king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
5Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. 6Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
4. changed his name to Jehoiakim] This name is compounded with the Divine name Jehovah. Probably Neco made the new king swear fealty by Jehovah, and then declared his official name to be Jehoiakim, in order that he and his people might have something to remind them of the oath he had taken. (Eliakim = "God establishes"; Jehoiakim = "Jehovah establishes.") The rendering of this verse in 1 Esd. i. 38 is due to misreadings of the Heb.
took Joahaz . . . to Egypt] He died in Egypt; 2 Kin. xxiii. 34; Jer. xxii. 12.
5—8 (= 1 Esd. i. 39—42; 2 Kin. xxiii. 36—xxiv. 6). The Reign of Jehoiakim.
5. and he reigned eleven years] So also in Kings. The statement, however, is lacking in 1 Esdras i. 39, so that it is a highly probable inference that the text of Chron. has here been harmonised with Kings; cp. ver. 15, and Introd. § 3, p. xxii.
in Jerusalem] The Chronicler omits his mother's name (cp. ver. 2, note) and also the statement that he raised the indemnity imposed by Neco by means of a poll-tax (2 Kin. xxiii. 35).
he did that which was evil] Cp. 2 Kin. xxiii. 37; Jer. xxii. 13—18, xxvi. 20—23, xxxvi. 1—32.
6. Nebuchadnezzar] The correct form of his name is "Nebuchadrezzar" (so generally in Jeremiah and Ezekiel); in the inscriptions Nabu-kudurri-uṣur. The name is Assyrian and means "O Nebo, defend the crown" (or "the boundary"), Nebo being a god who was regarded as the son of Marduk, the chief god of Babylon (cp. Is. xlvi. 1). Nebuchadrezzar reigned from 604—561 B.C., and was succeeded by Evil-Merodach (Amil-Marduk). The only purely historical inscription relating to his reign deals with a campaign in Egypt in 568 B.C.; cp. Jer. xliii. 11.
came up] It seems probable that Nebuchadrezzar did not in person come up against Jerusalem at the end of Jehoiakim's reign, nor in person carry off any of the sacred vessels; it is likely moreover that Jehoiakim was not carried to Babylon. The result of Jehoiakim's rebellion against Nebuchadrezzar was according to 2 Kin. simply that "bands" of Chaldeans and their allies invaded Judah. Probably Jehoiakim's life and reign came to an end (how we do not know; cp. Jer. xxii. 18, 19) during this petty warfare, and then three months
