2 Kings 24:5 meaning, Cross Ref, ai commentary KJV NIV ESV NLT

2 Kings 24:5 kjv

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

2 Kings 24:5 nkjv

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

2 Kings 24:5 niv

As for the other events of Jehoiakim's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

2 Kings 24:5 esv

Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

2 Kings 24:5 nlt

The rest of the events in Jehoiakim's reign and all his deeds are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.

2 Kings 24 5 Cross References

Verse	Text	Reference
1 Kgs 11:41	Now the rest of the acts of Solomon...are they not written in the book...?	Standard concluding formula for Israelite/Judahite kings' reigns.
1 Kgs 14:29	Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam...are they not written in the book...?	Reinforces the use of royal annals for documenting history.
1 Kgs 15:23	The rest of all the acts of Asa...are they not written in the book...?	Consistency in referencing an external source.
1 Kgs 22:45	The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat...are they not written in the book...?	Demonstrates the meticulous recording of historical events by scribes.
2 Kgs 8:23	Now the rest of the acts of Joram...are they not written in the book...?	Highlighting the Deuteronomistic author's consistent pattern.
2 Kgs 12:19	Now the rest of the acts of Joash...are they not written in the book...?	Points to the vast amount of historical detail not fully recounted in Scripture.
2 Kgs 14:18	The rest of the acts of Amaziah...are they not written in the book...?	Underlines that the biblical narrative is selective and theological in focus.
2 Kgs 15:6	Now the rest of the acts of Azariah...are they not written in the book...?	Emphasizes the verifiable nature of the biblical historical claims.
2 Kgs 15:36	Now the rest of the acts of Jotham...are they not written in the book...?	Shows that divine revelation does not exclude factual history.
2 Kgs 16:19	Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz...are they not written in the book...?	Implies a continuity of records across reigns, good or bad.
2 Kgs 20:20	Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah...are they not written in the book...?	References additional details for a king considered righteous by the text.
2 Kgs 21:17	Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh...are they not written in the book...?	Applies the formula to the reign of an exceedingly wicked king.
2 Kgs 21:25	Now the rest of the acts of Amon...are they not written in the book...?	The practice of official record-keeping persisted even through times of decline.
Ps 69:28	Let them be blotted out of the book of the living...	God keeps His own records, contrasting with earthly archives.
Lk 10:20	your names are written in heaven.	References a divine, eternal registry for God's people.
Phil 4:3	whose names are in the book of life.	Heavenly record of those who belong to God.
Rev 20:12	And books were opened...the Book of Life was opened...judged...from those things written.	The ultimate record-keeping for divine judgment.
Jer 25:9-11	this whole land shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.	The historical events, including Jehoiakim's reign, fulfill divine prophecy.
Jer 36:20-23	Jehudi read them...and as Jehudi read...the king cut it with a scribe’s knife.	Illustrates Jehoiakim’s specific actions of rebellion and rejection of God’s word.
Deut 31:24	when Moses had finished writing...in a book.	Emphasizes the historical tradition of written records as a source of truth.
Isa 39:6	days are coming when all that is in your house...shall be carried to Babylon.	Foretells the Babylonian exile, of which Jehoiakim's reign is a significant part.
Ezra 6:2	in the fortress in Ecbatana, a scroll was found...a record was written.	Historical example of ancient official records being sought and used.

2 Kings 24 verses

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

2 Kings 24 5 Meaning

This verse serves as a concluding summary for the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, indicating that a more comprehensive record of his actions and reign can be found in the official royal archives of Judah. It signifies the end of the narrative focusing on his kingship in the biblical text while acknowledging the existence of external, detailed historical documents.

