2 Chronicles 36 Study Notes: Jerusalem Falls and Cyrus Decrees Return
Judah’s last kings do evil while Egypt and Babylon control the throne, and Zedekiah rejects the prophet Jeremiah’s message. After the people scorn God’s repeated warnings, Babylon burns the temple and exiles the survivors, and the land lies empty seventy years until Cyrus of Persia invites God’s people to return.
General
Why did the LORD keep sending His messengers to His people again and again (2 Chronicles 36:15)?
Answer: Because He pitied His people and the place where He dwelt
Their ancestors’ God, the LORD, kept sending His word by messengers over and over, because He felt pity for His people and for the temple where He dwelt among them (36:15). The prophets were the gift of a merciful God calling His people back before judgment fell. Jeremiah himself testified that God had sent His prophets to them again and again (Jeremiah 25:4). God does not delight when the wicked die but calls them to turn and live (Ezekiel 33:11), and He is patient, wanting people to repent (2 Peter 3:9).
- 2 Chronicles 36:15 (BSB)“Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place.”The LORD sends word through His messengers persistently because of His compassion.
- Jeremiah 25:4 (BSB)“And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.”Jeremiah testifies that the LORD sent His prophets to Judah over and over.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (BSB)“Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but calls them to turn and live.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”The Lord is patient, wanting people to come to repentance.
Theological
What reason does 2 Chronicles 36:15 give for the LORD’s persistent sending of messengers?
Answer: Because He pitied His people and the place where He dwelt
The repeated prophetic warnings flowed from divine compassion: the LORD sent His messengers persistently because He had pity on His people and His dwelling place (36:15). Judah’s judgment came only after long patience, as Jeremiah attests (Jeremiah 25:4). God’s warnings are a genuine call to repent, for He does not delight when the wicked die (Ezekiel 33:11) and is patient toward repentance (2 Peter 3:9). His compassion and His justice are both on display in this chapter.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15 (BSB)“Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place.”The LORD sends word through His messengers persistently because of His compassion.
- Jeremiah 25:4 (BSB)“And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.”Jeremiah testifies that the LORD sent His prophets to Judah over and over.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (BSB)“Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but calls them to turn and live.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”The Lord is patient, wanting people to come to repentance.
General
True or False: Cyrus declared that heaven’s God had given him the earth’s kingdoms and charged him with building God a temple in Jerusalem, and he invited God’s people to return.
Answer: True
This is true. Cyrus announced that the LORD, heaven’s God, had given him every kingdom on earth and had appointed him to build Him a temple in Jerusalem. Then he invited anyone belonging to the LORD’s people to go up, with a blessing that God would be with them (36:23). The book ends not with ruin but with an open door. Through Isaiah the LORD had called Cyrus His shepherd who would carry out all His will, in the same breath as promising that Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the temple’s foundation laid (Isaiah 44:28), and God had promised through Jeremiah to bring His people home when the seventy years were done (Jeremiah 29:10). God keeps His promises even after judgment.
- 2 Chronicles 36:23 (BSB)““This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and may he go up.’””Cyrus declares that God has charged him to build a temple in Jerusalem and invites God’s people to go up.
- Isaiah 44:28 (BSB)“who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’””The LORD calls Cyrus His shepherd who will fulfill His desire and speaks of Jerusalem rebuilt and the temple’s foundation laid.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”God had promised to bring His people back to their land after seventy years.
Theological
True or False: Chronicles ends with Cyrus declaring that heaven’s God had charged him to build Him a temple in Jerusalem and inviting God’s people to go up.
Answer: True
This is true. Cyrus confesses that the LORD, heaven’s God, gave him every earthly kingdom and appointed him to build God a house in Jerusalem, and he invites any of God’s people to go up with the blessing of God’s presence (36:23). The book closes on restoration rather than ruin: Isaiah’s word about Cyrus and the rebuilt temple (Isaiah 44:28) and Jeremiah’s promise of return after seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10) are coming true. God’s faithfulness to His covenant outlasts His people’s unfaithfulness.
