And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.
This verse belongs to the history of Judah's remaining kingdom after the ten tribes had been swept away, in the account of the kings that continues through the Babylonian captivity. It places Jehoiakim, king in Jerusalem, among Judah's kings in the record leading to the captivity, soon after Josiah's death and shortly before Nebuchadnezzar's army came against the city.
It records that he did evil in the sight of the Lord according to all that his fathers had done, continuing Judah's departure from God until captivity came. Its report of continued evil ways contrasts with the reformation carried out under the good king Josiah in the same chapter. It illustrates how rulers repeatedly turned from God after times of prosperity, bringing calamity on themselves and their people.
At a time when wickedness was widespread in Jerusalem, Jehoiakim showed no willingness to restrain it, rejected the Lord's word, burned the scroll Jeremiah had read to him, and put the prophet Urijah to death. For this course the Lord pronounced judgment on him, declaring that no descendant of his would sit on David's throne and that his body would be exposed to heat and frost.
This verse belongs to the history of Judah's remaining kingdom after the ten tribes had been swept away, in the account of the kings that continues through the Babylonian captivity. It places Jehoiakim, king in Jerusalem, among Judah's kings in the record leading to the captivity, soon after Josiah's death and shortly before Nebuchadnezzar's army came against the city.
It records that he did evil in the sight of the Lord according to all that his fathers had done, continuing Judah's departure from God until captivity came. Its report of continued evil ways contrasts with the reformation carried out under the good king Josiah in the same chapter. It illustrates how rulers repeatedly turned from God after times of prosperity, bringing calamity on themselves and their people.
At a time when wickedness was widespread in Jerusalem, Jehoiakim showed no willingness to restrain it, rejected the Lord's word, burned the scroll Jeremiah had read to him, and put the prophet Urijah to death. For this course the Lord pronounced judgment on him, declaring that no descendant of his would sit on David's throne and that his body would be exposed to heat and frost.