Jehoiachin

Jehoiachin (also called Coniah or Jeconiah) was the nineteenth king of Judah, who reigned only three months in 597 BC before surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. He, his mother, his officials, and thousands of Judah's leading citizens were deported to Babylon in the first major deportation (2 Kings 24:8–16). Jeremiah proclaimed a devastating oracle against him, declaring that none of his descendants would prosper on the throne of David (Jeremiah 22:24–30)—a prophetic tension that Matthew's genealogy of Jesus navigates through Joseph's legal (rather than biological) lineage. Babylonian administrative records confirm his existence and rations in exile. After thirty-seven years, he was released from prison by Evil-merodach and given a seat of honor at the Babylonian court (2 Kings 25:27–30).