Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XXIV.

Vers. 1. IN his dayes Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, &c.] About three years it is evident that Jehoiakim did peaceably enjoy the throne of Judah, whereon Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt had set him: for it was the third yeare of Jehoiakim ere the Babylonians came up against him, Dan. 1.1. In the third yeare of Jehoiakim king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, &c. and the better to prevent all changes, and to settle the kingdome in his line, ac∣cording to the accustomed policie practised by his forefathers, in the second yeare of his reigne he made his sonne Jehoiachin or Jeconiah king with him, when the boy was but eight years old, 2. Chron. 36.9. of which see the note, vers. 8. but after he had three years peaceably enjoyed his kingdome, paying tribute to the king of Egypt, in his fourth yeare Jeremiah prophecied that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon should invade the land, and that both they and all the neighbouring nations about them, should become his servants, Jer. 25.1.11. which accordingly came to passe; for immediately after this, Nebuchadnezzar the second entred Judea with a strong army, besieged and forced Jerusalem, and having Jehoiakim in his power, did at first intend to carry him to Babylon, 2. Chron. 36.6. but was at last intreated to leave him as his vassall, taking with him for pledges, Daniel, being but yet a child, with Ananias, Misael, and Azarias, with a great deal of the Temples treasures: nor need we stumble at it, that this is said to have been done in the third yeare of Jehoia∣kim, Dan. 1.1. whereas the fourth yeare of Jehoiakim is accounted the first of Ne∣buchadnezzar, Jer. 25.1. The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the peo∣ple of Judah, in the fourth yeare of Jehoiakim the sonne of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first yeare of Nebuchad-rezzar king of Babylon: since first, the first yeare of Nebuchadnezzar might well concurre with the end of the third, and the beginning of the fourth yeare of Jehoiakim; and again, secondly, perhaps as some hold, Nebuchadnezzar the second came first against Judea, whilest his father was yet living, in the third yeare of Jehoiakim, and prevailed against Jehoiakim; but returning soon upon the report of Necho the king of Egypts preparations against him, and especially upon the news of his fathers death, that he might prevent all commotions at home, in the fourth yeare of Jehoiakim (having first vanquished the forces of the Egyptians about the banks of Euphrates, Jer. 46.1, 2. The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles, against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was by the river Eu∣phrates in Charchemish, which Nebuchad-rezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth yeare of Jehoiakim the sonne of Josiah king of Judah) he soon brought Jehoiakim to acknowledge himself his vassal and tributary, and so as it is said here Jehoiakim became his servant three years, to wit, the fifth, sixth, and seventh years of his reigne; the Egyptian king could not like of this, and therefore it seems began to think of restoring Jehoahaz (now prisoner in Egypt) and setting him up as a do∣mesticall enemy against his ungratefull brother: the rumour whereof when it came to Judea (though Jeremiah prophecied that it should prove idle, Jer, 22.11, 12. Thus saith the Lord touching Shallum the sonne of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned in stead of Josiah, which went forth out of this place, He shall not return thi∣ther

any more. But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive,) did much perplex them, being now in danger both of the Egyptians, if they kept faith with the Babylonians, and of the Babylonians, if they should revolt again to the Egyptians (and this I conceive might be the cause of the fast, kept in the fifth yeare of Jehoiakims reigne, in the ninth moneth, Jer. 36, 9. At which time Baruch, sent by Jeremiah, did publickly reade the roll of Jeremiahs prophesie before all the people, which being by the Princes carried to Jehoiakim, he having heard part of it, cut it in pieces with a penknife, and cast it into the fire) but at length, to wit, in the eighth yeare of his reigne, which was the fourth of Nebuchadnezzar, hearing of ma∣ny glorious rumours of the Egyptians preparations against the Babylonians, em∣boldned hereby, he renounced his subjection to the Babylonian, as is expressed here, that he turned, and rebelled against him, and so sided with the Egyptians again.

Vers. 2. And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees, &c.] That is, Nebuchadnezzar (not without the speciall counsel of God) came up against him, and that as Josephus saith from that siege of Tyre, whereof the Prophet speaks, Ezek. 26.7. For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebu∣chad-rezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the North, with chariots, and with horses, and companies, and much people: and bringing thence with him some part of his army, consisting of companies, and bands of severall nations, he entred Jerusa∣lem, and laid hold on Jehoiakim, and being enraged against him for his perfidious∣nesse in revolting from him, caused him to be slain, and cast out into the fields with∣out Jerusalem, to be devoured by birds and beasts; for so Jeremy had prophesied it should be, Jer. 22.18, 19. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the sonne of Josiah king of Judah, They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my bro∣ther, or ah sister, They shall not lament for him saying, Ah Lord, or ah his glory. He shall be buried with the buriall of an asse, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem: and 36.30. Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah, He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast forth in the dayes to the heat, and in the night to the frost. This was the eleventh yeare of Jehoiakim, and so the seventh yeare of Nebuchadnezzar, three years after Jehoiakims revolt (for either the siege of Tyre, or some other occasions had hitherto detained Nebuchadnezzar, from coming against him) and hence it is, we reade of three thousand and three and twenty Jews, carried away by him in the seventh yeare of his reigne, Jer. 52.28. This is the people whom Nebuchad-rezzar carried away captive in the seventh yeare, three thousand and three and twenty Jews.

