Nehushta

Biblical Record

Nehushta is named in 2 Kings 24:8. The passage records that Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king and that he reigned three months in Jerusalem, and it identifies his mother as "Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem." Since Jehoiachin was the son of Jehoiakim, Nehushta may be regarded as Jehoiakim's wife.

When Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, Jehoiachin "went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers" (2 Kings 24:12). Nebuchadnezzar then carried Jehoiachin away to Babylon, "and the king's mother, and the king's wives" (2 Kings 24:15). This event is commonly called the first deportation of the Babylonian captivity. The parallel account in 2 Chronicles 36:9-10 does not give the name of the king's mother. Scripture does not say what became of Nehushta after she was taken to Babylon.

Significance Within Scripture

When the books of Kings introduce a king of Judah, they usually record the name of the king's mother as well. For this reason, scholars hold that the king's mother occupied an official position in the royal house of Judah. The Hebrew word rendered "queen" in Jeremiah is likewise understood to refer to the king's mother. Jeremiah 13:18 warns, "Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves," and Jeremiah 22:26 prophesies that Coniah (Jehoiachin) and "thy mother that bare thee" would be cast out into another country. Jeremiah 29:2 also lists "Jeconiah the king, and the queen" among those carried into exile. Many commentators identify the queen in these passages as Nehushta.

In the New Testament, Jeconiah appears in the genealogy in Matthew 1, but Nehushta is not mentioned by name.

Interpretation and Debated Questions

• Meaning of the name: The name Nehushta is generally explained as related to the Hebrew word for "bronze" (or "copper"). It sounds similar to "Nehushtan," the name of the brazen serpent that Hezekiah destroyed (2 Kings 18:4), but there is no evidence of any further connection between the two names.
• Her father Elnathan: Jeremiah 26:22 and 36:12 mention Elnathan the son of Achbor, an official of Jehoiakim. Some identify him with Nehushta's father, but the text does not state this.
• Connection with the Book of Jeremiah: The interpretation that the king and queen of Jeremiah 13:18 are Jehoiachin and Nehushta is widely held. Because the verse itself names no one, however, some take it to refer to a different king.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, sermons devoted solely to Nehushta are relatively rare. She is usually mentioned when preachers treat the exile of Jehoiachin or the prophecies of Jeremiah, as part of the picture of the collective downfall of the Judean royal house.