- 2 Chronicles 36:23 (BSB)““This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and may he go up.’””Cyrus declares that God has charged him to build a temple in Jerusalem and invites God’s people to go up.
- Isaiah 44:28 (BSB)“who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’””The LORD calls Cyrus His shepherd who will fulfill His desire and speaks of Jerusalem rebuilt and the temple’s foundation laid.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”God had promised to bring His people back to their land after seventy years.
General
According to 2 Chronicles 36:17, who brought the Chaldean king against Jerusalem?
Answer: The LORD Himself, bringing judgment on His people
The LORD brought the Chaldean king (the ruler of Babylon) against His people and handed everyone over to Nebuchadnezzar (36:17). The Babylonians killed many, carried off the treasures of temple and palace to Babylon, burned God’s house, broke down Jerusalem’s wall, and carried the survivors into exile, where they served Nebuchadnezzar and his descendants until Persia rose to power (36:18-20). Babylon was the instrument, but the judgment was God’s. By Jeremiah’s mouth God had called Nebuchadnezzar His servant whom He would bring against the land (Jeremiah 25:9), and through Habakkuk He said He was stirring up the Chaldeans (Habakkuk 1:6). Lamentations later says that the LORD carried out the decree He had ordained long before (Lamentations 2:17).
- 2 Chronicles 36:19-20 (BSB)“Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value. Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.”The temple is burned, Jerusalem’s wall broken, and the survivors exiled to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 25:9 (BSB)“behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.”The LORD calls Nebuchadnezzar His servant whom He will bring against the land.
- Habakkuk 1:6 (BSB)“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.”The LORD says He is raising up the Chaldeans.
- Lamentations 2:17 (BSB)“The LORD has done what He planned; He has accomplished His decree, which He ordained in days of old; He has overthrown you without pity. He has let the enemy gloat over you and exalted the horn of your foes.”Jerusalem’s fall is described as the LORD accomplishing what He had decreed.
Theological
Whom does 2 Chronicles 36:17 identify as bringing the Chaldean king against Judah?
Answer: The LORD Himself, bringing judgment on His people
The LORD Himself brought the Chaldean king against Judah and handed everyone over to Nebuchadnezzar (36:17). The plundering of the temple and palace, the burning of the temple, the breaching of Jerusalem’s wall and the exile to Babylon until Persia’s rise (36:18-20) are His covenant judgment carried out through a pagan power. The prophets had said as much: Nebuchadnezzar was the LORD’s servant (Jeremiah 25:9), the Chaldeans were raised up by Him (Habakkuk 1:6), and the city’s fall was the LORD fulfilling His decree (Lamentations 2:17).
- 2 Chronicles 36:19-20 (BSB)“Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value. Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.”The temple is burned, Jerusalem’s wall broken, and the survivors exiled to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 25:9 (BSB)“behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.”The LORD calls Nebuchadnezzar His servant whom He will bring against the land.
- Habakkuk 1:6 (BSB)“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.”The LORD says He is raising up the Chaldeans.
- Lamentations 2:17 (BSB)“The LORD has done what He planned; He has accomplished His decree, which He ordained in days of old; He has overthrown you without pity. He has let the enemy gloat over you and exalted the horn of your foes.”Jerusalem’s fall is described as the LORD accomplishing what He had decreed.
General
True or False: Egypt’s king deposed Jehoahaz, put his brother Eliakim on the throne under the name Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away to Egypt.
Answer: True
This is true. After Josiah’s death Judah’s populace made his son Jehoahaz king, but he lasted only three months. Egypt’s king removed him, forced Judah to pay a heavy levy of silver and gold, set Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim on the throne with the new name Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away to Egypt (36:1-4). Judah’s kings were now being set up and removed by a foreign ruler. Behind every rise and fall of kings stands God, who sets kings up and takes them down (Daniel 2:21). The account in Kings records the same events (2 Kings 23:34).
- 2 Chronicles 36:3-4 (BSB)“And the king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. Then Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.”Egypt’s king deposes Jehoahaz, installs Eliakim as Jehoiakim, and takes Jehoahaz away.