Vers. 3. Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to re∣move them out of his sight, for the sinnes of Manasseh, &c.] See the note, chap. 23.26.

Vers. 6. So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his sonne reigned in his stead.] For when Nebuchadnezzar had slain Jehoiakim, as is before noted, and was returned again into his own countrey, it seems the people made this Jehoia∣chin king in his stead, who is also called Jeconiah, 1. Chron. 3.16. and Coniah by way of contempt, Jer. 22.24. In the genealogie of Christ, Matth. 1.11. Jehoiakim the sonne of Josiah, seems to be quite left, at least in our most usuall translations; for though in some few copies it is thus set down, and Josias begat Jakim, and Jakim

begat Jechonias; yet generally in all other copies it runnes thus, And Josias be∣gat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon; and after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel: and for the resolving of this doubt, many severall answers are given by Expositours; but the most satisfying one I conceive is this; to wit, that Jehoiakim the father was called Jeconiah, as well as Jehoiachin the sonne; and so whereas Mat. 1.11. it is said that Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, that is meant of Jehoiakim the sonne of Josias, who had many brethren; whereas Jehoiachin had none: and then that which follows vers. 12. and after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; that is meant of Jehoiachin the sonne of Jehoiakim, and so the severall generations of these kings are fully expressed.

Vers. 7. And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land, &c.] To wit, against Jerusalem: indeed in the latter end of Zedekiahs reigne (Jerusalem being then besieged) the king of Egypt came up to help him against the Babyloni∣ans, Jer. 37.5. Then Pharaohs army came forth out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem, heard tydings of them, they departed from Je∣rusalem: but this here is spoken of his coming to subdue the Jewes to reduce them again under his subjection: this Jehoiakim thought he would have done, when he heard such glorious rumours of the great preparations he made against Nebuchad∣nezzer, and thereupon had revolted from the Babylonian; and for this very cause it is here expressed that he came not, and that the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of E∣gypt; to shew upon what vain grounds Jehoiakim had trusted in Egypt, and so thereby had brought all this misery both on himself and on his kingdome.

Vers. 8. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reigne.] To wit, when he began to reigne alone after his fathers death; for in his fathers life time he was crowned king ten years before this, when he was yet but eight years old, 2. Chron. 36.9. Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reigne, &c.

And he reigned in Jerusalem three moneths.] In 2. Chron. 36.9. it is three moneths and ten dayes; but the odd dayes, as usually elsewhere in the Scripture, are here omitted. Indeed there in the Chronicles vers. 10. it followes that when the yeare was expired, king Nebuchadnezzer sent and brought him to Babylon, where∣by some may conceive, that it was a twelvemoneth ere Nebuchadnezzer took him away; and why then should it be said, that he reigned but three moneths: but that which is said there is spoken of the yeare absolutely considered, and not of the yeare of Jehoiachins reigne; when the yeare was expired, that is, at the spring or beginning of a new yeare, king Nebuchadnezzer sent and brought him to Baby∣lon: which was when he had reigned about three moneths, as is here said: so that that place in the Chronicles is parallel with that, 2. Sam, 11.1. and it came to passe that after the yeare was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battel, that David sent Joab, &c.

Vers. 9. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, &c.] For which cause he was threatened by the prophet Jeremiah, that he should die child∣lesse, and should be carried with his mother and others into Babylon, Jere∣miah 22.21.30.

Vers. 10. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, &c.] It is not expressed whether this Jehoiachin were made king by Nebuchadnezzar when he took Jerusalem, and slew his father; or whe∣ther he was made king by the people, when Nebuchadnezzar had left the citie: if he were set in the throne by Nebuchadnezzar, it may well be (as Josephus saith) that Nebuchadnezzar bethinking himself how dangerous it was to leave him in the throne whose father he had slain, and cast out unburied, he changed his purpose pre∣sently, and sent his captains with an army against Jerusalem; to whom himself in person came within a while after, as intending to depose him, and to set up another king in his room.

Vers. 12. And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, &c.] That is, he yielded up both him and his to Nebuchadnezzar, as the prophet Jeremiah had advised him.

And the king of Babylon took him in the eighth yeare of his reigne.] That is, in the eight yeare of Nebuchadnezzars reigne.

