Jehoiakim

Who was Jehoiakim?

Jehoiakim, c. 635-597 BCE, was a king of Judah from 608 to 597 BCE. He was the second son of king Josiah by Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. His birth name was Eliakim (אֶלְיָקִים Greek: Ελιακιμ; Latin: Eliakim).

On Josiah's death, Jehoiakim's younger brother Jehoahaz (or Shallum) was proclaimed king, but after three months pharaoh Necho II deposed him and replaced him with the elder son, Eliakim, who adopted the name Jehoiakim and became king at the age of twenty-five.

Jehoiakim reigned for eleven years to 598 BC and was succeeded by his son Jeconiah, (also known as Jehoiachin), who reigned for only three months. Jehoahaz died in exile in Egypt.