2 Chronicles 36 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

2 Chronicles 36 Short Summary:

2 Chronicles 36 is a parallel chapter to 2 Kings 25. It describes the decline of Judah as a nation leading up to their 70-year captivity in Babylon. God was so mad at His rebellious people, He allowed Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to destroy Jerusalem, the Temple, and to exile the people of Judah. But the end of the chapter leaves a glimmer of hope. Around 539 B.C., Babylon was conquered, and the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great, allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and begin the process of rebuilding.

2 Chronicles 36 Extended Summary

WHEN:

• Jehoahaz was king in Judah for 3 months in approximately 608 B.C.

• His brother Jehoiakim was king for 11 years, until approximately 597 B.C.

• Jehoiakim was taken to Babylon and the Temple was plundered in 597 B.C.

• Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 B.C.

• The Persians conquered the Babylon Empire around 539 B.C.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Jehoahaz – Josiah’s son who reigned for only 3 months in Judah.

• Pharoah Neco – King of Egypt who controlled Judah after defeating them at Megiddo (2 Chr 35).

• Jehoiakim (Eliakim) – Another of Josiah’s sons who Pharaoh Neco made king after deposing Jehoahaz.

• Jehoiachin (Coniah) – Son of Jehoiakim. He became king after his father was taken to Babylon.  

• Nebuchadnezzar – King of Babylon

• Zedekiah – King of Judah after Jehoiachin. He led a rebellion against the Babylonians.

• Cyrus the Great – King of Persia. He conquered the Babylonian Empire.

WHERE:

• Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.

• Babylon – This city was very significant in the ancient world. It was located about 420 miles (675 km) east of Jerusalem on the Euphrates River. 

OUTLINE:

• *This chapter has a parallel in 2 Kings 25.

• JEHOAHAZ REIGNS IN JUDAH (36:1-5):

  • Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah was made king of Judah, but he only reigned 3 months.

  • He was removed as king by Pharoah Neco of Egypt.

  • Neco made his brother, Eliakim, king and changed his name to Jehoiakim.

  • Jehoiakim reigned 11 years and “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (36:5).

• BABYLON CONQUERS JUDAH AND EXILES TWO KINGS (36:6-10):

  • God allowed the Babylonians to conquer Judah, plunder the Temple, and take Jehoiakim away to Babylon in chains.

  • Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim’s son, replaced his father as king but only reigned 3 months before he was taken to Babylon.

• ZEDEKIAH REBELS AGAINST BABYLON (36:11-16):

  • A man named Zedekiah became the next king of Judah and reigned 11, although he was really a subject of the Babylonian Empire.

  • He “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”

  • He rebelled against the Lord and against Babylon.

  • The people of Judah “kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words, and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy” (36:16).

• GOD’S WRATH POURED OUT ON JERSALEM BY THE BABYLONIANS (36:17-21):

  • The limit of God’s patience had been reached. He brought the Babylonian army to Jerusalem, and they decimated the city.

  • They killed without mercy, destroyed the city, the palaces, and the Temple.

  • Everyone who wasn’t killed was exiled to Babylon. They were servants to the Babylonians until the Persian Empire overthrew Babylon.

  • In total, the people of Judah were in exile for 70 years (the first exiles were taken to Babylon around 607 B.C.

• THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH RETURN HOME AFTER 70 YEARS TO REBUILD JERUSALEM (36:22-23):

  • Seventy years after the first exiles were taken to Babylon, Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and decreed that the people of Judah could return to their homeland to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.

  • What is incredible is that the prophet Isaiah prophesied of Cyrus’ actions 150-200 years before Cyrus permitted the Jews to return home (See Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1). He even prophesied of Cyrus by name.
    

APPLICATION:

• The following dates are worth remembering:

• 721 B.C. - The northern Kingdom of Israel is exiled into the land of the Assyrians.

• 607 B.C. - Babylon exiles the first group of captives from Judah to Babylon.

• 538 B.C. - Cyrus of Persia allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.