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2
Chronicles Chapter Thirty-six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 36
This
chapter records the reigns of the four kings of Judah, and the captivity of the
Jews, the short reign of Jehoahaz, deposed by the king of Egypt, and his
brother Eliakim or Jehoiakim set up in his room, 2 Chronicles 36:1,
the reign of Jehoiakim, who was bound and carried away by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Chronicles 36:5,
the reign of Jehoiachin his son, who also in a short time was taken and carried
to Babylon by the same king, 2 Chronicles 36:9,
the reign of Zedekiah, who also rebelled against the king of Babylon, and he
and his people were taken and carried captive by him for his sins, which are
here mentioned, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah, and where the Jews
continued until the reign of the kingdom of Persia, 2 Chronicles 36:11
and the chapter is concluded with the proclamation of Cyrus king of Persia, and
with which also the next book begins, 2 Chronicles 36:22.
2 Chronicles
36:1 Then the people
of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s
place in Jerusalem.
YLT
1And the people of the land
take Jehoahaz son of Josiah, and cause him to reign instead of his father in
Jerusalem.
Verses 1-13
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah,.... Of whose
reign, and of the three following, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, and the
account of them, from hence to the end of 2 Chronicles 36:13,
what needs explanation or reconciliation; see Gill on 2 Kings 23:31, 2 Kings 23:32, 2 Kings 23:33, 2 Kings 23:34, 2 Kings 23:35, 2 Kings 23:36, 2 Kings 23:37, 2 Kings 24:5, 2 Kings 24:6, 2 Kings 24:8, 2 Kings 24:10, 2 Kings 24:17, 2 Kings 24:18
2 Chronicles
36:2 2 Jehoahaz[a] was
twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in
Jerusalem.
YLT
2A son of three and twenty
years [is] Jehoahaz in his reigning, and three months he hath reigned in
Jerusalem,
2 Chronicles
36:3 3 Now
the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a
tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
YLT
3and turn him aside doth the
king of Egypt in Jerusalem, and fineth the land a hundred talents of silver,
and a talent of gold;
2 Chronicles
36:4 4 Then
the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s[b] brother
Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And
Necho took Jehoahaz[c] his
brother and carried him off to Egypt.
YLT
4and the king of Egypt
causeth Eliakim his brother to reign over Judah and Jerusalem, and turneth his
name to Jehoiakim; and Jehoahaz his brother hath Necho taken, and bringeth him
in to Egypt.
2 Chronicles 36:5 5 Jehoiakim was
twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in
Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God.
YLT
5A 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;
2 Chronicles 36:6 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry
him off to Babylon.
YLT
6against him hath
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon come up, and bindeth him in brazen fetters to
take him away to Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36:7 7 Nebuchadnezzar also
carried off some of the articles from the house of the Lord to Babylon,
and put them in his temple at Babylon.
YLT
7And of the vessels of the
house of Jehovah hath Nebuchadnezzar brought in to Babylon, and putteth them in
his temple in Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36:8 8 Now the rest of the acts
of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him,
indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
YLT
8And the rest of the matters
of Jehoiakim, and his abominations that he hath done, and that which is found
against him, lo, they are written on the book of the kings of Israel and Judah,
and reign doth Jehoiachin his son in his stead.
2 Chronicles 36:9 9 Jehoiachin was
eight[d] years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And
he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
YLT
9A son of eight years is
Jehoiachin in his reigning, and three months and ten days he hath reigned in
Jerusalem, and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah;
2 Chronicles 36:10 10 At the turn of the year
King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, with the
costly articles from the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah, Jehoiakim’s[e] brother,
king over Judah and Jerusalem.
YLT
10and at the turn of the year
hath king Nebuchadnezzar sent and bringeth him in to Babylon, with the
desirable vessels of the house of Jehovah, and causeth Zedekiah his brother to
reign over Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:11 11 Zedekiah was
twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in
Jerusalem.
YLT
11A son of twenty and one
years [is] Zedekiah in his reigning, and eleven years he hath reigned in
Jerusalem;
2 Chronicles 36:12 12 He did evil in the sight
of the Lord
his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who
spoke from the mouth of the Lord.
YLT
12and he doth the evil thing
in the eyes of Jehovah his God, he hath not been humbled before Jeremiah the
prophet [speaking] from the mouth of Jehovah;
2 Chronicles 36:13 13 And he also rebelled
against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but
he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel.
YLT
13and also, against king
Nebuchadnezzar he hath rebelled, who had caused him to swear by God, and he
hardeneth his neck, and strengtheneth his heart, against turning back unto
Jehovah, God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 36:14 14 Moreover all the leaders
of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to
all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had
consecrated in Jerusalem.
