2 Chronicles 36:1 kjv
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:1 nkjv
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:1 niv
And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
2 Chronicles 36:1 esv
The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:1 nlt
Then the people of the land took Josiah's son Jehoahaz and made him the next king in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Short Note) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 23:29-30 | ...Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt came up against the king of Assyria by the River Euphrates... Neco killed him at Megiddo... Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in his father's place. | Parallel account and immediate context of Josiah's death. |
| 2 Chron 35:20-25 | After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war against Carchemish by the Euphrates... but the archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded.”... And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. | Details of Josiah's fatal battle, setting the scene for a power vacuum. |
| Jer 22:10-12 | Do not weep for the dead, nor lament for him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more nor see his native country. For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went out from this place: “He shall not return there any more, but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and he shall see this land no more.” | Prophecy regarding Jehoahaz (also called Shallum), his exile and death. |
| Ezek 19:1-4 | ...and you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel... her strong cub, became a young lion; He learned to catch prey; He devoured men. The nations also heard of him; He was caught in their pit, and they brought him with chains to the land of Egypt. | Allegorical lament likely referring to Jehoahaz/Shallum's brief reign and capture. |
| 2 Kgs 23:31 | Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. | Provides details about Jehoahaz's age and the brevity of his reign. |
| 2 Kgs 23:32 | He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. | Describes Jehoahaz's spiritual unfaithfulness despite his good father. |
| 2 Kgs 23:33-34 | Now Pharaoh Neco put him in chains at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed tribute on the land... Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Jehoahaz he took away, and he went to Egypt and died there. | Details Jehoahaz's swift removal by Egypt and the appointment of his successor. |
| 2 Chron 36:2-4 | Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. Now the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem... Then the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him off to Egypt. | Expansion of the verse's immediate consequence, Jehoahaz's deposition. |
| Deut 17:14-15 | When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you... and you say, “I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,” you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. | God's instruction for choosing a king, implying divine approval is paramount. |
| 1 Sam 8:5-7 | ...“Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”... And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” | People's desire for a king and its spiritual implications, sometimes apart from God's ideal. |
| 1 Sam 10:24 | And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen...?” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!” | Instances where popular choice and divine selection align or are confirmed. |
| 2 Sam 5:3 | So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. | Shows popular involvement in validating a king's rule. |
| 1 Kgs 12:20 | ...all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed the house of David, except the tribe of Judah alone. | Another instance of "the people" electing a king, signifying a critical political shift. |
| Ps 75:6-7 | For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one and exalts another. | God's ultimate sovereignty over the rise and fall of leaders, despite human actions. |
| Prov 21:1 | The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. | Reinforces divine control over rulers. |
| Isa 3:4 | “I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.” | A prophetic judgment warning of unstable and inadequate leadership due to national sin. |
| Hos 8:4 | “They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. From their silver and gold They made idols for themselves— That they might be cut off." | Critique of human-driven choices for leadership without seeking God's will. |
| Dan 4:17 | ‘...the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.’ | Ultimate truth that God establishes all human authorities, regardless of how they come to power. |
| Rom 13:1 | Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. | New Testament perspective on divine appointment of governing authorities. |
| 1 Pet 2:13-14 | Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. | Call to submission to earthly authority, recognized as divinely permitted. |
2 Chronicles 36 verses
2 Chronicles 36 1 Meaning
Following the death of King Josiah in battle, the populace of Judah, specifically "the people of the land" (a significant socio-political group), independently selected Josiah's son, Jehoahaz, and established him as king in Jerusalem, taking his father's place on the throne. This action signified a popular initiative in succession, occurring immediately after the great tragedy of Josiah's demise, and set the stage for a period of rapid and unstable reigns leading to Judah's exile.
2 Chronicles 36 1 Context
This verse stands at the very beginning of the final chapter of 2 Chronicles, which chronicles the complete demise of the Davidic monarchy and the subsequent Babylonian exile. The preceding chapter ends with the deeply tragic and lamentable death of King Josiah, who was Judah's last righteous king, unexpectedly slain in battle by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt at Megiddo. His death marked a profound turning point, bringing an end to the period of revival and national strength under his reign. Chapter 36 immediately opens by describing the immediate political fallout from this national catastrophe. With the spiritual and political vacuum left by Josiah, the people are left to choose their next leader, setting a course for instability and foreign interference that rapidly leads to the destruction of Jerusalem and the seventy-year exile to Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36 1 Word analysis
- Then: This transitional word immediately links the narrative to the preceding event, the death of Josiah, emphasizing the immediate consequence and rapid succession in leadership.
