Jeconiah

Jehoiachin
King of Judah
Jehoiachin, king of Judah
Reign	598 BC – 597 BC
Predecessor	Jehoiakim
Successor	Zedekiah
Born	c. 615 or 605 BC Jerusalem
Died	Babylon
House	House of David
Father	Jehoiakim
Mother	Nehushta

Jehoiachin (Hebrew: יְהוֹיָכִין), also called Jeconiah, was the second to last King of Judah. He ruled for a short time, from 598 BC to 597 BC.

King of Judah

Jehoiachin was the son of Jehoiakim. He became king when his father died. He ruled for only three months. During his reign, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II attacked Jerusalem. Jehoiachin surrendered to the Babylonians. The city was looted, and many important people were taken to Babylon. Jehoiachin was also taken as a prisoner. The prophet Ezekiel was among the people taken into exile.

Life in Babylon

Even while in Babylon, some Jews still thought of Jehoiachin as the true king. Many years later, in 562 BC, he was released from prison by the Babylonian king Amel-Marduk.

Clay tablets found in Babylon mention Jehoiachin and his sons. These tablets show that he received food and oil from the royal storehouses.

In the Bible

Jehoiachin is named in the Gospel of Matthew as an ancestor of Jesus. Matthew 1:12 says that Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel.