In brief
Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah, was first named Eliakim. Pharaoh Necho placed him on the throne of Judah and changed his name. He reigned eleven years in Jerusalem and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He is best known for cutting up and throwing into a fire the scroll of God's words dictated by Jeremiah. Under his reign, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, began to subdue Judah.
What does the name Jehoiakim mean?
His first name, Eliakim, is generally understood as “God raises up” or “God establishes.” Pharaoh Necho changed it to Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:34), linked to “Yahweh raises up” or “Yahweh establishes.” The name of Israel's God stays in his name, even though his life turned its back on him.
The story of Jehoiakim
A king placed by Pharaoh
2 Kings 23:34-37After Josiah's death, Pharaoh Necho puts Jehoahaz in chains and makes Eliakim, son of Josiah, king, changing his name to Jehoiakim. The new king pays Egypt the silver and gold demanded by taxing the people of the land. He is twenty-five years old and reigns eleven years in Jerusalem. He does evil in the eyes of the Lord, like his fathers.
A house built on injustice
Jeremiah 22:13-19Jeremiah denounces the king who builds himself a large house paneled with cedar by making his neighbor work without pay. He contrasts him with his father Josiah, who judged the cause of the poor and needy. Jehoiakim has eyes and a heart only for greed, innocent blood and violence. He will be given “the burial of a donkey.”
The prophet Urijah put to death
Jeremiah 26:20-23A prophet named Urijah announces the same judgments as Jeremiah. King Jehoiakim seeks to kill him. Urijah is afraid and flees to Egypt, but the king sends men to fetch him from there. Brought back before the king, Urijah is struck down with the sword and his body is thrown into the graves of the common people. Jehoiakim cannot bear a word that contradicts him.
The scroll read to the people
Jeremiah 36:1-20In Jehoiakim's fourth year, God orders Jeremiah to write all his words in a book, hoping that Judah will turn from its evil way. Baruch writes at his dictation and then reads the scroll in the temple on a day of fasting. Alarmed, the officials decide to inform the king, but first advise Baruch and Jeremiah to hide.
The scroll thrown into the fire
Jeremiah 36:21-26In winter, the king sits before a brazier. When Jehudi has read three or four leaves, Jehoiakim cuts the scroll with the scribe's penknife and throws it into the fire, where it is entirely consumed. Neither he nor his servants tear their garments, and he does not listen to the officials who plead with him. He orders the arrest of Baruch and Jeremiah, “but Yahweh hid them.”
The Word rewritten and judgment
Jeremiah 36:27-32God orders Jeremiah to take another scroll and write on it again all the words of the first. Baruch copies them at his dictation, and many similar words are added. Against Jehoiakim, the Lord announces that none of his line will sit on David's throne and that his dead body will be left exposed to the heat of the day and the frost of the night.
Subject to Babylon
2 Kings 24:1-6During his reign, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, sets out on campaign. Jehoiakim serves him three years, then rebels. The Lord then sends against Judah bands of Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites and Ammonites, according to the word of his prophets. Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin, his son, reigns in his place.
What Jehoiakim teaches us
- A scroll can be destroyed, but not the Word of God: it was rewritten, and even expanded.
- Hearing the Word without trembling or repenting hardens the heart instead of saving it.
- God judges power that grows rich by exploiting others: to know him is to do justice for the poor (Jeremiah 22:16).
- Silencing God's messengers does not change the message: the announced judgment comes to pass.
- Even facing a king's anger, God knows how to protect those who carry his word.
Key verses
The scroll is not first a sentence but an appeal. God has his warnings written down in the hope that his people will turn from their evil way and that he may forgive them.
Jehoiakim cuts up the Word and throws it into the fire without any fear. The contrast with his father Josiah, who tore his clothes on hearing the book of the law, is striking (2 Kings 22:11).
Speaking of Josiah, God defines what it means to know him: to judge the cause of the poor and needy. Jehoiakim, who exploited his workers, shows that he did not know God.
Bible verses to meditate on
Frequently asked questions
Why did Jehoiakim burn Jeremiah's scroll?
The Bible gives the reason through God's own words: Jehoiakim rejected the announcement that the king of Babylon would come and destroy the land (Jeremiah 36:29). Rather than repent, he tried to make the message disappear. He listened neither to the Word nor to the officials who begged him not to burn the scroll (Jeremiah 36:25).
What does the name Jehoiakim mean?
Jehoiakim is generally understood as “Yahweh raises up” or “Yahweh establishes.” His first name, Eliakim, has a similar meaning, with the divine name El. It was Pharaoh Necho who gave him the new name when he placed him on the throne of Judah (2 Kings 23:34).
Where can I find the story of Jehoiakim in the Bible?
His reign is summarized in 2 Kings 23:34 to 24:6 and in 2 Chronicles 36:4-8. The book of Jeremiah says more: the oracle against his house built on injustice (Jeremiah 22), the death of the prophet Urijah (Jeremiah 26) and the burned scroll (Jeremiah 36). He must not be confused with Jehoiachin, his son.