The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 428

4, 21i, 2i), itnd courtiersofrank(Jer. xxxviii. kiah pursued nearly the Btime course of 7), nnd "capto.ins of foraes" (Jer. xl. 7), and action tis the other recent kiugs. Ho showed "men of ".mr" (Jer.)ii. 7). But the bulk of no religious zeal, instituted no reform, hut the 111hnb1t.ante now left behind in Jeruea- lem were poor and of small account. allowed the idolatrous practices, to which Ver. 15.-And he carried away 1ehoiaohin the people were so addicted, to continue to ~ab~lon (~mp. ~.Chron. xxxvi.10; Jer. (ver. UI). Though Iese irreligioue and less xxH. 2(5; xuv. 1; ln. 31; Josephus, •Ant. iucliucd to persecute than Jchoioldm, ho Jud ..' x. 7. § 1). Jehoiachin continued a captive in Babylon during the remainder of could not bring himself to turn to God. He Nebuchadnezzar's reign-a space of thirty- was weak and vacillating, inclined to follow seven years (see the comment ou eh. xxv. the counsels of Jeremiiih, but afro.id of the 27). And the king's mother (see above, ver. "princes," and ultimately took their ad vice 12), an~ the king's wi".es-this is import.-t11t, which was to ally himself with Egypt, 0,nd as bclpmg to determme Jehoiacbin's ao-e openly rebel against Nebuchadnezzar. This (see the comment on ver. 8)-and his office~s -rather, his eumtchB (comp. Jer. xxxviii. 7; course of oonduct brought about the destruc- x:a:1x. 16)-and the mighty of the land. tion of the nation (ver. 20). Not only the " princes" and the tminetl soldiers and the skilled artisans (ver. 14), Ver. 17.-And the King of :Babylon made but all who were of much account as the Ma"'ttaniah his father's brother king in his bnlk o_f the priests and the propb~ts (see stead. Josio.h bad four sons (1 Cbron. iii. Jer. xx1x. 1-2!). Those carried he into cap- l~)-Jobano.n, the elucst, who probably tivity ~m Jerusalem to Babylon. "Baby- died before his fo.ther ; J ehoiakim, or Elin- lon" ('7~~) is the city, not the country (as lrim, the second, who was twenty-five years Thcuius imagines). It waa the practice for old at his father's death (eh. niii. 36), the conquering kings to carry their captives J.,hoo.hoz, the third, otherwise co.lied Sha!: with them to their capital, for ostentation's 1nm (1 Chron., l. s. e.; Jer. xxii. 11), who sake, before determiuing on their desti- when his father died, was aged twenty-thre~ nation. The Jewish prisoners were, no (eh. :z:xiii. 81); and Mattaninh, the youngest, doubt, u!timately settled in various parts of who must h0,ve been then aged teu or nine. ~1lli}lonw.. ~ence they are called (Ezra It was this fourth son, now grown to mnn- 11. I ; N eh. vu. 6) "the children of the hcod, whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed promnce." king in Jehoio.chin's room. And chana-ed ,er. 16.-And all the men of might-i.e. his name 1o Zedek:iah. (On the practice" of "the mi~hty men of valour" (or, "trained changing e. king's name on his accessiou, soldiers") of ver. 14--even seven thoueand, see the comment upon eh. xxiii. 31, 34.) Mo.ttnniah means "Gift of Jehovah·" and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all Zedekiah, "Righteousnese of Jehovah." that were strong and apt for war-the Josiah bad called his son the first of these craftsmen and smiths would be pressed into names in humble aeknowledgment of God's the ruili tary service in the event of a siege mercy in granting him a fourth son. So -nen them the King of :Babylon brought other pious Jews called their sons" Nutha- captive to Babylon; i.e. he brought to Babylon, not only the royo.l personages, the niel," and Greeks " Theodotua " or " Theo- dorus,'' and Romans "Deodo.tua." Mat- officials of the court, and the captives who taniah, in taking the second of the names, belonged to the upper classes (ver. 15), but may have bad iu his mind the prophecy also the entire military force which he ha.d of Jeremiah (xxiii. 5-8), where blessings deported, and the thousand skilled artificers. are promised to the reign of a king whoso All, without exception, were conducted to no.me should be " Jehouah-tsidl.-enu," i.e. the capital "The Lord our Righteousness." Or he may V ers. 17 - 20. - EABLIEB POBTION OP simply have intended to declare thnt "the ZEI>ElilAH's REIGN. Nebuchadnezzar found righteousness of Jehovah" was what he a aon of Josiah, named Mattaniah. still sur- aimed at establishing. In this c11Se it co.n only be said that it would have been happy viving at Jerusalem. At his father's death for his country, h0,d hie profeesious been he mllllt have been a boy of ten, but he was corroborated by his acts. now, eleven years later, of the age of twenty. Ver. 18,-Zedekiah was twenty and one one. This youth, only three years older years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in 1erusalem; Prob- than his nephew Jehoiachin, he appointed ably from B.O. 597 to B.o. 586. Ifo wa~ king, o.t the BO.Ille time requiring him to thus contem_P.?rary with Nebuchadnezzar in change his name, which he did from "Mat- Ba.bJlon, with Cyaxares and Astyo.ges io t.e.nie.h" l.o "Zedekia.b" (ver. 17). Zede- Media, a11<1 with Penmntik ll. a11d U~o.p-ra ou. xxrv. 1-20.J 'l'HE SECOND DOOK OF 'l'HE KINGS. 4i9