2 Kings 24 5 Context

Second Kings chapter 24 chronicles the final years of the Kingdom of Judah before its exile to Babylon. King Jehoiakim, initially placed on the throne by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, shifts allegiance to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kgs 24:1). After three years, Jehoiakim rebels, leading to further invasions and the Lord sending bands against Judah as part of His judgment (2 Kgs 24:2-3). This judgment is explicitly linked to the sins of Manasseh and the innocent blood he shed (2 Kgs 24:3-4). Verse 5, therefore, marks the end of the narrative concerning Jehoiakim's 11-year reign, a period characterized by Judah's political decline and moral decay. The Deuteronomistic historian's overarching aim in the Book of Kings is to explain the destruction and exile of Judah as a direct consequence of their disobedience to God's covenant, fulfilling prophecies of judgment. By pointing to external records, the text affirms the historicity of its account while maintaining its focus on theological causation.

Word Analysis

Now: The Hebrew word וְיֶתֶר (v’yeter), meaning "and the rest," functions as a transition, linking the immediately preceding summary of Jehoiakim’s death to further details about his reign recorded elsewhere.
the rest of the acts: This phrase (יֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי, yeter divrei – literally "the rest of the words/matters") consistently appears in the books of Kings. It signifies the many other details, accomplishments, failures, and events of a king’s reign that the biblical narrative, being highly selective and theological in purpose, does not exhaustively enumerate.
of Jehoiakim: His name, יְהוֹיָקִים (Yehoyaqim), means "Yahweh raises up" or "Yahweh establishes." This is tragically ironic, as his reign saw Judah's continued descent and God's judgment against him, despite his divinely significant name.
and all that he did: This inclusive phrase (וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, ve-kol asher asah) emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the record to which the text refers, ensuring the reader that no deed, good or bad, went unrecorded in the national archives.
are they not written: This is a rhetorical question, characteristic of Hebrew prose, affirming unequivocally that the mentioned details are indeed written. It serves as an assertive declaration rather than an inquiry.
in the book of the chronicles: The Hebrew phrase is סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים (sefer divrei ha-yamim), meaning "the book of the words of the days," or "the book of the events of the days." This refers to the official royal annals, state archives, or historical records kept by the scribes of the Judahite court. It is distinct from the canonical Books of Chronicles in the Bible, which were composed much later using sources such as these annals. This practice of record-keeping was common in ancient Near Eastern kingdoms, lending credibility to the biblical author’s use of such verifiable external sources.
of the kings of Judah: (לְמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה, le-malkei yehudah) Specifies that these are the official annals belonging to the Southern Kingdom, distinct from those of the northern Kingdom of Israel. This detail emphasizes the distinct historical records kept by each kingdom.

2 Kings 24 5 Bonus section

The repeated use of this concluding formula for nearly every king in Kings implicitly validates the historical existence of Judah's state archives. It demonstrates that the biblical narrative of the monarchy was anchored in well-maintained historical records, even as it transcended mere chronicling by weaving these events into a profound theological commentary on God's covenant, judgment, and redemption. The specific reference to the "book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah" affirms that the author did not claim to present a full, exhaustive secular history, but rather a divinely inspired, interpretive account focusing on spiritual fidelity and the outworking of God's plans. This literary device further establishes the reliability of the biblical text by referring readers to corroborating documentation.

2 Kings 24 5 Commentary

2 Kings 24:5 is a critical formulaic verse in the Deuteronomistic History, serving to conclude the account of Jehoiakim's reign. Its purpose is multifaceted: it indicates the scope of the biblical narrative (which is selective rather than exhaustive), asserts the historicity and verifiability of the events recounted by pointing to readily accessible official state records, and highlights the Deuteronomistic author's consistent literary pattern. This particular formulation implies that while the sacred text provides the crucial theological interpretation of Jehoiakim's kingship – particularly his wickedness, his rejection of God's prophets like Jeremiah, and his contribution to Judah’s inevitable downfall – a more detailed chronicle of his daily administration and activities existed. This formula underscores the theological lens through which the Bible presents history: not merely as a chronological record, but as an unfolding drama of God's covenant relationship with His people, their obedience or disobedience, and the ensuing consequences, culminating in divine judgment.