Vers. 13. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the kings house, &c.] And thus was that accomplished which God had threatened, when Hezekiah shewed his treasures to the king of Babylons Embassadours, Isaiah 39.6. Behold, the dayes come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy father's have laid up in store untill this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left: yet this particle all so often mentioned here and in the following verse, all the treasures, &c. must be understood with some limitation, as namely, that he carryed away all in a manner, or all that he pleased; for that he carryed not all away now when he carried away Jechoniah, is evident, Jer. 27.18. &c. where there is mention made of vessels that remained in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah even after this, in the dayes of Zedekiah the succeeding king; which after this were carried away as is related in the following chapter, vers. 13.14. &c.

And cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made, &c.] Ezra 1.7. it is said, that Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, &c. but for the resolving of this doubt, see the note on that place.

Vers. 14. And he carryed away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, &c.] To wit, out of the whole kingdome; of which seven thousand were carried out of Jerusalem, that were men of might, and a thousand crafts-men and smiths, vers. 16. the rest were car∣ried from other places of the land: and at this time it was that Ezekiel was car∣ried away captive, Ezek. 1.1, 2. In the fifth day of the moneth (which was the fifth yeare of king Jehoiachins captivity.

Vers. 15. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the kings mother, &c.] Yet he had no cause to repent that he had hearkened to Jeremiah in yielding up himself to Nebuchadnezzar; for it fared better with him, then with those that stayed behind: yea in the thirty seventh yeare of his captivity he was greatly ho∣noured by Evilmerodach the sonne of Nebuchadnezzar; see ch. 25. ver. 27. In the seven and thirtieth yeare of the captivity of Jehoiachin, &c. Evilmerodach king of Baby∣lon,

in the yeare that he began to reigne, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison, and he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him, &c.

Vers. 16. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, &c.] See the note above on vers. 14.

Vers. 17. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his fathers brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.] So Pharaoh Necho gave Elia∣kim a new name when he made him king in stead of his brother, chap. 23.34. and Daniel and his companions had new names given them, Dan. 1.6, 7. whereby it may appear that by imposing new names the conquerour shewed his power over them; and caused them to acknowledge as it were, that they were his servants: indeed this new name of Zedekiah, which signifies the justice of God, was very proper for this new king, to put him in mind to be just in keeping the covenant he had made with the king of Babylon, and that God would be just in punishing him if he proved perfidious, but that Nebuchadnezzar intended any such thing by giving him this new name, we cannot say.

Vers. 18. And his mothers name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.] So that he was the brother of Jehoahaz (the first of Josiahs sonnes that was king of Judah, and was afterwards by Pharaoh Necho carried into Egypt) both by father and mother: for this Hamutal was also the mother of Jehoahaz, cha∣pter 23.31.

Vers. 19. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, &c.] In 2. Chron. 36.12. this is added in particular, that he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet, speaking from the mouth of the Lord.

Vers. 20. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon, &c.] About the be∣ginning of Zedekiahs reigne, the people began to insult over Jeremiah, seeing Je∣hoiachin carried captive into Babylon, that had yielded to Nebuchadnezzar upon his perswasion; whereupon the Prophet under the type of good and bad figges, foreshewed that it should be better with those in the captivity, then those that were left behind, Jerem. 24. After that in the fourth yeare, Zedekiah went to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar, at which time the Prophet gave Sheraiah a prince that went with him a book, wherein was written all the evil that should fall upon Babylon, willing him to read it to the Jews, and then to bind it to a stone, and throw it into Euphrates, in token of the perpetuall sinking of Baby∣lon, Jerem. 51.59, 64. at his return as we see in the 27. and 28. chapters of Je∣remiah, all the bordering princes sent messengers to Zedekiah, perswading him as it seems, to revolt from Nebuchadnezzar; but Jeremiah did earnestly disswade both him and them, sending to each of those princes yokes in token of the Babylonian yoke, whereunto the Lord would have them submit, and assuring them, that if they would not stoop to his yoke, they should all perish by sword, fire, and pestilence: at which time also Hananiah having broken Jeremiahs woodden yoke, and vaunting that in like manner within two years Nebuchad∣nezzars yoke should be broken, and Jeconiah with all the vessels and riches of the Temple, should be brought again to Jerusalem; Jeremiah foretold of an iron yoke, and to assure the people that Hananiah had prophecyed falsely, he

foretold his death, which that yeare accordingly in the second moneth seized upon him▪ yet at length in the eighth yeare of his reigne, Zedekiah practised more seriously with his neighbours, and in confidence of great aids promised from Egypt, he re∣belled against Nebuchadnezzar, though he had formerly taken an oath to be faithfull to him, 2. Chron. 36.13. And he also rebelled against king Nebu∣chadnezzar.