2 Chronicles Chapter 36 — The Fall of Jerusalem and the Return
This chapter describes the final four kings of Judah, the total destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and the eventual decree by King Cyrus to rebuild the Temple.
1Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem.
2Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
3The king of Egypt removed him from office at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent*A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces of gold.
4The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in the LORD his God’s sight.
6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.
7Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the vessels of the LORD’s house to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.
8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight.
10At the return of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of the LORD’s house, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
12He did that which was evil in the LORD his God’s sight. He didn’t humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the LORD’s mouth.
13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.
14Moreover all the chiefs of the priests and the people trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the LORD’s house which he had made holy in Jerusalem.
15The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place;
16but they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the LORD’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy.
17Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm. He gave them all into his hand.
18All the vessels of God’s house, great and small, and the treasures of the LORD’s house, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.
19They burned God’s house, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all of its valuable vessels.
20He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon, and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,
21to fulfill the LORD’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the LORD’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
23“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.’ ”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
2 Chronicles 36:15-16
“The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; but they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the LORD’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy.”
These verses explain the spiritual cause behind the national tragedy of the Babylonian exile.
2 Chronicles 36:21
“To fulfill the LORD’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.”
This verse connects the duration of the exile to the legal requirements for the land to rest and the fulfillment of prophecy.
2 Chronicles 36:23
“Cyrus king of Persia says, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem... let him go up.'”
This concluding decree provides a note of hope and divine restoration for the Jewish people.
Chapter Summary
2 Chronicles 36 recounts the final days of the Kingdom of Judah. Following the death of Josiah, four kings—Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah—reign in quick succession, with each doing evil in the sight of the Lord. During this era, Egypt and Babylon exert heavy control over Jerusalem, leading to the city's total destruction. Despite repeated warnings from God's messengers and prophets like Jeremiah, the leadership and the people continue in their transgressions and mock God's word. Consequently, King Nebuchadnezzar of the Chaldeans invades, burns the Temple, breaks down the city walls, and carries the surviving population into exile in Babylon. The land remains desolate for seventy years to fulfill its Sabbath rest as prophesied. The chapter and the book conclude with a historical shift: Cyrus the Great of Persia issues a decree in his first year, acknowledging God's command to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and inviting the people to return home.
Frequently Asked Questions
The text states that the destruction occurred because the people and their leaders repeatedly committed abominations, polluted the Temple, and mocked the messengers and prophets sent by God. After centuries of warnings, the Lord allowed the Chaldeans to conquer the city when there was no longer a remedy for the people's rebellion.
The final kings were Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. All four kings reigned under the pressure of foreign powers like Egypt and Babylon, and the text notes that they did evil in the sight of the Lord.
The seventy-year period of exile allowed the land to enjoy its Sabbaths, fulfilling the word of the Lord spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. This suggests a period of rest for the land while the people were in captivity in Babylon.
The book ends with the decree of Cyrus, king of Persia, who was moved by God to allow the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. This marks the transition from the Babylonian captivity to the restoration under Persian rule.
Study Note
The final verses of this chapter (22-23) are almost identical to the opening verses of the book of Ezra, serving as a narrative bridge between the history of the kings and the era of restoration.
Related Chapters
Jeremiah 25
This chapter contains the specific prophecy of the seventy-year Babylonian exile mentioned in 2 Chronicles 36.
Ezra 1
The book of Ezra picks up the narrative exactly where 2 Chronicles ends, repeating the decree of Cyrus.
2 Kings 25
This chapter provides a parallel historical account of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.
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