- the people of the land: (Hebrew: עַם הָאָרֶץ - ʿam hāʾāreṣ). This is a significant term, often referring not to the entire populace but specifically to a recognized and influential segment of society, likely property-owners or landowners, who held political sway and sometimes intervened in royal succession. Their action here indicates a popular, potentially nationalistic, assertion of power in a crisis, bypassing traditional dynastic primogeniture.
- took: (Hebrew: וַיִּקְחוּ - wayyiqḥū). This verb signifies an active, deliberate initiative on their part. It was a human decision, not explicitly portrayed as a divinely mandated or prophetic choice, but rather a pragmatic and immediate response to a power vacuum.
- Jehoahaz: (Hebrew: יְהוֹאָחָז - yəhōʾāḥāz). His name means "Yahweh has grasped" or "Yahweh sustains." He is also known as Shallum (Jer 22:11). He was a son of Josiah, but not his firstborn (Eliakim/Jehoiakim was older). The selection of Jehoahaz suggests he might have been preferred for political or personality reasons by "the people of the land," perhaps as someone more likely to continue Josiah's policies or resist Egyptian influence.
- the son of Josiah: Establishes his lineage from the legitimate Davidic dynasty, affirming the continuation of the royal line despite the turbulent circumstances and his irregular ascent to the throne (being passed over in succession order).
- and made him king: (Hebrew: וַיַּמְלִיכֻהוּ - wayyamliḵuha, a Hiphil causative verb). This phrase denotes a formal enthronement process initiated and completed by the people. They vested the kingship upon him.
- in his father's place: This emphasizes direct succession to the throne left vacant by Josiah's death. It highlights the intention to maintain continuity of the Davidic dynasty in Judah.
- in Jerusalem: The capital city and the traditional seat of the Davidic monarchy. This specifies where this critical act of royal succession took place, cementing its official status within Judah's political framework.
- Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz: This highlights a crucial human agency in leadership selection. In contrast to God's clear appointment of David, or the strict succession rules under other kings, here a significant segment of society takes the immediate initiative, signaling an increasingly desperate political situation where human efforts attempt to fill a divinely ordained void.
- and made him king in his father's place: This phrase encapsulates both continuity and irregularity. While ensuring the Davidic line continued, the bypass of primogeniture suggests internal political dynamics were at play, leading to an elected rather than purely hereditary succession in this instance, which would prove to be fragile and short-lived.
2 Chronicles 36 1 Bonus section
- The selection of Jehoahaz (Shallum) by the "people of the land" might have been a deliberate political choice against the perceived pro-Egyptian faction, as Pharaoh Neco later removed Jehoahaz and installed his older brother Eliakim, renaming him Jehoiakim. This suggests internal political factions and differing national policies were at play, even amongst the sons of Josiah.
- Jehoahaz being called Shallum in Jeremiah 22:11 could be symbolic; "Shallum" can mean "retribution" or "requital," ominously foretelling his captivity and death away from Judah. This brief reign marked the definite turning point away from the glory days of David and Solomon, culminating in the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem.
- The active role of the "people of the land" in installing a king shows their continued influence throughout various stages of Judahite history, contrasting at times with prophetic guidance or the explicit divine choice of rulers, leading to questions about legitimate authority and national identity.
2 Chronicles 36 1 Commentary
This inaugural verse of 2 Chronicles 36 ushers in the final, rapid collapse of the kingdom of Judah. It starkly presents the human response to the immense national tragedy of King Josiah's death. The "people of the land," a specific influential segment of Judahite society, took it upon themselves to appoint Jehoahaz as king, bypassing his elder brother Eliakim (Jehoiakim). This decision, perhaps fueled by a desire for stability, nationalistic fervor, or to install a king sympathetic to their views after Josiah's unexpected death at the hands of Egypt, reflects a period of great instability and reliance on human political maneuvering rather than clear divine direction. However, this human choice quickly proved futile against the overwhelming external forces and divine judgment awaiting Judah, as Jehoahaz's reign lasted only three months before he was deposed by Pharaoh Neco. The verse underscores the limitations of human autonomy in the face of God's sovereign will and the unfolding consequences of generations of disobedience leading to the final exile.