:

1a.1) 2 Chr 36:11-19, King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the house of God + Jerusalem;

1a) 2 Chr 36:11-15, King Zedekiah + leaders rebelled + transgressed + defiled the house of the Lord;

1a) 2 Chr 36:11-12a, Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God;
1b) 2 Chr 36:12b, And did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord;
1c) 2 Chr 36:13a, He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God;
central axis) 2 Chr 36:13b, But he stiffened his neck + hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel;
2c) 2 Chr 36:14, Moreover all the leaders of the priests + people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem;
2b) 2 Chr 36:15a, And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them;
2a) 2 Chr 36:15b, Because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;

1b) 2 Chr 36:16a, But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets;
central axis) 2 Chr 36:16b, Until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy;
2b) 2 Chr 36:17, He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed without compassion/ He gave them all into his hand;
2a) 2 Chr 36:18-19, King Nebuchadnezzar burned the house of God/ destroyed Jerusalem;

1a) 2 Chr 36:18, All the articles + treasures, from the house of God + the king, he took to Babylon;
1b) 2 Chr 36:19a, He burned the house of God;
central axis) 2 Chr 36:19b, He broke down the wall of Jerusalem;
2b) 2 Chr 36:19c, He burned all its palaces with fire;
2a) 2 Chr 36:19d, And destroyed all its precious possessions;

1a.2) 2 Chr 36:20a, Those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became his servants;

1b) 2 Chr 36:20b, Until the rule of the kingdom of Persia;

1c) 2 Chr 36:21a, To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah;

central axis) 2 Chr 36:21b {s} Until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths/ As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years;

2c) 2 Chr 36:22a, In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled;

2b) 2 Chr 36:22b-23a, Cyrus, king of Persia, ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth, decreed;

1a) 2 Chr 36:22b, The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia;
1b) 2 Chr 36:22c, So that he made a proclamation;
central axis) 2 Chr 36:22d, Throughout all his kingdom;
2b) 2 Chr 36:22e {s} And also put it in writing, saying;
2a) 2 Chr 36:23a, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me;

2a.1) 2 Chr 36:23b, And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah;

2a.2) 2 Chr 36:23c {p} Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!

When King Josiah was killed in battle with Pharaoh Necho, the people quickly put Jehoahaz the son of Josiah on the throne, while Pharaoh was fighting his war with Babylon, lest Pharaoh return and decide to make Judah an Egyptian province, since there was no king on the throne. When Pharaoh did return, angry that Judah had interfered in his war with the Babylonians, he removed Jehoahaz and took him captive to Egypt, where he died; and put Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, on the throne instead.

Jehoiakim paid tribute to Egypt until the 8th year of his reign. By that time, Nebuchadnezzar, then merely the Babylonian general, being the son of the king, having finally defeated the Egyptians and made them his vassals, came against Jerusalem, and received Jehoiakim’s promise that he would no longer be vassal to Egypt but to Babylon. This is Nebuchadnezzar’s first subjection of Jerusalem. He carried away all the vessels of the Temple, and noble Hebrew youths to serve him at his court, of which Daniel was one (607 BC). He then withdrew without destroying either city or Temple.

However, Jehoiakim did not keep his promise. When Nebuchadnezzar succeeded his father as king of Babylon , Jehoiakim conspired with Egypt and soon rebelled against Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had some trouble closer to home at first to deal with upon his ascension, but in Jehoiakim’s 11th year, King Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem a second time, and subdued it, putting Jehoiakim to death. He furthermore placed Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) his son on the throne, after receiving his promise that he would be a faithful vassal to Babylon. For the second time he departed without destroying either city or Temple.

However, King Jehoiachin made so much trouble, that just 3 months later Nebucadnezzar came again to Jerusalem in anger, carrying off king, courtiers, and 10,000 prisoners to Babylon, of whom Ezekiel was one. He chose Zedekiah, the remaining son of Josiah, to serve as king instead, after having received his promise to be a faithful vassal to Babylon. For the third time Nebuchadnezzar departed without destroying either city or Temple.

Zedekiah at first submitted, but after a time, he allied himself with Egypt and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. Thus the fourth time the Babylonians came against Jerusalem, and after a siege of 2-1/2 years, the city fell (588 BC). Nebuchadnezzar by this time had had enough of the rebellions of the kings of Judah, and he removed the house of David from being king over them. It looked as if the promise of God to David had failed … but God’s promises fail not. God was not done, and this was not the last act on the stage of world history for either Judah or the prince of the house of David …!