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2 Kings 24

2 Kings book home•Chapter 24 of 25•20 verses

Chapter overviewAt a glance + deeper study

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2 Kings 24 Overview

Jehoiakim becomes a Babylonian vassal under Nebuchadnezzar and later rebels. Raiding bands come against Judah, and Kings connects the disaster with the LORD’s word and Manasseh’s sins, especially innocent blood. Jehoiakim dies, and Jehoiachin reigns only three months before Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem. Jehoiachin, the royal household, officials, warriors, craftsmen, and treasures are carried to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar makes Mattaniah king and renames him Zedekiah. Zedekiah later rebels.

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Before you read 2 Kings 24

Coming from

Chapter 23 ended with Josiah dead, Egypt controlling Judah, and Jehoiakim installed under tribute.

In this chapter

Babylon replaces Egypt as the dominant power and removes Judah’s leadership, wealth, skilled workers, and king in a major deportation.

Leads into

Chapter 25 records the final siege, destruction of Jerusalem and temple, deeper exile, and Jehoiachin’s eventual release.

Key understandingExplore deeper

Judah’s collapse happens in stages. Nebuchadnezzar is the human conqueror, but Kings interprets events as fulfillment of the LORD’s word because of accumulated national sin. Jehoiachin’s captivity is important for dating Ezekiel’s ministry; Jeremiah also speaks extensively about these final kings.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Truth 1

Judah’s fall develops through vassalage, raids, siege, deportation, and weakened monarchy.

Truth 2

Innocent blood remains central in the narrator’s explanation of judgment.

Truth 3

Babylon deliberately removes both leadership and skilled labor.

Truth 4

Zedekiah begins as a Babylonian vassal but chooses rebellion that leads to the final siege.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Connection 1

Jeremiah 22 addresses Jehoiakim and Coniah/Jehoiachin.

Connection 2

Ezekiel 1 dates the prophet’s call by Jehoiachin’s captivity.

Connection 3

Daniel 1 shows Babylonian pressure beginning in Jehoiakim’s reign, before the final fall.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Keep this clear 1

Do not compress all Babylonian deportations into one event.

Keep this clear 2

National judgment does not mean every deported individual was personally worse than everyone left behind.

Keep this clear 3

Jehoiachin’s removal does not end the significance of David’s line.

Read 2 Kings 24 watching for…

Jehoiakim’s changing relation to Babylon.

Why Kings says the raiding bands come.

How short Jehoiachin’s reign is.

Who is deported.

What treasures are removed.

The renaming and status of Zedekiah.

Chapter outline4 sections

1-7Jehoiakim serves Babylon, rebels, and Judah suffers repeated attacks 8-12Jehoiachin reigns briefly and surrenders to Babylon 13-16Nebuchadnezzar carries away treasures and many people from Jerusalem 17-20Zedekiah is made king and later rebels against Babylon

In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.

And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.

Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;

And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.

And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.

And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

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2 Kings 24:2

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