Pharaoh-nechoh invades

A. M. 3394. B. C. 610.

26 Notwithstanding, the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the 13 provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. 27 And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

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of idolatry, not only in Judah, but in Israel also; and in the establishment of the true religion in all his dominions, and in the conforming of his own life, and his people's too, (as far as he could,) to the holy law of God: though Hezekiah might excel him in some particulars.

Verse 26. Notwithstanding, the Lord turned not, &c.—Because, though the king was most hearty in his repentance, and acceptable to God, and therefore the judgment was delayed for his time; yet the people were in general corrupt, and secretly averse from Josiah's pious reformation, as appears from the complaints of the prophets, especially Jeremiah and Zephaniah, against them; and by the following history, wherein we see, that as soon as ever Josiah was gone, his children, and the princes, and the people, suddenly and greedily returned to their former abominations. Because of all the provocations, &c. The sins of Manasseh, and of the men of his generation, who concurred with him in his idolatrous and cruel practices, are justly punished in this generation: because of God's sovereign right of punishing sinners when he sees fit; because of that public declaration of God, that he would visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children; and principally, because these men had never sincerely repented of their own nor of their fathers' sins.

Verse 27. I will cast off this city, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there-God promised upon conditions, in sundry places expressed, that his name should be there. These conditions they broke, and therefore God justly made them to know his breach of promise.

Verse 29. In his days Pharaoh-nechoh, king of Egypt, went up, &c.—According to Herodotus, Nechoh was the proper name of this monarch, Pharaoh being the general name of all their kings, as has been before observed in these notes. He tells us he was the son and successor of Psammeticus, king of Egypt, and a man of a bold and enterprising spirit; that he made an attempt to join the Nile and the Red sea, by drawing a canal from the one to the other; that,

r

Assyria, and slays Josiah.

B. C. 610.

29 In his days Pharaoh-nechoh A. M. 3394. king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and King Josiah went against him; and he slew him at P Megiddo, when he had seen him. 30 And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made. him king in his father's stead.

314 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's

• 2 Chron. xxxv. 20.-p Zech. xii. 11.- - Chapter xiv. 8. r 2 Chron. xxxv. 24.- -s 2 Chron. xxxvi. 1.- 14 Called Shal lum, 1 Chron. iii. 15; Jer. xxii. 11.

though he failed in this design, yet, by sending a fleet from the Red sea, through the straits of Babelmandel, he discovered the coast of Africa, and in this expedition to the Euphrates, intended to destroy the united force of the Babylonians and Medes, and thereby to obtain the whole monarchy of Asia. See Prideaux's Connect., and Calmet's Dict. Went up against the king of Assyria-The king of Babylon, who, having formerly rebelled against the Assyrian, had now conquered him, as appears by the course of the sacred, and the concurrence of profane history; and therefore is here and elsewhere called the Assyrian, and the king of Assyria, because now he was the head of that empire. To the river Euphrates— Against Carchemish by Euphrates, as it is expressed 2 Chron. xxxv. 20, which the Assyrian had taken from Pharaoh's confederates, who therefore sends forces against the Assyrian, that he might both help them and secure himself. Josiah went against him --Either to defend his own country from Pharaoh's incursions, or to assist the king of Babylon, with whom he seems to have been in league. And he slew him at Megiddo-Gave him his death-wound there, though he died not till he came to Jerusalem. When he had seen him-When he fought with him, or in the first onset. Megiddo was a city in the halftribe of Manesseh, not far from the Mediterranean sea. It does not appear that Josiah had any clear call to engage in this war; possibly he received his death-wound as a punishment of his rashness. Mr. Locke, however, observes, that from the time of the carrying away of Manasseh, the kings of Judah were under the protection of the Babylonians; and that Josiah, being most piously observant of his faith, would not grant a passage to this enemy of the king of Babylon, and therefore went against him.

Verse 30. His servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo-That is, mortally wounded, as in the former verse; and, as we commonly say of a sick man, past hopes of recovery, that he is a dead man. Instead of dead, Houbigant reads dying.

