Evil-Merodach
Ask about Evil-Merodach
Evil-Merodach was the son of Nebuchadnezzar and his successor as king of Babylon, reigning only briefly (c. 562-560 BC). In the year he began to reign, the thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin's captivity, he released the exiled king of Judah from prison, spoke kindly to him, set his throne above the other captive kings in Babylon, changed his prison garments, and gave him a place at the royal table and a daily allowance for the rest of his life. Both the books of Kings and Jeremiah end with this quiet act of mercy, a small sign that the line of David had not been forgotten in exile. His name has nothing to do with the English word 'evil'; it is the Hebrew form of the Babylonian name Amel-Marduk.
Biography
- Occupation
- King of Babylon
- Father
- Nebuchadnezzar
- Era
- Exile
- Nationality
- Babylonian
- Also Known As
- Amel-Marduk
Family
Did You Know?
Ration tablets found in Babylon list oil allotments for 'Ya'ukinu, king of the land of Yahudu' and his sons, confirming that Jehoiachin received royal provisions in Babylon even before his release.
According to the Babylonian historian Berossus, Evil-Merodach reigned only about two years before he was killed in a plot led by his sister's husband, Neriglissar.
The two biblical accounts differ by two days on the date of Jehoiachin's release: the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month in 2 Kings 25:27 and the twenty-fifth in Jeremiah 52:31.
Key Chapters
Key Passages
Jehoiachin Lifted Out of Prison
2 Kings 25:27-28
After thirty-seven years in captivity, David's heir is lifted up, a glimmer of hope at the darkest point of Israel's history.
27nd it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
A Place at the King's Table
2 Kings 25:29-30
The book of Kings ends not with destruction but with a king of Judah eating bread at a royal table, his needs supplied daily.
29nd changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.
Jeremiah's Closing Words
Jeremiah 52:31-34
Jeremiah's book closes with the same account, leaving readers with a hint that God's promises to David still stand.
31nd it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,