YLT
14Also, all the heads of the
priests, and the people, having multiplied to commit a trespass according to
all the abominations of the nations, and they defile the house of Jehovah that
He hath sanctified in Jerusalem.
Moreover, the chief of the priests, and of the people,
transgressed very much after all the abominations of the Heathens,.... The
priests, and even the chief of them, who should have instructed the people in
the duties of religion, and retained them in the pure worship of God, these
were the ringleaders of idolatry, who led the people to commit all the
idolatries of the Heathens round about them; and of the people, all ranks and
degrees of them were corrupted with them; this was their case in several of the
preceding reigns, and now a little before the destruction of them:
and polluted the house of the Lord, which he had hallowed in
Jerusalem; the temple dedicated to his worship there; this they defiled, by
setting up idols in it.
2 Chronicles 36:15 15 And the Lord God of their
fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and
sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His
dwelling place.
YLT
15And Jehovah, God of their
fathers, sendeth unto them by the hand of His messengers -- rising early and
sending -- for He hath had pity on His people, and on His habitation,
And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers,.... The
prophets of the Lord, to admonish them of their idolatries, and to reprove them
for them, to warn them of the wrath of God that would come upon them on that
account, unless they repented and reformed; these were at the beginning of
their apostasy, and were successively continued unto this time, as Ahijah,
Elijah, and others, in the first times of it; Amos, Isaiah, and others, in the
middle of it; and Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Ezekiel, towards the close of it:
rising up betimes, and sending; which is either to be
understood of the Lord, and as expressive of his care and diligence, like the
master of a family, solicitous for the good of it; or of the messengers, the
prophets, who made haste to go or send their prophecies and instructions to
reclaim the people; the phrase is often to be met with in the prophecy of
Jeremiah; see Gill on Jeremiah 11:7,
because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwellingplace; being
unwilling they should come to ruin, and perish, and their city and temple be
destroyed where they dwelt.
2 Chronicles 36:16 16 But they mocked the
messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the
wrath of the Lord
arose against His people, till there was no remedy.
YLT
16and they are mocking at the
messengers of God, and despising His words, and acting deceitfully with His
prophets, till the going up of the fury of Jehovah against His people -- till
there is no healing.
But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words,.... Which was
the treatment Jeremiah and Ezekiel frequently met with:
and misused his prophets; imprisoned them, as
Micaiah and Jeremiah were:
until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people; which burned
like fire in his breast, and broke out to the consumption of them:
till there was no remedy; or healing of them;
there was no reclaiming or recovering of them, no bringing them to repentance,
and no pardon for them.
2 Chronicles 36:17 17 Therefore He brought
against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the
sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or
virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand.
YLT
17And He causeth to go up
against them the king of the Chaldeans, and he slayeth their chosen ones by the
sword in the house of their sanctuary, and hath had no pity on young man and
virgin, old man and very aged -- the whole He hath given into his hand.
Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees,....
Nebuchadnezzar; and though it was the rebellion of Zedekiah which was the cause
and occasion of his coming against them, yet it was the Lord that moved him to
it, and gave him success:
who slew their young men with the sword, in the house of the
sanctuary; in the temple, where they took sanctuary, imagining that sacred
place would protect them from the rage of the enemy, but it did not:
and had no compassion on young man or maiden, old man, or him that
stooped for age; spared none on account of age or sex, but put them all to the
sword, or carried them captive:
he gave them into his hand; that is, the Lord
delivered them into the hand of the king of Babylon, for their sins.
2 Chronicles 36:18 18 And all the articles from
the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the
treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon.
YLT
18And all the vessels of the
house of God, the great and the small, and the treasures of the house of
Jehovah, and the treasures of the king and of his princes -- the whole he hath
brought in to Babylon.
And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small,.... All that
were left; for some had been carried away in both the reigns preceding:
and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of
the king and of his princes; which became the spoil and booty of the
soldiers:
all these he brought to Babylon; the vessels were laid up
there, and restored when Cyrus took it; but the treasures were no doubt in part
taken for his own use, and the rest divided in the army.
2 Chronicles 36:19 19 Then they burned the house
of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and
destroyed all its precious possessions.
YLT
19And they burn the house of
God, and break down the wall of Jerusalem, and all its palaces they have burnt
with fire, and all its desirable vessels -- to destruction.
And they burnt the house of the Lord,.... The
temple; of which, and what follows in this verse; see Gill on Jeremiah 52:13; see
Gill on Jeremiah 52:14.