Nebuchadnezzar invades

Judea with a great army.

B. C. 600.

B. C. 600.

4. And also for the innocent blood that he shed, (for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood,) which the LORD would not pardon. 5

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a 2 Chron. xxxvi. 6; Jer. xxv. 1, 9; Dan. i. 1.b Ezekiel xix. 8; Jer. xxv. 9; xxxii. 28.-— Chap. xx. 17; xxi. 12, 14; xxiii. 27.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXIV. Verse 1. In his days-That is, in Jehoiakim's reign; and, according to Dan. i. 1, compared with Jer. xxv. 1, in the end of the third, or the beginning of the fourth year of it; came up Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon-Son of Nebopolassar, who, having subdued Assyria, soon made himself absolute monarch of all that part of the world. He probably left Babylon in the third year of Jehoiakim, and reduced him in his fourth year. According to Jer. xlvi. 2, he smote the army of Pharaoh-nechoh near the river Euphrates. He then attacked Jehoiakim, as the friend and ally of Pharaoh, and having taken him prisoner, "put him in chains to carry him to Babylon." But as Jehoiakim submitted, and agreed to become tributary to him, Nebuchadnezzar released him. He carried away, however, some of the gold and silver vessels of the temple, and some of the most considerable persons of the kingdom, among whom were Daniel and his companions, Dan. i. 1-7. And Jehoiakim became his servant three years That is, was subject to him, and paid him tribute. Then he turned and rebelled against him-Being instigated so to do by the king of Egypt, who promised him his utmost assistance if he would shake off the yoke of the king of Babylon, and threatened he would declare him an enemy, and make war upon him, if he would not.

Verse 2. The Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees-Including, probably, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites, who were all now subject to the king of Babylon, and many of them engaged as soldiers in his service. Doubtless they were ordered by Nebuchadnezzar to attack and chastise Jehoiakim and the revolted Jews; yet no mention is here made of their commission from the king of Babylon, but only of that from the King of kings: the Lord sent them. And again, (verse 3,) Surely upon the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah; otherwise the order of Nebuchadnezzar could not

B. C. 599.

7 ¶ And the king of Egypt came not again.

Hebrew, by the hand of Chapter xxi. 2, 11; xxiii. 26 Chapter xxi. 16.- 2 Chronicles xxxvi. 6, 8; Jer. xxii. 18 xxxvi. 30. Jer. xxxvii. 5, 7.

have brought it. Many are serving God's purposes, who are not aware of it.

Verses 3, 4. To remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh-Properly and directly for their own sins, and remotely for the sins of Manasseh; who had so corrupted the whole body of the people, that they were become incurable, and Josiah's reformation had no lasting influence to recover them: for, immediately upon his death, they relapsed into their old idolatry, and other vices. Manasseh's personal sins, although, as he was their chief ruler, they were to be considered as national sins, and merited national punishment, yet would never have been charged on the nation, unless they had made them their own by their impenitency for them, and repetition of them. And for the innocent blood which he shed-Namely, of those prophets and saints, who either reproved, or would not comply with his idolatrous worship. Which the Lord would not pardon-That is, would not remit the temporal punishment of the land, though he did pardon it so as not to inflict eternal punishment upon his own person, for from that God undoubtedly exempted him upon his repentance. God is the righteous governor of the world, and the guardian of civil society, and in it order could not be preserved, if he did not interpose in his providence, and, on proper occasions, cause signal and national judgments to follow public and national crimes.

Verse 6. So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers-But it is not said he was buried with them. No doubt the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled, that he should not be lamented as his father was, but buried with the burial of an ass. Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead-Called also Jechoniah, 1 Chron. iii. 16, and in a way of contempt Coniah, Jer. xxii. 24.

Verse 7. The king of Egypt came not again out of his own land-In this king's days. He could not now come to protect the king of Judah, being scarce able to defend his own kingdom.

Nebuchadnezzar carries away

B. C. 599.

B. C. 599.

82 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had

done.

10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city 3 was besieged.

