Jeremiah 52:31

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah,.... He was eighteen years of age when he was carried captive; so that he must be now fifty five years old; see 2 Kings 24:8;

in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth [day] of the month; in the month Adar, which answers to part of February, and part of March: in 2 Kings 25:27; the favour shown by the king of Babylon to Jeconiah, after related, is said to be in the twenty seventh day of the month; it might have been determined and notified on the twenty fifth, but not executed till the twenty seventh; or it might be begun to be put in execution on the twenty fifth, and not finished till the twenty seventh, The Jews, in their chronicle, say n that Nebuchadnezzar died on the twenty fifth, and was buried; that, on the twenty sixth, Evilmerodach took him out of his grave, and dragged him about, to abolish his decrees, and to confirm what is said of him in Isaiah 14:19; and on the twenty seventh he brought Jeconiah out of prison; but this is no reconciliation at all; the former is best;

[that] Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign; who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar, having reigned forty three years; this king is called by Ptolemy o Iloarudamus; by Abydenus p Evilmaluruch; by Josephus q Abilamarodach; but by Berosus r as here: his proper name was Merodach, a name of one of the Chaldean idols, Jeremiah 50:2. "Evil" was a nickname, which signifies "foolish"; he was called "foolish Merodach", on account of his ill conduct, or bad life: as soon as he came to the throne, he

lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison; that is, he changed his condition for the better; he raised him out of a low estate to a more honourable one; he brought him out of a state of imprisonment and misery into a state of liberty and honour; what was the reason of this is not easy to say. The Jews have a tradition, that Nebuchadnezzar, after seven years' madness, coming to himself, and to his kingdom, and understanding that his son Evilmerodach had been guilty of mal-administration during that time, and particularly that he rejoiced at his madness, cast him into prison, where he contracted a friendship with Jeconiah; and when he came to the throne, upon the death of his father, released him: but others think that Jeconiah being a comely young man, when he was brought a captive to Babylon, and about the age of this prince, he took a liking to him, and, pitying his case, showed him this favour, as soon as he had an opportunity.

n Seder Olam, c. 28. p. 81. o Canon, Ed. Bainbridge, p. 48. p Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 41. p. 457. q Antiqu. l. 10. c. 11. sect. 8. r Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 20.