Verses 33-34
Jehoiachin left prison. He even took his meals with Evilmerodach, and received a daily allowance for the rest of his life, probably to support his family. His personal experience was a foreview of the national experience of the Israelites.
"There is considerable theological significance in these four verses. The fact that Jehoiachin lived on long after the exile and that he was finally released from prison may have seemed like the first signs of the fulfilment [sic] of Jeremiah’s promise of a day of restoration. To the last, the future of Israel is seen as lying with the exiles in Babylon and not with those in Egypt or in their old homeland." [Note: Thompson, p. 784.]
However, Jeremiah had prophesied that none of Jehoiachin’s sons would rule over Judah (Jeremiah 22:24-30). So, while Evilmerodach’s treatment of Jehoiachin was encouraging, the future would require a supernatural act of God to perpetuate the Davidic dynasty and to produce the Messiah.
"In its present context the chapter seems to say: the divine word both has been fulfilled-and will be fulfilled!" [Note: Bright, Jeremiah, p. 370.]
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