Jer. xlvi. 2. Called Jeconiah, 1 Chronicles iii. 16; Jer. iv. 1; and Coniah, Jer. xxii. 24, 28.-i 2 Chron. xxxvi. 9. Dan. i. 1. Heb. came into siege. Jer. xxiv. 1; xxix. 1; Ezek. xvii. 12.

Verse 8. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign-In 2 Chron. xxxvi. 9, it is said that he was eight years old when he began to reign. But as both the Syriac and Arabic versions in that place read eighteen, it seems most reasonable to believe that the transcriber of the book of Chronicles made a mistake, and wrote eight for eighteen. Poole, however, and many other commentators, suppose that both places are correct, and that in his eighth year he began to reign with his father, who made him king with him, as divers other kings of Israel and Judah had acted in times of trouble; and that in his eighteenth year he reigned alone. Jehoiachin's succeeding his father in the throne of Judah may seem to disagree with the threat which the prophet denounces against his father, Jer. xxxvi. 30, He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David; but as Jehoiachin's reign lasted little more than three months, during which time he was absolutely subject to the Chaldeans, a reign of so short continuance, and of so small authority, may well be looked upon as nothing: see Ezek. xix. 6, &c. Verse 10. The servants of Nebuchadnezzar came up against Jerusalem-Either, 1st, Because the people had made Jehoiachin king without his conseat: or, 2d, Because he had some notice, or at least a suspicion, of his intentions to rebel and join with Egypt against him, as Zedekiah his successor did. But whatever was the second and immediate cause of it, the chief cause was God's commandment, or the direction of his providence, as was said verse 3. Verse 12. Jehoiachin went out to the king of Babylon-Yielded up himself and the city into his hands; and this by the counsel of Jeremiah, and to his own good. In the eighth year of his reign-Of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, as appears by comparing this with chap. xxv. 8; and because Jehoiachin reignel not half a year. Had he made his peace with God, and taken the method that Hezekiah did in the like case, he needed not to have feared the king of

12 And Jehoiachin the king of Ju- B. C. 599. dah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: m and the king of Babylon " took him in the eighth year of his reign.

13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and a cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and

Or, eunuchs. Nebuchadnezzar's eighth year, Jeremiah xxv. 1.- -n Chapter xxv. 27. Jeremiah lii. 28.-P Chap. xx. 17; Isaiah xxxix. 6.- -9 Daniel v. 2. Jeremiah xx. 5. ་ Jeremiah xxiv. 1.

Babylon, but might have held out with courage, honour, and success. But, wanting the faith and piety of an Israelite, he had not the resolution of a man.

Verse 13. He carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord-Nebuchadnezzar carried away the treasures and rich furniture of the temple at three different times: First, In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, when he first took Jerusalem, he carried a part of the vessels of the house of God into the land of Shinar, and put them in the house of his god, Dan. i. 2. These were the vessels which his son Belshazzar profaned, (Dan. v. 2,) and which Cyrus restored to the Jews, (Ezra i. 7,) to be set up in the temple again, when rebuilt: Secondly, In the reign of this Jehoiachin he took the city again, and cut in pieces a great part of the vessels of gold which Solomon had made, and which, through some means, had escaped his former plunder, and the plunder of the kings of Egypt and Israel, who had rifled the city and temple more than once; perhaps being preserved from them by the care of the priests, who hid them, or by the special providence of God, disposing their hearts to leave them. Or if these vessels had been taken away by any of these kings, they might afterward be recovered at the cost of the pious kings of Judah: Thirdly, In the eleventh year of Zedekiah he pillaged the temple once more, when he broke in pieces the pillars of brass, &c., and took away all the vessels of silver and gold that he could find, and carried them to Babylon, chap. xxv. 13. It is something strange, that among all this inventory, no mention is made of the ark of the covenant, which, of all other things, was held most sacred. But it is very probable that it was burned, together with the temple, in the last desolation; for what some say of its being hidden by the Prophet Jeremiah in a certain cave in mount Nebo, is a mere fable. See Calmet's Comment. and Dissert, on the Ark.

Verse 14. He carried away all Jerusalem--That