Jehoiakim had only been interested in acquiring things for himself, even dishonestly. He resorted to oppression, extortion, and even murder to get what he wanted (Jeremiah 26:20-23; 2 Kings 24:3-4)."Jehoiakim, who was only twenty-five years old when he began to reign and only thirty-six when he died (2 Kings 23:36), was evidently a thoroughly spoiled and self-indulgent young despot." [Note: Thompson, p. 479.] read more
Consequently when Jehoiakim died, people would not feel sorry for him or mourn over his departure. They would not lament for him or for the splendor he left behind. The Hebrew word hoy, usually translated "woe" but here rendered "alas," occurs four times in this verse-stressing the dire judgment that would befall this king. read more
Rather, the people would treat his corpse with great disrespect. They would give him a burial similar to that of a donkey (or Jezebel), which people dragged outside the city gate and left to rot (cf. Jeremiah 36:30; 1 Kings 21:23-24). Josephus wrote that Nebuchadnezzar had his body thrown before the walls without any burial (cf. 2 Kings 24:6). [Note: Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 10:6:3.] Of some people the Bible says nothing bad, but of Jehoiakim it says nothing good. [Note:... read more
1-9. Call to amendment of life.1. Go down] The king’s house was on lower ground than the Temple: cp. Jeremiah 36:12. 3. The reference is to the special crimes of Jehoiakim more fully stated in Jeremiah 36:13: cp. 2 Kings 23:35. He oppressed his people in order that though paying tribute to Necho he might yet build himself sumptuous palaces. Neither shed innocent blood] For his sins in this respect cp. Jeremiah 26:20. 4. Cp. Jeremiah 17:25. 6. Gilead, with its balm (Jeremiah 8:22) and its flocks... read more
(17) Thy covetousness.—More literally, thy gain, the word used implying (as in Jeremiah 6:13; Jeremiah 8:10) the idea of violence and oppression as the means by which it was obtained. The verb from which the noun is derived is so translated—“ violence” (literally, “crushing”)—in Deuteronomy 28:33. The marginal reading, “incursion,” has nothing to commend it. In “the blood of the innocent” here, as in Jeremiah 22:3, we have an allusive reference to many, for the most part unrelenting, acts of... read more
(18) They shall not lament for him.—The words contrast the death as well as the life of Jehoiakim with that of Josiah. For him there should be no lamentation such as was made for the righteous king (2 Chronicles 35:25), either from kindred mourning, as over a brother or a sister (perhaps, however, as “sister” would not be appropriate to the king, the words are those of a chorus of mourners, male and female, addressing each other), or from subjects wailing over the death of their “lord” and the... read more
(19) He shall be buried with the burial of an ass.—The same prediction appears in another form in Jeremiah 36:30. The body of the king was “to be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.” We have no direct record of its fulfilment, but its reproduction shows that the prophet’s word had not failed. The king was dragged in chains with the other captives, who were being carried off to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:6), and probably died on the journey, his corpse left behind... read more
The Woes of the Unjust Jeremiah 22:13 The whole law is contained in these words, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself'. These two parts cannot be separated. God places us among our own kind, and our character cannot be formed and our souls saved without doing justly and loving mercy, while we walk humbly with our God. If we are servants, we are to do honest work for our masters; and if we are masters, we are to give equitable wages to our servants.... read more
CHAPTER VITHE JUDGMENT ON JEHOIAKIMJeremiah 22:13-19; Jeremiah 36:30-31"Jehoiakim slew him (Uriah) with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people."- Jeremiah 26:23"Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim, He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem."- Jeremiah 22:18-19"Jehoiakim did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done."- 2 Kings 23:36-37OUR last four... read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Jeremiah 22:13-19
A prophecy about King Jehoiakim 22:13-19"Jehoiakim was condemned by Jeremiah more severely than any other king. He seems to have been a typical Oriental despot who rejected Josiah’s reforms." [Note: Thompson, p. 478.] read more