Original Word: יְהוֹיָקִים
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yhowyaqiym
Pronunciation: yeh-ho-yaw-KEEM
Phonetic Spelling: (yeh-ho-yaw-keem')
KJV: Jehoiakim
NASB: Jehoiakim, Joiakim
Word Origin: [from H3068 (יְהוֹוָה - LORD) abbreviated and H6965 (קוּם - arose)]

1. Jehovah will raise
2. Jehojakim, a Jewish king

Jehoiakim

From Yhovah abbreviated and quwm; Jehovah will raise; Jehojakim, a Jewish king -- Jehoiakim. Compare Yowyaqiym.

see HEBREW Yhovah

see HEBREW quwm

see HEBREW Yowyaqiym

Word Origin
from Yhvh and qum
Definition
"the LORD raises up," three Isr.
NASB Translation
Jehoiakim (36), Joiakim (4).

יְהוֺיָקִים, יוֺיָקִים, יוֺקִים

proper name, masculine ᵐ5 Ἰωακειμ (׳י raiseth up; compare אֶלְיָקִים & references; also יָקִים, יְקַמְיָה —

1 ׳יְהוֺ one of the last kings of Judah, son of Josiah 2 Kings 23:34,35,36; 2 Kings 24:1,5,6,19; 1 Chronicles 3:15,16; 2Chronicles 36:4,5,8; Jeremiah 1:3; Jeremiah 22:18,24; Jeremiah 24:1+ 19 t. Jeremiah; Daniel 1:1,2; name changed from original אֶלְיָקִים 2 Kings 23:34 2Chronicles 36:4.

2 יוֺיָקִים priest, son of Jeshua Nehemiah 12:10 (twice in verse); Nehemiah 12:12,26.

3 יוֺקִים a Judaite 1 Chronicles 4:22.

Name and Lineage

Jehoiakim, originally named Eliakim, was the second son of the godly King Josiah and the brother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah (1 Chronicles 3:15). His mother was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah (2 Kings 23:36). The Egyptian Pharaoh Necho renamed him Jehoiakim when he placed him on Judah’s throne (2 Kings 23:34).

Historical Context

Jehoiakim reigned eleven years over the kingdom of Judah, approximately 609–598 BC, during the turbulent waning days of the Assyrian Empire and the rapid ascent of Babylon. His lifetime straddled the international struggle between Egypt and Babylon for dominance in the Levant, a struggle that determined Judah’s political fate and led ultimately to exile.

Ascension and Political Alliances

After Josiah’s death at Megiddo, the Judeans crowned Jehoahaz. Within three months Pharaoh Necho dethroned Jehoahaz, imposed a heavy tribute, and installed Eliakim as vassal king, renaming him Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim submitted to Egyptian suzerainty by raising the imposed tax through heavy assessments on the people (2 Kings 23:35), foreshadowing his oppressive domestic policies.

Reign and Character

Scripture offers an unflinching moral appraisal: “He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 36:5). His reign is marked by:

• Extravagant palace building at the expense of forced labor (Jeremiah 22:13–14).
• Systemic injustice that drew the prophet Jeremiah’s denunciations (Jeremiah 22:17).
• Open contempt for prophetic revelation, vividly displayed when he cut up and burned Jeremiah’s scroll, piece by piece, in the winter fire (Jeremiah 36:23).

Prophetic Confrontations

Jeremiah, Uriah son of Shemaiah, and other prophets denounced Jehoiakim’s apostasy. Jeremiah foretold that the king would have “the burial of a donkey, dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 22:19). Jehoiakim attempted to silence prophetic voices, ordering Uriah’s execution (Jeremiah 26:20–23) and seeking Jeremiah’s arrest (Jeremiah 36:26). Yet the fidelity of the prophetic word prevailed, demonstrating the inviolability of divine revelation despite royal opposition.

Shift to Babylonian Control

Babylon’s victory at Carchemish (605 BC) forced Jehoiakim to switch allegiance from Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel records, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it” (Daniel 1:1). Temple vessels and select Judean youths, including Daniel, were exiled to Babylon—an initial phase of the wider deportations foretold by the prophets.

Rebellion, Siege, and Death

After three years of submission, Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylon, prompting Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raids (2 Kings 24:1–2). Babylon finally besieged Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles summarizes: “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon bound him in bronze shackles to take him to Babylon” (2 Chronicles 36:6). Jeremiah’s prophecy of a dishonorable burial implies he died during the siege, and his corpse was abandoned outside the city—an ignominious end befitting his spiritual rebellion.

Succession and Aftermath

Jehoiachin, his eighteen-year-old son, succeeded him but reigned only three months before surrendering to Babylon. Jehoiakim’s policies thus directly precipitated Judah’s deeper subjugation and accelerated the path to the 586 BC destruction of Jerusalem under Zedekiah.

Occurrences in Scripture

Approximately thirty-seven Old Testament references, chiefly in 2 Kings 23–24, 2 Chronicles 36, Jeremiah 22; 25–27; 35–37; 45–46; 52, and Daniel 1, trace Jehoiakim’s reign, condemn his actions, and record their consequences. Genealogical mentions appear in 1 Chronicles 3:15–16 and Matthew 1:11 (variant reading of the royal line).

Theological Reflections

1. Covenant Accountability: The covenant demands of Deuteronomy shaped prophetic indictment. Jehoiakim’s breach of justice validated covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28; Jeremiah 25:8–9).
2. Divine Providence in International Affairs: The Lord of hosts used Egypt and Babylon as instruments of discipline, proving that earthly thrones operate under heavenly sovereignty (Jeremiah 27:5–6).
3. The Permanence of God’s Word: Jehoiakim burned the scroll, but Jeremiah was commanded, “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words” (Jeremiah 36:28). Human defiance could not erase divine revelation.

Key Lessons for Believers

• Righteous lineage does not guarantee personal fidelity; Jehoiakim squandered Josiah’s godly heritage.
• National policies divorced from covenant obedience bring inevitable judgment.
• Resistance to God’s word hardens the heart and hastens ruin, whereas humble submission yields mercy.

Jehoiakim’s tragic account warns that rejecting divine authority leads to personal disgrace and collective calamity, but it also magnifies the faithfulness of God who preserves His word and His remnant through every upheaval.

יְ֠הוֹיָקִים יְה֣וֹיָקִ֔ים יְהֽוֹיָקִ֜ים יְהֽוֹיָקִים֙ יְהוֹיָקִ֑ים יְהוֹיָקִ֔ים יְהוֹיָקִ֖ים יְהוֹיָקִ֛ים יְהוֹיָקִ֣ים יְהוֹיָקִ֤ים יְהוֹיָקִ֥ים יְהוֹיָקִ֥ם יְהוֹיָקִ֧ים יְהוֹיָקִֽים׃ יְהוֹיָקִים֙ יהויקים יהויקים׃ יהויקם לִיהוֹיָקִ֥ים לִיהוֹיָקִ֧ים לִיהוֹיָקִ֨ים ליהויקים lî·hō·w·yā·qîm lîhōwyāqîm lihoyaKim yə·hō·w·yā·qim yə·hō·w·yā·qîm yəhōwyāqim yəhōwyāqîm yehoyaKimInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts