Jeremiah 22:24-26,30 (King Jehoiachin)
Prophecy
“As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off... I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die.” — Jeremiah 22:24-26 (ESV)
“Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah.” — Jeremiah 22:30 (ESV)
Textual Variants
The Masoretic Text (MT) and Septuagint (LXX) differ significantly in their translation of the key descriptor in verse 30, which affects the interpretation of the prophecy regarding his offspring.
| Text | Word | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Masoretic Text (Hebrew) | עֲרִירִ֖י (ariri) | "Childless" or "stripped/bare" |
| Septuagint (Greek) | ἐκκήρυκτον (ekkērykton) | "Outcast," "expelled," or "proscribed" |
The Septuagint translators chose a word emphasizing his public rejection and exile rather than literal childlessness. The Greek ekkērykton means someone "proclaimed" or "publicly banished" — focusing on his removal from the royal succession rather than his biological offspring.
Fulfillment
Historic
In 597 BCE, Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar and was deported to Babylon. Babylonian records, specifically the Jehoiachin's Ration Tablets (excavated near the Ishtar Gate), list rations for "Ya'u-kīnu, king of the land of Yahudu," confirming his presence as a captive in Babylon. He died in exile, never returning to rule Judah.
Biblical confirmation
Multiple Old Testament authors confirm this prophecy's fulfillment. 2 Kings 24-25 provides the primary historical account of his 3-month reign, exile, and 37-year imprisonment in Babylon. 2 Chronicles 36:9-10 gives a parallel account. The prophet Ezekiel, exiled alongside Jehoiachin in 597 BCE, uses "the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile" as a chronological marker (Ezekiel 1:2), implicitly confirming the permanence of his removal from the throne.
Regarding the "childless" prediction, 1 Chronicles 3:17-18 lists seven sons of Jehoiachin. However, none of his descendants ever reigned as king in Judah, fulfilling the prediction that no offspring would "succeed in sitting on the throne of David."
Christian
Christians view the "childless" or "no successor" curse as a significant theological point regarding the lineage of Jesus.
- Matthew 1:12 traces Jesus' legal lineage through Shealtiel, son of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin). Some scholars argue the curse was limited to the immediate monarchy or that Jesus' legal adoption by Joseph (who descended from Jeconiah) bypassed the biological curse.
- Luke 3:23-38 traces Jesus' biological lineage through Mary back to Nathan, a son of David, avoiding the cursed line of Solomon and Jeconiah entirely.
Conclusion
Historic fulfillment
The prophecy of Jehoiachin's exile and death in a foreign land was literally fulfilled according to Babylonian records and biblical history. The "childless" clause, when understood as "without royal successor" (supported by the exclusion of his descendants from the throne) or "outcast" (as in the LXX), was also historically fulfilled, as the Davidic monarchy ended with his successor Zedekiah (his uncle) and never returned to his line.
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