II Chronicles 36:5 · Bible study
2 Chronicles 36:5 Commentary: Jehoiakim's Evil Reign Exposed
Hebrew · 6 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Analyze Jehoiakim's evil reign in II Chronicles 36:5, historical background, prophetic warnings, and the tragic turn from Josiah's reforms.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jehoiakim's eleven-year reign was judged evil in God's sight, reversing his father Josiah's reforms.
- Key words: "Evil" (הרע ha-ra' with the article, the notorious evil) and "in the eyes of Yahweh his God" (highlighting covenant accountability).
- Main debate: Whether Jehoiakim was deported to Babylon or remained a vassal (Keil argues he stayed; some see implied deportation).
- Theological theme: God holds leaders accountable, and rejecting prophetic warning accelerates judgment.
- Best use: A cautionary study on legacy, repentance, and the danger of knowing God yet refusing to obey him.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in Yahweh his God’s sight.
KJV King James Version 1769
Jehoiakim 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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Jehoiakim 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 Jehovah his God.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
A son of twenty and five years is Jehoiakim in his reigning, and eleven years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah his God;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of Jehovah his God.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Joakim was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did evil before the Lord his God.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Cuando comenzó á reinar Joacim era de veinte y cinco años, y reinó once años en Jerusalem: é hizo lo malo en ojos de Jehová su Dios.
Quando começou a reinar Jeoaquim era de vinte e cinco anos, e reinou onze anos em Jerusalém: e fez o que era mau aos olhos do SENHOR seu Deus.
Jojakim avait vingt-cinq ans lorsqu’ il devint roi, et il régna onze ans à Jérusalem. Il fit ce qui est mal aux yeux de l’ Éternel, son Dieu.
Fünfundzwanzig Jahre alt war Jojakim, da er König ward. Und regierte elf Jahre zu Jerusalem und tat, was dem HERRN, seinem Gott, übel gefiel.
Vijf en twintig jaren was Jojakim oud, als hij koning werd, en regeerde elf jaren te Jeruzalem; en hij deed dat kwaad was in de ogen des HEEREN, zijns Gods.
Joiakim avea venticinque anni quando cominciò a regnare; regnò undici anni a Gerusalemme, e fece ciò ch’è male agli occhi dell’Eterno, il suo Dio.
Dwadzieścia i pięć lat miał Joakim, gdy królować począł, a jedenaście lat królował w Jeruzalemie; i czynił złe przed oczyma Pana Boga swego.
Двадцати пяти лет был Иоаким, когда воцарился, и одиннадцать лет царствовал в Иерусалиме [имя матери его Зехора, дочь Нириева из Рамы]. И делал он неугодное в очах Господа Бога своего [по всему, что делали отцы его. Во дни его пришел Навуходоносор, царь Вавилонский, на землю, и он служил ему три года и отступил от него. И послал Господь на них Халдеев и разбойников Сирских, и разбойников Моавитских, и сынов Аммоновых и Самарийских, и отступили по слову сему, — по слову Господа устами рабов Его, пророков. Впрочем гнев Господа был на Иуде, чтоб отвергнуть его от лица Его, за все грехи Манассии, которые он сделал, и за кровь неповинную, которую пролил Иоаким и наполнил Иерусалим неповинною кровью. Но не восхотел Господь искоренить их].
約雅敬 登基 的時候年 二十 五 歲，在耶路撒冷 作王 十 一 年，行 耶和華─他 神 眼中 看為惡的事。
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king; he was ruling in Jerusalem for eleven years, and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Chronicles 36:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on the basic meaning: Jehoiakim ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem and did evil in the sight of Yahweh his God. The verse repeats a formula used for several Judean kings, but its placement after Josiah's faithful reign sharpens the judgment.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown describes Jehoiakim following the course of his idolatrous predecessors, departing further than Jehoahaz from Josiah's principles. The people, disinclined to reform, eagerly returned to vicious license. Keil & Delitzsch note that the Chronicler records nothing more of Jehoiakim's reign, but refers readers to the book of the kings of Israel and Judah for his abominations. Matthew Henry observes that God gave time to repent, yet the king chose evil.