- Daniel 2:21 (BSB)“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”God is the one who removes kings and sets them up.
- 2 Kings 23:34 (BSB)“Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.”The parallel account also records Neco renaming Eliakim and taking Jehoahaz to Egypt.
Theological
True or False: Neco removed Jehoahaz, renamed his brother Eliakim as Jehoiakim and installed him, and took Jehoahaz to Egypt.
Answer: True
This is true. Jehoahaz, made king by Judah’s populace, reigned three months before Egypt’s king deposed him, imposed tribute, installed his brother Eliakim under the throne name Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz to Egypt (36:1-4). Judah’s throne is now at the disposal of foreign powers, yet God remains the one who removes and establishes kings (Daniel 2:21). Kings records the same transfer of power (2 Kings 23:34).
- 2 Chronicles 36:3-4 (BSB)“And the king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. Then Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.”Egypt’s king deposes Jehoahaz, installs Eliakim as Jehoiakim, and takes Jehoahaz away.
- Daniel 2:21 (BSB)“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”God is the one who removes kings and sets them up.
- 2 Kings 23:34 (BSB)“Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.”The parallel account also records Neco renaming Eliakim and taking Jehoahaz to Egypt.
General
After Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon, whom did he set on the throne of Judah (2 Chronicles 36:10)?
Answer: Zedekiah, a relative of Jehoiachin
Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin reigned only a few months and also did evil (36:8-9). In the spring Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and took him away to Babylon together with valuable objects from the LORD’s temple, and then gave Judah’s throne to Zedekiah, a relative of Jehoiachin (36:10). Kings records the same exile of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:15). The LORD had also warned, by Jeremiah, Jehoiakim’s son, there called Coniah, that He would hand him over to Babylon’s king (Jeremiah 22:24-25). Each king in turn was now placed or removed by a foreign ruler.
- 2 Chronicles 36:9-10 (BSB)“Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.”Jehoiachin does evil, is taken to Babylon with valuable temple articles, and his relative Zedekiah is made king.
- 2 Kings 24:15 (BSB)“Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”The parallel account also records Nebuchadnezzar carrying Jehoiachin into exile in Babylon.
- Jeremiah 22:24-25 (BSB)““As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off. In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread, who want to take your life—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Chaldeans.”The LORD warned Jehoiakim’s son, called Coniah here, that He would hand him over to Nebuchadnezzar.
Theological
Whom does 2 Chronicles 36:10 say Nebuchadnezzar set on Judah’s throne after removing Jehoiachin?
Answer: Zedekiah, a relative of Jehoiachin
Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim’s son, did evil during his brief reign (36:8-9). Nebuchadnezzar summoned him to Babylon in the spring, together with valuable articles from the LORD’s house, and installed Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah as Judah’s king (36:10), an exile Kings also records (2 Kings 24:15). Jeremiah had announced that the LORD would hand Jehoiakim’s son, there called Coniah, over to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 22:24-25). Judah’s throne now passes at a foreign king’s word, the next step toward the judgment the chapter goes on to describe.
- 2 Chronicles 36:9-10 (BSB)“Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.”Jehoiachin does evil, is taken to Babylon with valuable temple articles, and his relative Zedekiah is made king.
- 2 Kings 24:15 (BSB)“Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”The parallel account also records Nebuchadnezzar carrying Jehoiachin into exile in Babylon.
- Jeremiah 22:24-25 (BSB)““As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off. In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread, who want to take your life—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Chaldeans.”The LORD warned Jehoiakim’s son, called Coniah here, that He would hand him over to Nebuchadnezzar.
General
What does 2 Chronicles 36:21 say the land enjoyed while it lay desolate?
Answer: The Sabbath rest owed to it, for seventy years
While the people were in exile, the land kept its Sabbath rest throughout its desolation, until a span of seventy years had passed, fulfilling what the LORD had said through Jeremiah (36:21). A Sabbath rest is a time of rest from work set apart for God; the Law of Moses also gave the land itself regular years of rest. Long before, the Law had warned that if Israel disobeyed, the people would be scattered and the land would rest while it lay empty, making up the rest it had not been given (Leviticus 26:34-35). Jeremiah had foretold seventy years of serving Babylon (Jeremiah 25:11-12), and God promised to bring His people back when those years were complete (Jeremiah 29:10).
