Bible Chronology (47): From the Temple to Artaxerxes (22)

Jehoiakim reigned 11 years (609 - 598 BC). In Jehoiakim's 11th year, Nebuchadnezzar came and brought his reign to an end by taking him to Babylon in chains (2Chronicles 36:5-6), but he died on the journey and his body was cast out and exposed to the elements, so that he did not receive a proper burial, just as Jeremiah had prophesied (36:30, 22:19). His son, Jehoiachin, was only installed as king after news of Jehoiakim's death arrived in Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:6). Thus there was a short Interregnum of a few months between the reigns of Jehoiakim and Jehoiakin. Jehoiachin only reigned for 3 months and 10 days (2Chronicles 36:9, 2Kings 24:8), because Nebuchadnezzar immediately deposed him. The Babylonian Chronicle says that in his 7th year (Nisan 598 - 597 BC) he started to besiege Jerusalem in Kislev (12th Dec 598 - 11th Jan 597 BC), and captured it on 2nd Adar (10th March 597 BC), ending Jehoichin's reign of 3 months 10 days. Therefore he started to reign on 28th November 598 BC. Therefore, he did not reach the start of his 1st regnal year, which is why it is recorded as 3 months long rather than 1 year. However, there was also a short Interregnum before his reign, and we will see that this Interregnum started before Tishri 1st in October 598 BC. Therefore, in the overall reckoning 'this Interregnum + Jehoiachin's reign' should count as 1 year. Jehoiachin surrendered to Babylon on 10th March 597 BC, in Nebuchadnezzar's 7th year, just before the start of the Nisan new year in April. By the time Nebuchadnezzar had taken the treasures and organised the many captive to take to Babylon and installed the new king (Zedekiah), they had crossed over into the new year, which is why it says in 2Kings 24:12 that Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon early in his 8th year, as confirmed by 2Chronicles 36:10. Also Ezekiel 40:1 says that this happened on the 10th Nisan. Ezekiel went into captivity at the same time as Jehoichin, in Nisan (April) 597 BC - this is a well-established fixed date. Ezekiel gives all his dates as 'the years of king Jehoichin's Captivity' (1:2), which were also 'the years of our Captivity' (40:1). These must be Nisan years, so the first year of this Captivity was Nisan 597 - 596 BC. Jehoiachin was also called Jeconiah and Coniah. Jeremiah prophesied he would go into Captivity (22:24-28), and that none of his physical seed would ever sit on the throne of David (22:29-30). Thus the next and last king (Zedekiah) was his uncle, not his son. This created a problem, for the Messiah must be descended from the royal line, but any physical descendent of Jehoiachin is disqualified! The solution is the Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14). Matthew 1:1-16 gives the ancestry of Jesus on Joseph's side, showing His legal right to be king. Joseph was in the royal line, a descendant of Jehoiachin (1:11,12,16). The curse on Jehoiachin's seed (Jer 22:30) would disqualify Jesus from being the rightful king, if he was the physical son of Joseph, but this does not apply because of the Virgin Birth, which is why Matthew goes on to establish the Virgin Birth (1:18-23). Notice also that Matthew 1:16 does not say Joseph begat Jesus, but rather he was the husband of Mary, who brought Him forth (so he was the adoptive father of Jesus). Luke's genealogy traces His ancestry through Mary, proving He was also a physical son of David, which means that He fulfils all the legal requirements to sit on the throne of David in fulfilment of the Davidic Covenant (1Chron 17:11-14). Moreover, the curse on Jeconiah (Jer 22:30) means that all the other descendants of the royal line of kings, which passes through Jehoiachin, are disqualified by their physical relationship to Jeconiah. Therefore, by virtue of the uniqueness of the Virgin Birth, Jesus is the only physical Son of David, who is also in the royal line of kings, who is not disqualified by the curse on Jeconiah. Therefore, He is the only One, who satisfies all the conditions, to sit as King on the Throne of David. It is especially important to determine the exact dating of Jehoiakim's reign, because the 3rd Jehoiakim marks the start of the 70 years of Captivity (Daniel 1:1), as well as the 7 Times of the Gentiles. In order to get an accurate chronology of the kings from Josiah's death in 609 BC to the start of Zedekiah's reign in Nisan 597 BC, there is a technical issue to be decided. We have 3 established fixed dates from known links to the Babylonian chronology: (1) Josiah's death, Jehoahaz's accession, and the end of the Assyrian Empire in 609 BC (17th Nabopolassar), (2) the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, in the 4th year of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 46:2), which was also the accession year of Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:1), and (3) the start of Zedekiah's reign when the captives were taken to Babylon in 597 BC, at the start of the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar (2Kings 24:12). The 12 years (609 - 597 BC) start with the 3 months of Jehoahaz, fol