And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;
In the Hebrew canon the two books of Kings are counted as one book telling one continuous history of the kings from the accession of Solomon to the Babylonian Captivity, and this verse stands at the close of that history. Within that history it belongs to the third great section of the history of the monarchy, that of the remaining kingdom of Judah after the ten tribes had been swept away, running from 2 Kings 18 to 2 Kings 25. That section records Judah's fall and Babylonian captivity following the breakup of the northern kingdom.
The closing chapters in which the verse stands record the wicked and weak reigns of the kings of Judah. Chapters 24 and 25 tell more fully the downfall of Zedekiah, the last king of the chosen people, whom Nebuchadnezzar blinded and carried to Babylon where he died in captivity. Afterward Judah had no independent government but lived only as a province subservient to the great world-ruling kingdoms.
After Jehoiachin had been imprisoned in Babylon for thirty-seven years, Evil-merodach became king, released him from prison, treated him kindly with royal favor, and set his place above the other captive kings in Babylon. The release and royal favor took place during the first year of Evil-merodach's reign. Jehoiachin remained in that favored position for the rest of his life. The verse thus marks the end of Jehoiachin's prolonged imprisonment under Nebuchadnezzar, who kept him in prison for many years until after his own reign even though Jehoiachin had only contemplated rebellion. That long confinement was unusual and unnecessary beyond securing Nebuchadnezzar's interests, was a wanton infliction of suffering from resentment, and proves cruelty of disposition in Nebuchadnezzar.
In the Hebrew canon the two books of Kings are counted as one book telling one continuous history of the kings from the accession of Solomon to the Babylonian Captivity, and this verse stands at the close of that history. Within that history it belongs to the third great section of the history of the monarchy, that of the remaining kingdom of Judah after the ten tribes had been swept away, running from 2 Kings 18 to 2 Kings 25. That section records Judah's fall and Babylonian captivity following the breakup of the northern kingdom.
The closing chapters in which the verse stands record the wicked and weak reigns of the kings of Judah. Chapters 24 and 25 tell more fully the downfall of Zedekiah, the last king of the chosen people, whom Nebuchadnezzar blinded and carried to Babylon where he died in captivity. Afterward Judah had no independent government but lived only as a province subservient to the great world-ruling kingdoms.
After Jehoiachin had been imprisoned in Babylon for thirty-seven years, Evil-merodach became king, released him from prison, treated him kindly with royal favor, and set his place above the other captive kings in Babylon. The release and royal favor took place during the first year of Evil-merodach's reign. Jehoiachin remained in that favored position for the rest of his life. The verse thus marks the end of Jehoiachin's prolonged imprisonment under Nebuchadnezzar, who kept him in prison for many years until after his own reign even though Jehoiachin had only contemplated rebellion. That long confinement was unusual and unnecessary beyond securing Nebuchadnezzar's interests, was a wanton infliction of suffering from resentment, and proves cruelty of disposition in Nebuchadnezzar.