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 (BSB)“So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah.”The desolate land rests for seventy years, fulfilling Jeremiah’s word.
- Leviticus 26:34-35 (BSB)“Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not receive during the Sabbaths when you lived in it.”The Law warned that a disobedient Israel would be removed and the land would rest while desolate.
- Jeremiah 25:11-12 (BSB)“And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”Jeremiah foretold that the nations would serve Babylon for seventy years.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”God promised to restore His people once Babylon’s seventy years were complete.
Theological
According to 2 Chronicles 36:21, what did the land enjoy during the years of desolation?
Answer: The Sabbath rest owed to it, for seventy years
The land kept Sabbath throughout its desolation, for a full seventy years, in accordance with the LORD’s word through Jeremiah (36:21). Chronicles joins two prophetic threads: the covenant sanction of Leviticus, in which the emptied land would rest and receive the Sabbaths it had been denied (Leviticus 26:34-35), and Jeremiah’s seventy years of Babylonian rule (Jeremiah 25:11-12), which carried with it the promise of restoration (Jeremiah 29:10). The exile is both judgment and the precise fulfillment of God’s word.
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 (BSB)“So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah.”The desolate land rests for seventy years, fulfilling Jeremiah’s word.
- Leviticus 26:34-35 (BSB)“Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not receive during the Sabbaths when you lived in it.”The Law warned that a disobedient Israel would be removed and the land would rest while desolate.
- Jeremiah 25:11-12 (BSB)“And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”Jeremiah foretold that the nations would serve Babylon for seventy years.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”God promised to restore His people once Babylon’s seventy years were complete.
General
According to 2 Chronicles 36:14, what did the leading priests and the nation do to the LORD’s temple?
Answer: They polluted it by copying the nations’ practices
The guilt was not Zedekiah’s alone. The chief priests and the nation’s leaders grew more and more unfaithful, imitating the detestable practices of the surrounding nations, and they made unclean the temple the LORD had set apart as holy in Jerusalem (36:14). The very people who should have guarded God’s house polluted it. The prophets of that time saw the same thing: Ezekiel was shown great abominations in the temple that were driving the LORD from His sanctuary (Ezekiel 8:6), and Jeremiah charged Judah with setting up detestable idols in the temple that bore God’s Name (Jeremiah 7:30).
- 2 Chronicles 36:14 (BSB)“Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.”The leading priests and the people multiply unfaithfulness and defile the LORD’s house.
- Ezekiel 8:6 (BSB)““Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what they are doing—the great abominations that the house of Israel is committing—to drive Me far from My sanctuary? Yet you will see even greater abominations.””Ezekiel saw great abominations in the temple driving the LORD from His sanctuary.
- Jeremiah 7:30 (BSB)“For the people of Judah have done evil in My sight, declares the LORD. They have set up their abominations in the house that bears My Name, and so have defiled it.”Jeremiah charged Judah with setting up abominations in the house that bore God’s Name.
Theological
What does 2 Chronicles 36:14 charge the leading priests and the nation with doing to the temple?
Answer: They polluted it by copying the nations’ practices
Leadership in both the priesthood and the nation multiplied unfaithfulness, adopting the pagan nations’ abominations and profaning the temple the LORD had made holy in Jerusalem (36:14). The corruption reached the center of Israel’s worship, as Ezekiel’s vision of temple abominations (Ezekiel 8:6) and Jeremiah’s temple indictment (Jeremiah 7:30) confirm.
- 2 Chronicles 36:14 (BSB)“Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.”The leading priests and the people multiply unfaithfulness and defile the LORD’s house.
