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Jehoiachin began his reign at eighteen years of age, 2Ki_24:8, and reigned but three months, but that he yielded himself to the king of Babylon besieging him, Jer_52:12, in the eighth year of the king of Babylon’s reign. He was a prisoner in Babylon, (as appeareth by this text,) in which circumstances he continued (as appears from this text) about thirty years; which was during the whole reign of Nebuchadrezzar, sometimes called Nebuchadnezzar, sometimes Nebuchodonosor. Evil-merodach was son to this Nebuchadrezzar, who, in the twelfth month of that year, the twenty-fifth day of the month, (saith this text, but, 2Ki_25:27, it is the twenty-seventh day; but that difference may easily be reconciled: the penman of this part of holy writ might count precisely from the day of his father’s death, and the penman of the Book of Kings from the time of the coronation of Evil-merodach, or when he openly showed himself as king; or the one might reckon from the day that Evil-merodach decreed the thing, the other from the day when he put it in execution,)
lifted up the head, which signifies in Scripture the altering of one’s estate that is in misery, Gen_40:20, which is all that is here meant, for his bringing him out of prison is mentioned in the next words. The reason of this favour is variously guessed at. The reverend author of our English Annotations fancieth that Evil-merodach might be much of the same age with him, and that Jehoiachin got into the acquaintance of this Evil-merodach during his thirty years’ captivity, who considering his long imprisonment, and that now there was no danger of his heading the Jews, (whose city had now been destroyed twenty-five years and upward,) this prince out of his humanity might show him this favour; nor are such things unusual in nations upon their changes of princes and counsellors.