King
Jehoiachin
19th King of Judah
598–597 BC
Biography
Jehoiachin, also called Coniah or Jeconiah, became king at eighteen and reigned for only three months and ten days before Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem. Rather than endure a prolonged siege, Jehoiachin went out to the Babylonian king and surrendered — he, his mother, his servants, officials, and officers all surrendered.
Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon along with the best of Jerusalem's population, the Temple treasuries, and the palace treasuries. He remained imprisoned in Babylon for 37 years. Then, in an astonishing reversal, the new Babylonian king Evil-merodach (Amel-Marduk) released Jehoiachin from prison, spoke kindly to him, gave him a seat of honor above the other captive kings, and provided him a regular daily allowance for the rest of his life.
Significantly, he appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:12, preserving the Davidic royal line even through exile.
So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.
Key Events
- 1Three-month reign2 Kings 24:8→
Became king at eighteen; reigned three months and ten days before surrendering to Babylon
Read the verse here
2 Kings 24:8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem.
- 2Surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar2 Kings 24:12→
Went out to the king of Babylon — he and his mother, servants, officials, and officers — and surrendered
Read the verse here
2 Kings 24:12Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive.
- 3Second Babylonian deportation2 Kings 24:14-16→
Nebuchadnezzar carried off Jerusalem's best — officials, warriors, craftsmen — leaving only the poorest people
Read the verse here
2 Kings 24:14-16He carried into exile all Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained.
- 4Imprisoned 37 years2 Kings 25:27→
Remained in Babylonian prison for 37 years
Read the verse here
2 Kings 25:27On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
- 5Released and honored by Evil-merodach2 Kings 25:27-30→
Released from prison, given a seat of honor above other captive kings, and provided a daily allowance for life
Read the verse here
2 Kings 25:27-30On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
- 6In Jesus's genealogyMatthew 1:12→
Listed as an ancestor of Jesus Christ, preserving the Davidic royal line through the exile
Read the verse here
Matthew 1:12After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Jehoiachin in Scripture
17 verses use this name, in 4 books. Open a book to read its mentions here. Text: Berean Standard Bible. Names repeat in Scripture — some of these verses may speak of another person called Jehoiachin.
Old Testament4 books · 17 mentions
2 Kings9 mentions
- 2 Kings 24:6And Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 24:8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 24:12Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive.
- 2 Kings 24:15Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
- 2 Kings 24:17Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
4 further mentions in 2 Kings — read them in the book.
2 Chronicles3 mentions
- 2 Chronicles 36:8As for the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations he committed, and all that was found against him, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 36:9Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 36:10In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Jeremiah4 mentions
- Jeremiah 52:31On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the first year of the reign of Evil-merodach king of Babylon, he pardoned Jehoiachin king of Judah and released him from prison.
- Jeremiah 52:32And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
- Jeremiah 52:33So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
- Jeremiah 52:34And the king of Babylon provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life, until the day of his death.
Spiritual Significance
Jehoiachin's release and elevation in Babylon after 37 years of imprisonment is a remarkable sign of hope at the end of 2 Kings. Even in exile, even after catastrophic failure, God preserved the Davidic line. The royal seed survived — and ultimately produced the King of Kings.
How Jehoiachin Points to Jesus
Jehoiachin's release and restoration after 37 years in captivity foreshadows the resurrection theme — the Davidic line seeming to die in exile only to be raised up again, ultimately in Jesus Christ.
Character Profile
- Strengths
- Chose surrender over prolonged suffering of his people, preserved by God through extreme adversity
- Weaknesses
- Did evil in God's sight, surrendered the kingdom and Temple treasures to Babylon
- Lessons
- God's covenant cannot be permanently broken even by human faithlessness. The preservation of the Davidic line through Jehoiachin's release — even in exile — shows that God's ultimate purposes cannot be thwarted. Restoration is possible after the most devastating failures.
Related Characters
Also named, no page yet:Evil-merodach — Babylonian king who released and honored him; Jesus Christ — Descendant through the royal line (Matthew 1:12)
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