2 Chronicles 36:2 kjv
Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:2 nkjv
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:2 niv
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
2 Chronicles 36:2 esv
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:2 nlt
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
2 Chronicles 36 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 23:30-31 | "But the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah... when he began to reign." | Parallel account; people chose him. |
| Jer 22:10-12 | "Do not weep for the dead, nor bemoan him, but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall never return..." | Prophecy for Shallum/Jehoahaz's exile. |
| 2 Kgs 23:33-34 | "Pharaoh Neco put him in chains... and made Eliakim his brother king..." | Jehoahaz's deposition and replacement by Neco. |
| 2 Chr 35:24-25 | "All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah... wept for him." | Immediate aftermath of Josiah's death. |
| Dan 2:21 | "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and installs kings..." | God's sovereignty over earthly rulers. |
| Psa 75:6-7 | "For promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south... He puts down one and lifts up another." | Divine authority over kingship. |
| Deut 28:36 | "The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known..." | Consequence of disobedience: exile of king. |
| Lev 26:33 | "And I will scatter you among the nations..." | Warning of scattering and loss of land. |
| Psa 106:36-39 | "...They served their idols, which became a snare... provoked him with their deeds..." | Judah's continued idolatry despite reforms. |
| 2 Chr 36:3-4 | "The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem..." | Pharaoh Neco's direct action against Jehoahaz. |
| Hos 8:4 | "They made kings, but not by me..." | Implied criticism of self-appointed kings. |
| Rom 13:1 | "For there is no authority except from God..." | God's ultimate authority over all rulers. |
| 1 Kgs 15:25 | Nadab reigned two years (example of brief, unstable reign). | Brief, unstable reigns often indicate judgment. |
| 1 Kgs 16:15 | Zimri reigned seven days (example of very brief reign). | Very short reigns. |
| 2 Chr 36:15-16 | "But they kept mocking the messengers of God... until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people..." | Judah's persistent rejection of God's word. |
| Isa 3:4 | "And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them." | Prophecy of unfit or weak rulers as judgment. |
| Ezek 17:11-16 | Parable of the great eagles and Zedekiah's rebellion. | Similar context of a Judahite king removed by foreign power. |
| Prov 29:2 | "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan." | Implication of Jehoahaz's rule/briefness. |
| Jer 1:15 | "For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord..." | God using foreign powers as instruments of judgment. |
| Lam 4:20 | "The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits..." | Laments over the capture of Judah's king. |
2 Chronicles 36 verses
2 Chronicles 36 2 Meaning
Second Chronicles 36:2 details the beginning of Jehoahaz's brief and ill-fated reign over Judah. He ascended to the throne at the age of twenty-three, chosen by "the people of the land" (a crucial detail from 2 Kings 23:30, though not explicitly stated in this verse, it's vital for understanding the context) following the death of his father, King Josiah, in battle. However, his kingship lasted only three months in Jerusalem before he was deposed by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, marking a significant step in Judah's swift decline into foreign subjugation and exile.
2 Chronicles 36 2 Context
Verse 2 of 2 Chronicles 36 plunges directly into the precipitous decline of the kingdom of Judah. It immediately follows the account of the death of good King Josiah (36:1) who was tragically killed in battle at Megiddo against Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. Josiah's reign had been characterized by a profound spiritual revival and covenant renewal, making his death a devastating blow to Judah. In this immediate aftermath, "the people of the land" (Am-ha-aretz), likely asserting their independence from Egyptian influence, chose Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum in Jeremiah) to succeed his father, bypassing his older brother Eliakim (Jehoiakim). This decision proved temporary, as the powerful Pharaoh Neco soon intervened, underscoring Judah's precarious position under encroaching foreign empires and their accelerating loss of sovereignty, which eventually culminated in the Babylonian exile.
2 Chronicles 36 2 Word analysis
- Jehoahaz (יְהוֹאָחָז, Yeho'achaz): Meaning "Yahweh has grasped" or "Yahweh has held." This theophoric name, containing the divine element "Yahweh," paradoxically introduces a king whose short reign directly witnesses the opposite—Yahweh releasing or allowing His people to be grasped by foreign powers due to their unfaithfulness. He is also known as Shallum (Jer 22:11), possibly his given name, while Jehoahaz was a throne name.
- was twenty-three years old: Indicates a relatively young age for a ruler, though not uncommon in the ancient Near East (e.g., Josiah became king at eight). While not necessarily implying immaturity, his brief reign prevented any significant long-term impact or policy implementation.
- when he became king: The phrasing highlights his accession to the throne. Unlike many kings in 2 Chronicles, his anointing and election by the "people of the land" (from 2 Kgs 23:30) is significant. This was a popular, nationalistic choice, but ultimately ineffective against divine judgment and foreign intervention.
- and he reigned in Jerusalem: "Jerusalem" signifies the capital, the traditional seat of the Davidic dynasty, and the place of the Temple. His reign "in Jerusalem" points to nominal sovereignty within the sacred city, a sovereignty soon to be dismantled.
- three months: This extremely short duration is a strong indicator of divine judgment and the kingdom's rapid political instability. It reflects the swiftness of Pharaoh Neco's intervention and marks Jehoahaz as merely a transitional, insignificant ruler in the final descent of Judah. This brevity emphasizes the immediate decline after Josiah's death.
2 Chronicles 36 2 Bonus section
The phrase "the people of the land" (Am-ha-aretz), though absent from 2 Chr 36:2 but present in its parallel (2 Kgs 23:30), is crucial. It represents not merely the general populace but a specific, politically active class, landowners and free citizens who held significant influence, especially during transitions of power. Their choice of Jehoahaz suggests an assertion of native will and a desire for independence from the Egyptians, yet this human attempt at self-determination proved futile in the face of God's overarching judgment and the inexorable rise of foreign empires that had become His instruments of chastisement.
2 Chronicles 36 2 Commentary
2 Chronicles 36:2 is a succinct but profound verse, immediately establishing the bleak trajectory of Judah following Josiah's death. The brief, three-month reign of Jehoahaz, despite his installation by "the people of the land," vividly illustrates Judah's diminishing autonomy and the accelerating pace of divine judgment. The narrative's focus on his age and the duration of his reign rather than his deeds hints at his lack of lasting impact, swallowed by the rising tide of foreign domination. This verse marks the beginning of the end for the Davidic monarchy's independent rule in Jerusalem, a swift descent into a period characterized by short-lived kings, external manipulation, and ultimate exile. It serves as a stark reminder of the covenant consequences of continued apostasy.