The Cambridge Bible points to cross-references in Jeremiah (22:13-18; 26:20-23; 36) that fill out the picture: oppression, bloodshed, rejection of prophecy. The Hebrew construction ha-ra' (the evil) uses the definite article, the evil that was well-known, not a vague shortcoming. The line "in the eyes of Yahweh his God" underscores that Jehoiakim knew the true covenant Lord and still rebelled.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jehoiakim's reign was evil in God's sight, reversing the reforms of Josiah, and this verdict is undisputed across Christian traditions.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The moral character of Jehoiakim's reign | All commentators agree the Chronicler's verdict is negative, Jehoiakim did evil in God's sight, especially compared to Josiah. | Whether the main focus is idolatry (as in II Kings 23:37) or social injustice (as in Jeremiah 22:13-17), or both combined. |
| Jehoiakim's deportation | II Chronicles 36:6 states Nebuchadnezzar bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon. | Some scholars (Keil & Delitzsch) argue he was not actually taken away but remained a vassal; others read the text as implying a temporary capture or intended deportation that was not carried out. |
| The Chronicler's editorial choices | The Chronicler omits details found in II Kings (his mother's name, the poll-tax) and focuses on the temple vessels and abominations. | Whether the omissions are theological (highlighting temple sanctity) or simply abbreviative. Cambridge Bible suggests abbreviation; Lange's commentary focuses on the Chronicler's theological purpose. |
| Connection to Jeremiah's prophecies | Jehoiakim's reign is a key background for Jeremiah's ministry, as noted in multiple cross-references. | Whether the Chronicler intentionally echoes Jeremiah's language (e.g., 'abominations') or draws from a common source. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jehoiakim came to power through Egyptian intervention, not popular acclaim. His original name was Eliakim; Pharaoh Neco changed it to Jehoiakim after deposing his brother Jehoahaz (II Chronicles 36:4). This name change marked Judah's subservience to Egypt. A heavy tribute was imposed on the land, which Jehoiakim raised by grinding taxation described in II Kings 23:35.
The reign spanned approximately 609, 598 BC, a period of shifting imperial powers. Egypt's hold weakened as Babylon rose under Nebuchadnezzar. By Jehoiakim's fourth year (606 BC), Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah, bound the king in bronze fetters, and intended to deport him to Babylon (II Chronicles 36:6; Daniel 1:1-2). Keil & Delitzsch argue the Chronicler's wording shows Jehoiakim was not actually deported, he remained a vassal until his death. The Babylonians instead carried off some temple vessels as a first step toward judgment.
J. A. Loubser at the Hebrew University notes that with his father Josiah dead, the reform movement lost royal support. Jehoiakim reversed the religious reforms, reintroduced idolatry, and suppressed prophetic voices. Jeremiah 26:20-23 records that Jehoiakim murdered the prophet Uriah, showing his hostility to God's word. The king also built an opulent palace by forced labor and refused to pay workers (Jeremiah 22:13-14). The Chronicler sums up this legacy with the phrase "his abominations which he did" (II Chronicles 36:8), a term connected to the worst covenant violations.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources mention no significant textual variants for II Chronicles 36:5. The verse closely parallels II Kings 23:36 in content, though the Chronicler omits the mother's name and the method of raising tribute. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The main textual question involves the surrounding passage (vv. 6-8) regarding whether Jehoiakim was actually carried to Babylon, but that debate centers on interpretation, not textual variants.
Reception History
In early Jewish tradition, Jehoiakim became a negative archetype, the ruler who knew God's law and rejected it. The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 103b) counts him among the kings who have no share in the world to come, so great was his evil. Christian interpreters such as Matthew Henry treated his reign as a warning that godly parents cannot guarantee their children's faith. Henry also highlights God's patience: God "has no pleasure in the ruin of sinners, but had rather they would turn and live." The Reformers, including the Geneva Bible annotators, saw in Jehoiakim a pattern of oppression and idolatry that earned divine judgment, stressing that outward political success (eleven years in Jerusalem) is no measure of God's favor. Across traditions, the verse has been read as a sober reminder that each generation must choose obedience afresh.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A promising start, a bitter end. Jehoiakim had Josiah as a father and Jeremiah as a contemporary. He wasted every advantage.
- Evil in God's sight, not just human opinion. The verdict comes from heaven's perspective. The Hebrew construction ha-ra' with the article points to a specific, notorious evil, not a slip but a settled pattern.
- The prophets spoke; he silenced them. Jeremiah's warnings, Uriah's blood, rejecting the messenger is rejecting the God who sent him.
