Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon subjugates Judah; Jehoiakim rebels after three years. Bands of Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites raid Judah - as prophesied because of Manasseh's sins and the innocent blood he shed. Jehoiakim dies; his son Jehoiachin reigns three months. Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem; Jehoiachin surrenders with his mother, servants, officials, and officers. Babylon carries away all Jerusalem's treasures, cutting the temple's gold furnishings, deporting all the city except the poorest - ten thousand captives including warriors, craftsmen, and smiths. Nebuchadnezzar makes Mattaniah king, renaming him Zedekiah; he reigns eleven years doing evil.
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Read 2 Kings Chapter 24 Summary
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Characters in This Chapter
Elisha
Elijah's successor who performed many miracles and ministered to Israel's kings
Hezekiah
Faithful king of Judah who trusted God against Assyria and was healed from illness
Josiah
Reforming king who rediscovered the Law and led Judah in renewal
Naaman
Syrian commander healed of leprosy by Elisha, demonstrating God's grace to Gentiles
Manasseh
Wicked king of Judah who led the nation into deep idolatry
Nebuchadnezzar
King of Babylon
Judah
Son of Jacob, Ancestor of David and Christ
Manasseh, Son of Joseph
The Firstborn, Whose Name Means Forgetting
Solomon
Wise King of Israel
Jeremiah
The Weeping Prophet
Places in This Chapter
Egypt
View on MapEgypt plays a significant role throughout the Bible, from the time of Abraham to the flight of the Holy Family. Joseph was sold into slavery there and rose to become second to Pharaoh, saving his family during famine. The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years before God delivered them through Moses in the Exodus. Jesus' family fled to Egypt to escape King Herod, fulfilling the prophecy "Out of Egypt I called my son."
The Temple
View on MapThe Temple in Jerusalem was the permanent house of worship built by Solomon on Mount Moriah. Destroyed by Babylon, it was rebuilt by Zerubbabel and later greatly expanded by Herod. Jesus taught in the Temple courts, cleared it of merchants, and predicted its destruction, which occurred in 70 AD.
Position in Book
Elisha's MinistryChapters 1-8
Decline of Both KingdomsChapters 9-16
Fall of IsraelChapters 17
Judah AloneChapters 18-25
Hezekiah's faithfulness, Manasseh's wickedness, Josiah's reforms, fall of Jerusalem to Babylon.