“And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. put: Heb. removed him”
Him. Joachaz had attempted to defend himself, and had been conducted prisoner to Reblatha, 4 Kings xxiii. 33., and Ezechiel xix. 4. He was now deposed in form, and a tribute laid upon the people. (Calmet)
“And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.”
Brother. From the time of David, the son had always succeeded his father. (Worthington)
“Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. fetters: or, chains”
Babylon, but sent him back soon after; (Tirinus) unless he altered his first design, (Du Hamel) and slew him disgracefully at Jerusalem. (Lyranus) (Estius) (Calmet) (4 Kings xxiii. 5.) — He allowed him to reign as a vassal other three years, but took Daniel, &c., captives. The seventy years of Jeremias, (xxv. 11.) are to be dated from this event. (The year of the world 3402.) (Usher)
“Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.”
The vessels. Hebrew and Septuagint, “a part of the vessels;” probably the most precious, (ver. 10) breaking the rest in pieces, as he left none behind, ver. 18. — Temple of his God, Daniel i. 2.
“Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. Jehoiachin: or, Jeconiah, I.Chro.3.16. or, Coniah ier.22.24.”
In him. The Jews explain this of the diabolical characters forbidden, Leviticus xix. 28. (Denis the Carthusian; R. Sal., &c.) — But it may simply denote the hidden sins of the king, which God will bring to light, or his rebellious conduct. (Amama) (Genesis xliv. 16.) (Calmet)
“Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.”
Eight years old. He was associated by his father to the kingdom, when he was but eight years old; but after his father’s death, when he reigned alone, he was eighteen years old, 4 Kings xxiv. 8. (Challoner) — He only enjoyed the throne three months and ten days. (Tirinus) — We must however observe, (Haydock) that the Alexandrian Septuagint, the Syriac, and Arabic read here, eighteen. (Calmet) — “It is, in my opinion, a pity that the translators have not mended such apparent errata of the scribe of the present Hebrew out of 2 Kings xxiv. 8., or out of Septuagint, or out of common sense.” (Wall) (Kennicott) — These eight years may be dated from the captivity, and not from the king’s birth. (Usher) (Du Hamel)
“And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. when: Heb. at the return of the year goodly: Heb. vessels of desire Zedekiah: or, Mattaniah, his father's brother”
Year, in spring, when kings go out to war. (Calmet) — Uncle. Septuagint, “brother of his father,” which comes to the same sense, and was certainly the case. Hebrew, “his brother.” Abraham indeed gives the title to his nephew, Genesis xiii. 8. (Calmet)
“And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.”
By God, to be faithful. (Tirinus) — This enhances his crime. (Calmet)
“And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: by: Heb. by the hand of betimes: that is, continually and carefully”
Early. Protestants, “betimes, and sending: because,” &c. (Haydock) — Like a good master, God (Tirinus) sent his servants to work at day-break, (Haydock) omitting nothing to induce them to return to him, that he might not be forced to punish them with severity. (Calmet)
“But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. remedy: Heb. healing”
Remedy. All attempts to convert them proved in vain; (Tirinus) and God, perceiving that they even despised his calls, became inexorable. (Calmet)
“And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.”
Vessels. Only a few remained, to be restored by Cyrus, ver. 19. (Calmet)
“And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: them: Heb. the remainder from the sword”
Sons; Evilmerodac and Baltassar. — Persia; Cyrus, who subdued the country.
“To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.”
Sabbaths, every seventh year, Leviticus xxv. 2., and xxvi. 43., and Jeremias xxv. 11., and xxix. 10. — Expired: not that the earth was quite neglected, all that time, from the third year of Joakim, the year of the world 3398 till 3468. (Calmet) — But it was almost: particularly after the murder of Godolias, (Menochius) the public worship was at a stand, &c. (Haydock) — During this fifth age, the true religion subsisted invariable, not only in the kingdom of Juda, but also in that of Israel. See Worthington. (Haydock)
“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,”
First. Cyrus had ruled over Persia from the year of the world 3444. He was now emperor of the East. (The year of the world 3468.) (Calmet) — These two verses are repeated by Esdras, which evinces that he was the author of this work also, (Tirinus) adding them when he restored (Worthington) or revised (Haydock) the holy scriptures. (Worthington)
“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.”
The Lord, (Jehova.) In Esdras we find yehi, “Let,” his God. (Haydock) — Up. The sentence is completed in the following book, which makes it probable that these verses are here inserted improperly, by some transcriber. The book of Chronicles, though for many ages the last in the Hebrew manuscripts, was, perhaps, once followed by Ezra, as in Camb. Manuscript 1., (Kennicott) and as it is now in the Protestant version, taken from the Hebrew. (Haydock)