- Ezekiel 8:6 (BSB)““Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what they are doing—the great abominations that the house of Israel is committing—to drive Me far from My sanctuary? Yet you will see even greater abominations.””Ezekiel saw great abominations in the temple driving the LORD from His sanctuary.
- Jeremiah 7:30 (BSB)“For the people of Judah have done evil in My sight, declares the LORD. They have set up their abominations in the house that bears My Name, and so have defiled it.”Jeremiah charged Judah with setting up abominations in the house that bore God’s Name.
General
According to 2 Chronicles 36:22, why did Persia’s king Cyrus send out his proclamation?
Answer: The LORD moved his spirit to fulfill Jeremiah’s word
In Cyrus’ first year as Persia’s king, the LORD moved his spirit to send a written proclamation across his empire, so that God’s word through Jeremiah would be fulfilled (36:22). God was at work in the heart of a pagan emperor. The book of Ezra begins with the same words (Ezra 1:1). Scripture teaches that the LORD directs the heart of a king wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1), and Isaiah had even named Cyrus as the one God would use (Isaiah 45:1).
- 2 Chronicles 36:22 (BSB)“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:”In Cyrus’ first year the LORD stirs his spirit to issue a proclamation.
- Ezra 1:1 (BSB)“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:”Ezra opens with the same account of the LORD stirring Cyrus’ spirit.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs a king’s heart wherever He pleases.
- Isaiah 45:1 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut:”Isaiah names Cyrus as the one the LORD would use to subdue nations.
Theological
What does 2 Chronicles 36:22 give as the cause of Cyrus’ proclamation?
Answer: The LORD moved his spirit to fulfill Jeremiah’s word
The LORD moved Cyrus’ spirit to issue his written proclamation, in order to fulfill His word through Jeremiah (36:22). God’s sovereignty reaches the decisions of a pagan emperor, whose heart He directs as He pleases (Proverbs 21:1), and whom Isaiah had named in advance as God’s chosen instrument (Isaiah 45:1). Ezra opens with the identical account (Ezra 1:1), joining the end of Chronicles to the story of the return.
- 2 Chronicles 36:22 (BSB)“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:”In Cyrus’ first year the LORD stirs his spirit to issue a proclamation.
- Ezra 1:1 (BSB)“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:”Ezra opens with the same account of the LORD stirring Cyrus’ spirit.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs a king’s heart wherever He pleases.
- Isaiah 45:1 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut:”Isaiah names Cyrus as the one the LORD would use to subdue nations.
General
How did the people treat God’s messengers, and what was the result (2 Chronicles 36:16)?
Answer: They mocked them, until His anger could not be turned back
The people ridiculed God’s messengers, looked down on His words and made fun of His prophets, and they kept doing it until the LORD’s anger against His people rose so high that there was no longer any cure (36:16). The fault lay entirely with the people; God had given warning after warning. Proverbs describes this very danger: someone who stays stubborn after many warnings will suddenly be broken beyond recovery (Proverbs 29:1). After the exile the returned Jews confessed that God had been patient for many years though they refused to listen (Nehemiah 9:30). Jesus grieved over the same pattern in Jerusalem, which rejected the prophets God sent (Matthew 23:37).
- 2 Chronicles 36:16 (BSB)“But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.”The people ridicule God’s messengers until His wrath is beyond remedy.
- Proverbs 29:1 (BSB)“A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.”One who stays stubborn after many warnings is suddenly broken beyond recovery.
- Nehemiah 9:30 (BSB)“You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets. Yet they would not listen, so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.”Looking back, the returned exiles confessed that God was patient for years though Israel would not listen.
- Matthew 23:37 (BSB)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!”Jesus grieved over Jerusalem, which killed the prophets and was unwilling to be gathered.
Theological
What does 2 Chronicles 36:16 say about Judah’s response to God’s messengers and its outcome?
