JEHOIACHIN, je-hei'a-kin: Eighteenth king of
Judah, son and successor of Jehoiakim. He reigned
only three months, in 598 B.C. according to the old
chronology, 597 B.C. according to nearly all modern
historians. The difference in his age at his accession
and in the length of his reign as given in
II Kings xxiv. 8 and
115
due to a shifting in the Chronicler's narrative of the
numeral ten from his age to the length of his reign.
When Jehoiachin ascended the throne, Jerusalem
was already under siege by the Babylonians or was
besieged soon after, and he rendered himself prisoner
to the besiegers, with his household and his officers,
and was carried into exile to Babylon, where he
remained a prisoner until Evil-Merodach set him
free in 562 (II Kings xxiv. 10-15, xxv. 27 sqq.)
and gave him an honorable place at the court
of Babylon.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Sources are II Kings xxiv. 8-15. xxv. 27-30;
JEHOIADA, je-hei'a-da: High priest in the time of Athaliah and Joash, king of Judah. His wife, Jehosheba, sister of Ahaziah, saved Joash from death at the time of the slaughter of the seed royal by Athaliah. Six years after that event Jehoiada set Joash on the throne, and had Athaliah killed. He followed this up by destruction of the Baal temple and the slaying of the priest of Baal, and renewed the service in the temple of Yahweh. While Jehoiada was practically regent during the minority of Joash, the independence of the king on reaching maturity is indicated in II Kings iii. 7. The Chronicler relates that Jehoiada died at the age of 130 and was buried among the kings because of his good deeds (II Chron. xxiv. 15-16).
Others of the name are the father of Benaiah,
one of David's heroes, and a son of Eliashib, a
priest among the returning exiles named in
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Sources are II Kings xi.-xii. 16;
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