Jeconiah

Biblical Record

Jeconiah was one of the last kings of Judah. The Korean Revised Version, New Edition, refers to him by three different names:

• Jehoiachin: 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Jeremiah 52
• Coniah: Jeremiah 22 and 37
• Jeconiah: 1 Chronicles 3; Jeremiah 24, 27, 28, and 29; Esther 2:6; and Matthew 1

According to 2 Kings 24:8–17, he succeeded his father Jehoiakim at the age of eighteen and reigned in Jerusalem for three months. Second Chronicles 36:9 gives his age at accession as eight and the length of his reign as three months and ten days. Scripture states that he did evil in the sight of the LORD.

When the army of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem, he surrendered along with his mother Nehushta and his officials. He was then carried off to Babylon together with the treasures of the temple and the royal palace and with many others, including officials, warriors, and craftsmen. This event is commonly described as the second stage of the Babylonian captivity. Ezekiel is also understood to have been taken captive at this time (Ezekiel 1:2). Nebuchadnezzar then made Jeconiah's uncle Mattaniah king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.

In the thirty-seventh year of his captivity, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, released him from prison. Evil-merodach gave him a seat above the other kings and had him eat at the king's table for the rest of his life (2 Kings 25:27–30; Jeremiah 52:31–34). The Books of Kings close with this scene.

Significance Within Scripture

Jeremiah declared that even if Coniah were the signet upon God's right hand, God would pluck him off. He further declared that none of his descendants would again sit on the throne of David and rule in Judah (Jeremiah 22:24–30).

At the same time, 1 Chronicles 3:17–18 lists his sons, including Shealtiel. Zerubbabel, who belonged to the generation of his grandsons, became governor of Judah after the return from exile. In Haggai 2:23, God says that He will make Zerubbabel "as a signet." This statement is commonly read as a reversal of the signet-ring image in Jeremiah 22.

In the New Testament, Matthew 1:11–12 includes Jeconiah in the genealogy of Jesus, where he appears as the figure who carries the line of the house of David across the period of the exile. Esther 2:6 links the family of Mordecai with the deportation of Jeconiah.

Interpretation and Issues

• The meaning of "childless": The expression in Jeremiah 22:30 ("Write ye this man childless") appears to conflict with the record of his sons in 1 Chronicles. Many commentators take it to mean that he would have no child to succeed him on the throne.
• The genealogy of Jesus: Several explanations have been offered for how Jeremiah's pronouncement can be reconciled with the genealogy in Matthew.
• One explanation holds that Jesus was only the legal son of Joseph and not a physical descendant of Jeconiah, so the pronouncement does not apply to Him.
• Another regards the genealogy in Luke 3 as the line of Mary.
• Yet another limits Jeremiah's pronouncement to the Judean monarchy of his own day.
• Views on this question tend to divide along the lines of individual interpreters rather than denominations.
• Relationship to Mordecai: In Esther 2:6, the original text alone does not make clear whether the one carried away captive was Mordecai himself or his great-grandfather Kish, who is mentioned just before. If Mordecai had been deported personally, he would have been extremely old by the time of Ahasuerus. For this reason, many interpreters take the verse to refer to Kish.
• Extrabiblical traditions: Jewish tradition reportedly includes an account in which Jeconiah repented during his captivity and Jeremiah's pronouncement was thereby lifted. This account, however, is not found in the biblical text.
• Archaeological evidence: Babylonian clay tablets recording food rations are reported to bear the name of the "king of Judah." Scholars connect this evidence with the account in 2 Kings 25.

In the Korean Church

Jeconiah is seldom the subject of a sermon in his own right. His name comes up mainly in Christmas-season sermons on the genealogy in Matthew 1 or in Bible reading programs. Because he appears under three names, Bible studies sometimes point out that they all refer to the same person. Some sermons observe that the Books of Kings end with the account of his release, explaining that the hope of the Davidic covenant remained alive even in the midst of judgment.