Answer: They mocked them, until His anger could not be turned back
Judah mocked God’s messengers, held His words in contempt and ridiculed His prophets, so that the LORD’s wrath rose against His people past all remedy (36:16). The judgment that follows is just; the people are fully responsible for spurning repeated mercy. Wisdom warns that the one who stiffens his neck after repeated correction will be broken without healing (Proverbs 29:1). The confession of the returned exiles acknowledges God’s long patience (Nehemiah 9:30), and Jesus laments the same unwillingness in Jerusalem’s treatment of the prophets (Matthew 23:37).
- 2 Chronicles 36:16 (BSB)“But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.”The people ridicule God’s messengers until His wrath is beyond remedy.
- Proverbs 29:1 (BSB)“A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.”One who stays stubborn after many warnings is suddenly broken beyond recovery.
- Nehemiah 9:30 (BSB)“You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets. Yet they would not listen, so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.”Looking back, the returned exiles confessed that God was patient for years though Israel would not listen.
- Matthew 23:37 (BSB)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!”Jesus grieved over Jerusalem, which killed the prophets and was unwilling to be gathered.
General
During Jehoiakim’s reign, what did Nebuchadnezzar do with sacred objects he took from the LORD’s temple (2 Chronicles 36:7)?
Answer: He placed them in his own temple in Babylon
Jehoiakim displeased the LORD by doing evil. Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar attacked him and bound him in bronze chains for removal to Babylon, and he carried off sacred objects from the LORD’s temple and set them inside his own temple there (36:5-7). Daniel describes the same loss, with the sacred objects kept in the shrine of Nebuchadnezzar’s god (Daniel 1:1-2). Yet God had promised that temple articles carried to Babylon would one day be brought back (Jeremiah 27:21-22), and under Cyrus the articles Nebuchadnezzar had taken were brought out again (Ezra 1:7).
- 2 Chronicles 36:6-7 (BSB)“Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jehoiakim and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon some of the articles from the house of the LORD, and he put them in his temple in Babylon.”Nebuchadnezzar binds Jehoiakim and takes temple articles to his temple in Babylon.
- Daniel 1:1-2 (BSB)“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with some of the articles from the house of God. He carried these off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, where he put them in the treasury of his god.”Daniel also records temple articles being carried to the house of Nebuchadnezzar’s god.
- Jeremiah 27:21-22 (BSB)“Yes, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: ‘They will be carried to Babylon and will remain there until the day I attend to them again,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’””The LORD said the remaining temple articles would be carried to Babylon and later brought back.
- Ezra 1:7 (BSB)“King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods.”Under Cyrus the articles Nebuchadnezzar had taken were brought out again.
Theological
What does 2 Chronicles 36:7 say Nebuchadnezzar did with temple vessels he seized in Jehoiakim’s reign?
Answer: He placed them in his own temple in Babylon
Jehoiakim did evil, and Nebuchadnezzar bound him in bronze chains for deportation and carried some of the temple vessels to Babylon, setting them in his own temple (36:6-7; compare Daniel 1:1-2). The removal of the vessels foreshadows the full plundering to come, yet the LORD had promised that temple articles carried to Babylon would be brought back (Jeremiah 27:21-22), a promise kept when Cyrus released the articles Nebuchadnezzar had taken (Ezra 1:7).
- 2 Chronicles 36:6-7 (BSB)“Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jehoiakim and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon some of the articles from the house of the LORD, and he put them in his temple in Babylon.”Nebuchadnezzar binds Jehoiakim and takes temple articles to his temple in Babylon.
- Daniel 1:1-2 (BSB)“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with some of the articles from the house of God. He carried these off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, where he put them in the treasury of his god.”Daniel also records temple articles being carried to the house of Nebuchadnezzar’s god.
- Jeremiah 27:21-22 (BSB)“Yes, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: ‘They will be carried to Babylon and will remain there until the day I attend to them again,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’””The LORD said the remaining temple articles would be carried to Babylon and later brought back.
- Ezra 1:7 (BSB)“King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods.”Under Cyrus the articles Nebuchadnezzar had taken were brought out again.
General
Before which prophet, who spoke the LORD’s word, did King Zedekiah refuse to humble himself (2 Chronicles 36:12)?
