Page 138 - Doctrine and History of the Preservation of the Bible revised

This order of age is appropriate apart from Zedekiah, who was 13 years younger than Jehoahaz (and 15
years younger than Jehoiakim). The question is of course: how is it possible that Zedekiah, who was
actually younger than Shallum, got a higher place in the order of succession?

What about Zedekiah?
Zedekiah is called: son of Josiah (verse 15), but he is also called: son of Jehoiakim (verse 16). When we
take this information seriously – and we do – we have to reckon with an extramarital affair. Diagram
tree of verse 15 and 16 with the mothers of the princes:

King Josiah ��
____________(spouses)________
| | |
�
�
Unknown mother �� Zebidha � Hamutal � ———→
| | | extramarital son
�
�
�
Johanan � Jehoiakim � Jehoahaz � |
�
(firstborn) (Eliakim) (Shallum) Zedekiah �
| —————————→ (Mattaniah)
(spouse)
�
Nehushta �
|
�
Jehoiachin �
(Jeconia)

1 Chronicles 3:15 says: Zedekiah was a son of Hamutal, a wife of Josiah (2 Kings 23:31 and 24:18).

1 Chronicles 3:16 says: Zedekiah was also a son of Jehoiakim.

At the age of about 15 Jehoiakim begot Zedekiah by Hamutal, one of Josiah’s spouses. In fact Josiah
became the grandfather of Zedekiah and could be called his father by the rule: the son of a son is a son.

Hamutal named the boy Mattaniah (2 Kings 24:17), meaning: ‘Gift of God’; but Josiah called him
Zedekiah, meaning: ‘God is righteous’.

Zedekiah was on the list of succession (1 Chronicles 3:15), immediately after his biological father
Jehoiakim. When Jehoiakim would die as king, Zedekiah was his firstborn to succeed and that gave him
the unusual position on the list of succession.

The queen ruling over the king
When it came to pass that Jehoiakim became king, his legal wife Nehushta wanted her legal son
Jehoiachin to succeed, instead of Zedekiah (Jehoiakim’s firstborn). Apparently, she didn’t trust her
husband very much and she insisted that Jehoiakim granted their son Jehoiachin the title of ‘King’
(without the duties) and her the title of ‘Mother of the King’ (2 Kings 24:15). Already in the year of
Jehoiakim’s enthronisation his son Jehoiachin – a boy of eight years – got the title ‘King of Judah’. After
the death of his father he became king with all the duties at the age of eighteen.

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