Five-point outline
- Reversal of reformation. Josiah's covenant renewal undone in one generation.
- Economic exploitation. Building palaces with unpaid labor (Jeremiah 22:13).
- Idolatry without shame. The Chronicler calls his acts "abominations" (II Chronicles 36:8), language used for the worst pagan practices.
- Prophet-killing reign. Uriah's murder (Jeremiah 26:23) shows how far evil will go to silence truth.
- National disaster unleashed. Nebuchadnezzar's first invasion begins the countdown to exile.
Illustration hooks
- A legacy squandered: A son inherits a family business built on integrity, then cuts corners, cheats workers, and runs it into the ground, the whole community watches the collapse.
- Ignoring the check engine light: Jehoiakim had Jeremiah, Uriah, and the law itself, warning signals blinking. He kept driving until the engine seized.
- Power without accountability: A local official uses his position to demand bribes. Everyone knows it's wrong, but no one can stop him. Jehoiakim's story shows that God sees what man ignores.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How could someone raised by Josiah turn out so evil? (This touches on free will, parental influence, and personal responsibility.)
- Why does God let evil rulers stay in power so long? (Eleven years of Jehoiakim feels like an eternity to those crushed by his policies.)
- What difference does one person's evil make when the nation has already turned from God? (The Chronicler shows that leadership matters, one man's choices accelerate judgment.)
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits inside a larger story of decline. Before studying it, remind the group that Jehoiakim's father Josiah was one of Judah's most faithful kings. The son chose a different path entirely. As you work through the passage, watch for both the personal and the national consequences of that choice.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about the way the Chronicler introduces and evaluates Jehoiakim's reign? Compare the formula here with II Chronicles 36:2 for Jehoahaz.
- Why do you think the writer adds "his God" to the phrase "in the sight of Yahweh"? What does that detail reveal about Jehoiakim's relationship to the covenant?
- Read Jeremiah 22:13-19 and 26:20-23. What specific sins does Jeremiah name? How do those sins match the Chronicler's summary of "evil" and "abominations"?
- Jehoiakim reversed Josiah's reforms. In what settings today do you see similar reversals, a community or family abandoning a godly heritage?
- The verse does not record Jehoiakim's repentance. Why do you think the Chronicler includes no call to repent or any sign of change?
- How does knowing the historical context (Egyptian domination, rising Babylon, heavy taxation) help you understand why Jehoiakim acted as he did? Does context ever excuse the evil?
- What would it look like for a person today to "do evil in the sight of the LORD" while still claiming to know God? What safeguards protect against that disconnect?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Kings 23:36 | Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. |
| II Kings 23:37 | He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that his fathers had done. |
| Jeremiah 22:13 | “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and doesn’t give him his hire; |
| Jeremiah 22:19 | He will be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.” |
| Jeremiah 26:1 | In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from Yahweh: |
| Jeremiah 26:21 | When Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Uriah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt. |
| Jeremiah 26:23 | They fetched Uriah out of Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people. |
| Jeremiah 35:1 | The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Chronicler leaves out two details found in 2 Kings: Jehoiakim's mother's name and the fact that he raised the Egyptian indemnity through a poll tax. The focus instead is on his evil reign, with cross-references to Jeremiah and Kings that fill in the fuller picture.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Iehoiakim was fiue and twentie yeere old, when he began to reigne, and he reigned eleuen yeere in Ierusalem, and did euill in the sight of the Lord his God.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes that Jehoiakim willfully reversed his father Josiah's godly reforms, and the people eagerly welcomed the return to idolatrous license. As Egypt's puppet king, he compounded his evil by crushing his subjects with heavy taxes to satisfy his overlord's greed.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that Nebuchadnezzar did not actually deport King Jehoiakim to Babylon. He was bound in fetters but remained in Jerusalem as a vassal ruler until his death. The chronicler's standard succession formula confirms this, and the Hebrew infinitive must not be misread as a completed action.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Josiah's sweeping religious reforms, though sincere, could only heal the surface. The law itself proved powerless to produce lasting righteousness or avert the judgment already decreed against Judah. Josiah's personal piety delayed the end but could not change the nation's deep-seated unfaithfulness.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees the gradual destruction of Judah as a deliberate act of divine patience. God brings judgment step by step to show He takes no pleasure in punishing sinners, giving them both time and reason to repent while He waits to be gracious.