Answer: Jeremiah
Zedekiah, Judah’s last king, displeased the LORD by doing evil and refused to bow in humility before the prophet Jeremiah, who brought him the LORD’s word (36:12). The book of Jeremiah says the same: Zedekiah and his officials refused to obey what the LORD said through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:2). The contrast with Josiah is sharp. Josiah humbled himself when he heard God’s word and found mercy (34:27). Scripture says that God sets Himself against the proud but is gracious to the humble (James 4:6).
- 2 Chronicles 36:12 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.”Zedekiah does evil and refuses to humble himself before the prophet who spoke the LORD’s word.
- Jeremiah 37:2 (BSB)“But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.”Zedekiah and his officials refused to obey the LORD’s words through Jeremiah.
- 2 Chronicles 34:27 (BSB)“because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.”Josiah, by contrast, had humbled himself when he heard God’s word.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Theological
Which prophet does 2 Chronicles 36:12 name as the one before whom Zedekiah would not humble himself?
Answer: Jeremiah
Zedekiah did evil and refused to humble himself in the presence of Jeremiah, who spoke from the LORD’s mouth (36:12), a refusal Jeremiah’s own book confirms (Jeremiah 37:2). Humbling oneself before God’s word is the book’s recurring path to mercy, taken by Josiah (34:27) and refused by Zedekiah. God sets Himself against the proud but is gracious to the humble (James 4:6).
- 2 Chronicles 36:12 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.”Zedekiah does evil and refuses to humble himself before the prophet who spoke the LORD’s word.
- Jeremiah 37:2 (BSB)“But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.”Zedekiah and his officials refused to obey the LORD’s words through Jeremiah.
- 2 Chronicles 34:27 (BSB)“because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.”Josiah, by contrast, had humbled himself when he heard God’s word.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
General
True or False: Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar even though Nebuchadnezzar had made him take an oath in God’s name.
Answer: True
This is true. Nebuchadnezzar had made Zedekiah swear an oath by God, yet Zedekiah rebelled against him (36:13). Breaking a promise made in God’s name was a sin against God Himself; through Ezekiel the LORD called the oath that Judah’s king had despised, and the covenant he had broken with Babylon’s king, His own oath and His own covenant (Ezekiel 17:19). Chronicles also says Zedekiah stubbornly set his heart against returning to the LORD. To stiffen the neck is a picture of stubborn refusal, used for Israel’s refusal to listen to God (2 Kings 17:14), and Stephen uses the same picture in the New Testament (Acts 7:51).
- 2 Chronicles 36:13 (BSB)“He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.”Zedekiah breaks his oath to Nebuchadnezzar and hardens himself against turning to the LORD.
- Ezekiel 17:19 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.”The LORD calls the oath and covenant that Judah’s king despised and broke His own oath and covenant.
- 2 Kings 17:14 (BSB)“But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.”Stiffening the neck is how Scripture describes Israel’s stubborn refusal to listen.
- Acts 7:51 (BSB)“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.”Stephen uses the same picture of a stiff neck for resisting God.
Theological
True or False: Zedekiah broke faith with Nebuchadnezzar despite having sworn an oath to him by God.
Answer: True
This is true. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who had bound him by an oath in God’s name, and he stubbornly hardened himself against returning to the LORD (36:13). Through Ezekiel the LORD called that despised oath His own oath and that broken covenant His own covenant (Ezekiel 17:19). The stiff neck is Scripture’s image for persistent covenant refusal, from Israel’s history (2 Kings 17:14) to Stephen’s indictment (Acts 7:51).
- 2 Chronicles 36:13 (BSB)“He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.”Zedekiah breaks his oath to Nebuchadnezzar and hardens himself against turning to the LORD.
- Ezekiel 17:19 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.”The LORD calls the oath and covenant that Judah’s king despised and broke His own oath and covenant.
- 2 Kings 17:14 (BSB)“But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.”Stiffening the neck is how Scripture describes Israel’s stubborn refusal to listen.
- Acts 7:51 (BSB)“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.”Stephen uses the same picture of a stiff neck for resisting God.