The Meaning of 2 Kings 23:34 Explained

2 Kings 23:34

KJV: 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.

YLT: And Pharaoh-Nechoh causeth Eliakim son of Josiah to reign instead of Josiah his father, and turneth his name to Jehoiakim, and Jehoahaz he hath taken away, and he cometh in to Egypt, and dieth there.

Darby: And Pharaoh-Nechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king instead of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And he took Jehoahaz; and he came to Egypt, and died there.

ASV: And Pharaoh-necoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim: but he took Jehoahaz away; and he came to Egypt, and died there.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does 2 Kings 23:34 Mean?

Study Notes

Jehoiakim
Called Jakim. Matthew 1:10 ; Matthew 1:11 .
Josias
Josiah, 1 Kings 13:2

Context Summary

2 Kings 23:26-37 - In The Hands Of Heathen Foes
Josiah's life ended in terrible disaster. He persisted in measuring himself in battle against the king of Egypt in a quarrel which was none of his, and thus met his death. The events of this paragraph are fully narrated in 2 Chronicles 35:1-27, and are corroborated by the Greek historian, Herodotus, and by the sculptures on this Pharaoh's tomb. The story of Jehoiakim should also be studied in the pages of Jeremiah- Jeremiah 22:1-30; Jeremiah 26:1-24; Jeremiah 36:1-32 -which cast a flood of light on these last days, when the sands in the time-glass of repentance were running out.
It is extraordinary that, notwithstanding the earnest expostulations of Jeremiah and others, and the awful example furnished by the fate of the ten tribes, the kings of Judah and their people should be so persistent in wrong-doing. But their hearts were fully set upon evil. In our own time the history of the drink traffic furnishes a parallel. Its evils stand confessed, as they touch individuals and nations, and yet neither individuals nor nations seem able to cast off the coils of this serpent. The Hebrew race had to pass through terrible fixes to become fitted for their mission to the world, and surely the present anguish of conflict is our parallel! [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 23

1  Josiah causes the book to be read in a solemn assembly
3  He renews the covenant of the Lord
4  He destroys idolatry
15  He burns dead men's bones upon the altar of Bethel, as was prophesied
21  He keeps a most solemn Passover
24  He puts away witches and all abomination
26  God's final wrath against Judah
29  Josiah, provoking Pharaoh Neco, is slain at Megiddo
31  Jehoahaz, succeeding him,
33  is imprisoned by Pharaoh Neco, who makes Jehoiakim king
36  Jehoiakim's wicked reign

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 23:34 mean?

And made king Pharaoh Necho - Eliakim son of Josiah in place of Josiah his father and changed his name to Jehoiakim and Jehoahaz [Pharaoh] took and went to Egypt and he died there
וַיַּמְלֵךְ֩ פַּרְעֹ֨ה נְכֹ֜ה אֶת־ אֶלְיָקִ֣ים בֶּן־ יֹאשִׁיָּ֗הוּ תַּ֚חַת יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ אָבִ֔יו וַיַּסֵּ֥ב שְׁמ֖וֹ יְהוֹיָקִ֑ים וְאֶת־ יְהוֹאָחָ֣ז לָקָ֔ח וַיָּבֹ֥א מִצְרַ֖יִם וַיָּ֥מָת שָֽׁם

וַיַּמְלֵךְ֩  And  made  king 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָלַךְ 
Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
פַּרְעֹ֨ה  Pharaoh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
נְכֹ֜ה  Necho 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּרְעֹה 
Sense: the Pharaoh of Egypt who fought king Josiah of Judah at Megiddo and killed him.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֶלְיָקִ֣ים  Eliakim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶלְיָקִים  
Sense: the son of Hilkiah, master of Hezekiah’s household.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יֹאשִׁיָּ֗הוּ  of  Josiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄאשִׁיָּה 
Sense: son of Amon by Jedidah who succeeded his father to the throne of Judah and reigned for 3 years; his reign is noteworthy for the great revivals back to the worship of Jehovah which he led.
תַּ֚חַת  in  place 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ  of  Josiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄאשִׁיָּה 
Sense: son of Amon by Jedidah who succeeded his father to the throne of Judah and reigned for 3 years; his reign is noteworthy for the great revivals back to the worship of Jehovah which he led.
אָבִ֔יו  his  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וַיַּסֵּ֥ב  and  changed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
שְׁמ֖וֹ  his  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
יְהוֹיָקִ֑ים  to  Jehoiakim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹויָקִים 
Sense: son of Josiah and the third from the last king of Judah; subject vassel of Nebuchadnezzar who reigned for years before he died a violent death either in combat or by the hands of his own subjects.
יְהוֹאָחָ֣ז  Jehoahaz 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹואָחָז  
Sense: a king of Judah and son of Josiah.
לָקָ֔ח  [Pharaoh]  took 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
וַיָּבֹ֥א  and  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מִצְרַ֖יִם  to  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
וַיָּ֥מָת  and  he  died 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.