Question: I wonder whether Jehoiachin might have repented to the Lord while he was in prison....I don't think that God would have given him this throne if he had not repented—would He? | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

Question: [The questioner is a 10-year-old boy.] From reading 2 Kings:24:8-17 and 25:27-30, I wonder whether Jehoiachin might have repented to the Lord while he was in prison. Although chapter 24 tells that he "did evil in the sight of the Lord," 25:27-30 says that when King Evil-merodach began to reign over Babylon he took Jehoiachin from prison, gave him a throne above the other kings in Babylon, and a daily allowance for his needs until his death. I don't think that God would have given him this throne if he had not repentedwould He?

Response: I commend you for studying the Bible so diligently. However, advancement in and recognition by the world is not always a sign of God's blessing, though it could be. Wasn't God's blessing upon Daniel demonstrated by the authority given to him in Babylon? Yes, but God blessed Daniel because of his godly life and also to put him in position for a specific purpose in God's plan, as well as to give us the Book of Daniel.

Nothing of that nature is related about Jehoiachin: neither a godly life nor usefulness to God in Babylon. I think we would be told if that were the case. Everything we read about this man indicates that, like most of the kings of Israel and Judah, he would not repent no matter what judgment from God came upon him. The world rewards those who please it in rebellion against God. This was probably the case with Jehoiachin, though we can't be sure.

Certainly there is no hint that Evil-merodach (Amel-Marduk in Babylonian) was a servant of God, as we are told concerning Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar. Without more information, we dare not speculate about Jehoiachin's or anyone else's repentance.