rogard the setting up of any king at Jem- of subjection (comp. Gen. xii. 45; Ezra v. ealem without his sanction as an act of 14; Dan. i. 7; and also eh. xxiv. 17), but contumacy on the part of a nation which left the choice of th(J name to himself. He had been practically conquered by the made the change as slight as possible, merely complete defeat of Josiah at Megiddo. substituting "Jehove.h" for "El" oe the Whether his conduot in seizing Jehoahaz initiol element. The sense or the name after inviting him to a conference wo.s justi- remained the same," God will set up." The fiable or not may be questioned; but, in idea that Nechoh was pleased with the new point of fact, he did but use the right of the name on account of its apparent connection conqueror somewhat harshly. And put the with the Egyptian moon-god, Aah ()1enzel), land to a tribute of an hUJ1dred talents of is very fanciful. And took lehoahaz away 8ilver, and a talent of gold. (So Josephus, --i.e. carried him captive to Egypt (see l. ,. o.) The tribute was a very moderate one. Jer. xxii. 10, 11; Ezek. xix. 4), a very A century earlier Sennacherib bad enacted common practice of Egyptian conquerors, a tribute of three hundred talents of eil ver, and one often accompanied by extreme and thirty of gold (eee above, eh. xviil. 14). severitiee-e.nd he oame to Egypt, e.nd died We may, conjecture that Nechoh wished to there (see Jer. JU.ii. 12, where this is pro- conciliate the J ewe, regarding them as phesied). capable of rendering him good service in Ver. 35.-And .Jehoiakim ge.ve th3 silver the struggle, on which he hltod entered, with e.nd the gold to Phare.oh. Jehoiakim, i.e., Babylon, paid the tribute, which Nechoh bad fixed (ver. 38), regularly. He did not, however, Vera. 84-37.-A0CESSION AND EARLY pe.y it out of the state treasury, which was YEARS OF JEHOIA.KDI. Pharaoh-Nechoh, exhausted. But he taxed the land to give when he deposed Jehoahe.z, at onco supplied the money e.coording to the comme.ndment his place by another king. He he.d no of Phare.oh: he exacted the silver e.nd the gold of the people of the land, of every one intention of altering the governmental according to his taxation, to give it UJ1to system of Palestine, or of ruling hie con- Phare.oh-Nechoh; rather, he had the lanrl qucete in any other way than through valued (comp. Lev. xxvii 8), and "exacted dependent mone.rchs. His choice fell on the silver and the gold of the people of the Josiab's eldest surviving son (1 Chron. iii. land, of every one according to his 1Jalua- tion." 15), Eliakim, who was the nature.I successor Ver. 36.-.Jehoiakim was twenty and fin of his father. Elio.kim, on ascending the years old when he bega.n to reign-he was throne, changed his name, as Jehoahaz therefore two years older tlle.n his brother appears to have done (see the comment on Jehoahe.z (see the comment on var. 81)- ver, 81), and reigned as Jehoio.kim. For e.nd he reigned eleven yee.ra in J ensa.lem -probably from e.o. 608 to B.c. 5()7-and three years (B.o. 608-605) he continued a hia mother's name was Zebudah-he was, snbmissi ve vassal of the Egyptian monarch, therefore. only half-brother to Jehoallaz and and remitted him his tribute regularly (ver. Zedekiah, whose mother was "Hamutal " 36). But his rule was in all respects an (see ver. 91 e.nd eh. xxiv. 18)-the de.ughter evil one. He" did that which was evil in of Pedaiah of Bn.mah. " Rumah " is pro- bably the same city as the "Arumah" of the eight of the Lord" (ver. 37). He leant Judg. ix. 41, which was in the vicinity of towards idolatry (2 Chron. xxxvi. 8); he Shechem. was oppressive and irreligious (Josephus, Ver. 87.-And he did that which was evil • Ant. Jud.,' x. 5. § 2); he "shed innocent in the sight of the Lord, according to e.11 blood" (J er. xxii. 17); he was luxurious the.t hia fathers had done. Jeremie.h snys of Jehoiakim, "Woe unto him that built.leth (Jer. xxii. 14, 15), covetous (Jer. xxii. 17), his house by unrighteousness, and his e.nd tyranuice.l (Ezek. xix. 6). che.mbers by wrong; tho.t nseth his neigh- bour's service without wages, and giveth Ver. M.-And Phe.raoh-ll'eohoh me.de Elia- him not for his work; that saith, I will kim the son of .Josiah king in the room of build me a le.rge house and wide chambers, Josiah his father. (On the general inclina- and cutteth him out windows; and it is tion of Oriental monarchs to support the ceiled with cedRr, and painted with ver- hereditary principle, and to establish sons milion. Slialt thou reign, booauee thou in their futhers' governments, even when closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father the father's had been rebels or enemies, see eat e.nd drink, nnd do judgment and justice, Herod., iii. 15.) And turned hia name to and then it was well with him? He jut.lged J'ehoiakim, We may understand that Neohoh the oause of the poor and needy; then it required him to take e. new ne.me, e.s e. mark wt1r well with him : we.a not thi■ to know 46'.! THE SECOND DOOK OF THE KINGS. [en. xxm. 1-37.
me ? saith the Lord. But thine eyes and foreign rites extirpa.ted by his father, he thine heart are not but for thy oovetoUll- a.dded Egyptinu rites to their number. Tho n-, and for to shed innooent blood, and tyranny ,v hioh ho practised was likewise of for oppression, and for violenoe, to do it" a.n Egyptfan ea.at, including, as it did, the (Jer. xxii. 13-17). Josephus calls him exaction of forced labour from his subjeots "an unju~t man and an evil-doer, neither (Jor. xxii. 13), an old custom of the pious in his relations towards God, nor Pharaohs, and it is quite possible that hi1 equitable in his doolings with his fellow- "passion for building splendid ond costly men" (' Ant. Jud.,' x. 5. § 2). His execu- houses" (Ewald) wns a.wakened by his tion of Urija.h, the son of Shemaiah, for knowledge of the magoificenoe which oha- prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem raoterized the mon(U'Chs of the Soitio (Jer. xxvi. 20-23), W8.8 a.n act at once of dynasty, who revived in Egypt the archi- eruelty and impiety. It is suspected (Ewald, tectural glories of the Rames:lides (see Herod., • History of Israel,' vol. iv. p. 252) that, ii. 153, 175, 176). besides reintroducing into Judah all the