II Kings 20:18 - And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

The word "eunuch" means – literally a bed-keeper or chamberlain, and not necessarily in all cases one who was mutilated, although the practice of employing such mutilated persons in Oriental courts was common.

II Kings 9:32 states, "And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs."

Esther 2:3 states, "And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:"

The Law of Moses excluded them from the congregation, Deuteronomy 23:1. They were common also among the Greeks and Romans. Three classes of eunuchs are mentioned in Matthew 19:12, For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

So born from their mother’s womb.

Some men are made eunuchs by other men.

Some men have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.

When the prophet told Hezekiah his sons would be taken captive by Babylon and become eunuchs in that land, he is saying the sons of Hezekiah would not produce offspring because they would be unable to do so. In the case before us, the incapability is not physical, but positional. As we will show later, the descendants of Hezekiah will die without producing offspring, or they will be in a position (in prison) where there is no possibility of producing offspring.

The purpose of this paper is to see how God miraculously keeps the genealogy of the sons of David intact, even in troublous times, using pagan kings who do not understand or care for God’s eternal purposes.

Notice I Chronicles 3:15-24 which gives the genealogy of Josiah, the last good king of Judah.

The story starts with Josiah, who is the last good king of Judah. Josiah has four sons, according to I Chronicles 3:15-18. "And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. 16 And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. 17 And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son, 18 Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah."

Firstborn Johanan

Second Jehoiakim

Third Zedekiah

Fourth Shallum

The Son of Jehoiakim is Jeconiah.

The son of Jeconiah is Zedekiah.

The sons of Jeconiah are: (1) Assir, whose son is Salathiel, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.

Josiah is a king of Judah who ruled from 640 BC to 609 BC. He was a good king, and his reign fulfilled the prophecy of the man of God out of Judah, given in I Kings 13:1-6. Josiah is mentioned by name in verse 2. As you remember, there was also an old prophet in Judah, who persuaded the young prophet to come to his home and eat, which was against the commandment of God. When the young prophet left the home of the old prophet, he was attacked by a lion and killed, but the lion did not eat him, but stood by the carcase. The old prophet then came and caused the young prophet to be buried in his own sepulchre. I Kings 13:11-32. The year of the prophecy is about 975 BC.

II Kings 23:15-18 records that Josiah came across the sepulchre where the two prophets were buried, and was told the story and how Josiah fulfilled the prophecy the young prophet gave.

II Kings 23:29-30 reveals that Josiah was killed when he went out against Pharaoh-nechol who was going to fight the king of Assyria at the river Euphrates. II Chronicles 34:20-27 gives a more complete record of Josiah going out against the Egyptian army, when it appears he should have stayed at home. I think the reason Josiah decided to fight Egypt is because he did not like what Pharaoh told him concerning God giving him directions to fight Assyria. Note II Chronicles 34:21 where Pharaoh claimed that God was with him, and that God spoke to him, instructing him to make haste and defeat the Assyrians. It is likely the ark of God was with him at the time. There are more scriptures that confirm that the ark of God was removed from Israel during the terrible reign of Manesseh, and that Josiah desired the ark not to be moved about any more. II Chronicles 35:3 states, "And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel," I submit that when Josiah told the Levites to put the ark of the covenant in the house of God which Solomon built that the ark must have been someplace else. When Josiah instructed the Levites that the Ark would not be a burden upon their shoulders, that the Levites had been carrying the Ark to various places where it would be safe. If the Levites left the Ark of God in Judah or Jerusalem, the wicked kings would destroy it.

According to II Kings 23:30, the people of Judah made Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah king after Josiah died. "And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead."

II Chronicles 36:1-4 – "Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt."

II Kings 23:31-34 – "Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there."

Jeremiah 22:10-12 – Jeremiah prophesies that Jehoahaz will die in Riblah. "Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. 11 For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more: 12 But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more."

There is no mention made of any descendants of Jehoahaz.

The given name of Jehoiakim is Eliakim, II Kings 23:34. "And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there." Jehoiakim is the brother of Jehoahaz, who is Shallum, the youngest son of Josiah. According to II Kings 23:30, the people of Judah made Jehoahaz, the young son of Josiah king, but Pharaoh rejected this, and put Eliakim, the eldest son of Josiah who was still, living on the throne, and changed his name to Jehoiakim.

Judah was under the domain of Egypt for three years, and then Nebuchadnezzar conquered Egypt and put Judah under their dominion. According to II Kings 24:1, Judah was under the dominion of Nebuchadnezzar for three years, and then rebelled against that nation. Then the Lord sent four other nations against Judah because they refused to yield themselves to the conquering hand of God through Nebuchadnezzar. The nations were (1) Chaldees, (2) Syrians, (3) Moabites, and (4) Ammon.

II Kings 24:1-6 gives the record of Jehoiakim’s rule and how he rebelled against God through his rebellion against Egypt and Babylon. When he died, his son, Jehoiachin ruled in his place.

II Chronicles 36:5-8 records the reign of Jehoiakim, his rebellion, his carrying away to Babylon and how Jehoiachin, his son, reigns in his place.

Jehoiachin has four names:

Jehoiachin – II Kings 24:6 states, "So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead."

Jechonias – Matthew 1:11,12 states, "And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;"

Jeconiah – I Chronicles 3:16-17, "And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. " Esther 2:6, Jeremiah 24:1, 27:20, 28:4, 29:2

Coniah –

a. Jeremiah 22:24 states, "As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;"

b. Jeremiah 22:28 states, "Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?"

c. Jeremiah 37:1 states, "And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah."

II Kings 24:8-17 describes the reign of Jehoiachin and how he was carried away to Babylon and "made a eunuch".

Jeremiah 22:30 describe how Jehoiachin will be cast out. "Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."

II Chronicles 36:9-10 gives a description of Jehoiachin’s reign and transportation to Babylon.

Zedekiah has two names:

Zedekiah

Mattaniah – II Kings 24:17 – "And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah."

II Kings 24:18-25:7 describes the reign of Zedekiah and his rebellion against God and the king of Babylon and how he was carried away to Babylon.