2 Chronicles 36:20 20 And those who escaped from
the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his
sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,
YLT
20And he removeth those left
of the sword unto Babylon, and they are to him and to his sons for servants,
till the reigning of the kingdom of Persia,
And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away captive,.... The king
of Babylon, or his general by his orders, excepting some poor persons left to
till the land, see Jeremiah 52:15,
where they were servants to him and his sons; his son
Evilmerodach, and his grandson Belshazzar; see Gill on Jeremiah 27:7,
until the reign of the kingdom of Persia; until that
monarchy began, as it did upon the taking of Babylon by Cyrus king of Persia.
This is the first place we meet with this name of Persia in Scripture. The
Arabic writers differ about the origin of it; some derive it from Pars the son
of Arsham (Arphaxad), the son of Shem; others from Pars the son of Amur, the
son of Japheth; and others say Pars was the son of Elam, the son of Shem, the
son of NoahF1Hyde, Hist. Relig. Vet. Pers. c. 35. p. 418, 419. ; but
BochartF2Phaleg. l. 4. c. 10. col. 224. , seems to be most correct
in the derivation of the word, who observes, from XenophonF3Cyropaedia,
l. 1. c. 11. & l. 4. c. 17, 18. , horses were very rare in this country;
and very few could ride them before the times of Cyrus, who taught his foot
soldiers to ride horses; and hence it became common, so that none of the best
men of the land cared to be seen on foot; yea, he made a law, that it should be
reckoned infamous if any of those he had taught the art of riding were seen to
go on foot, though ever so little a way; from this sudden change made in his
time the people were called Persians, and the country Persia; in the Arabic
language, "pharas" signifying a horse, and "pharis" a horseman;
and the same writer observes, that hence it is that no mention is made of this
country, in the name of Persia, by Isaiah and Jeremiah; but by Ezekiel and
Daniel, who were contemporary with Cyrus; and in this book and the following
historical ones, which were wrote after the Babylonish captivity, as their
history shows; and that this book was, is clear from the preceding clause, as
well as from the three last verses.
2 Chronicles 36:21 21 to fulfill the word of the
Lord by the mouth
of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay
desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
YLT
21to fulfil the word of
Jehovah in the mouth of Jeremiah, till the land hath enjoyed its sabbaths; all
the days of the desolation it kept sabbath -- to the fulness of seventy years.
To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah,.... That is,
the Jews were so long servants in Babylon, as in the preceding verse, to
accomplish Jeremiah's prophecy of it, 2 Chronicles 25:12.
until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths; the
sabbatical years, or seventh year sabbaths, which, according to the law of the
land, was to rest from being tilled, Leviticus 25:4,
which law had been neglected by the Jews, and now, whether they would or not,
the land should have rest for want of persons to till it:
for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil
threescore and ten years; as threatened in Leviticus 26:34 on
which text Jarchi observes, that at the destruction of the first temple the law
concerning the sabbath, or rest of the land had been neglected four hundred and
thirty years, in which space were sixty nine sabbatical years; and, according
to MaimonidesF4Hilchot Shemitah Veyobel, c. 10. sect. 3. , it was at
the end of a sabbatic year that the city and temple were destroyed, and so just
seventy years had been neglected, and the land was tilled in them as in other
years, and now it had rest that exact number of years; but of this we cannot be
certain, though it is probable.
2 Chronicles 36:22 22 Now in the first year of
Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth
of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom,
and also put it in writing, saying,
YLT
22And in the first year of
Cyrus king of Persia, at the completion of the word of Jehovah in the mouth of
Jeremiah, hath Jehovah waked up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he
causeth an intimation to pass over into all his kingdom, and also in writing,
saying,
Verse 22-23
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,.... These two
verses are the same with which the next book, the book of Ezra, begins, where
they will be explained; and these two books, the one ending and the other
beginning with the same words, is a strong presumption, that one and the same
person, Ezra, is the writer of them both; or rather, as a learnedF5Dr.
Kennicott's Dissert. 1. p. 492, &c. writer conjectures, these two verses
are added by some transcriber, who, having finished the book of Chronicles at
verse twenty one went on with the book of Ezra, without any stop; but,
perceiving his mistake, broke off abruptly; for so it is plain these verses
conclude; however, this shows, as the same writer observes, that the book of
Ezra followed that of the Chronicles, in the Hebrew copies, though it now does
not.
2 Chronicles
36:23 23 Thus
says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven
has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which
is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be
with him, and let him go up!
YLT
23`Thus said Cyrus king of
Persia, All kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, God of the heavens, given to
me, and He hath laid a charge on me to build to Him a house in Jerusalem, that
[is] in Judah; who is among you of all His people? Jehovah his God [is] with
him, and he doth go up.'
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)