Evil-merodach אֱוִיל מְרֹדַךְ
King of Babylon; released Jehoiachin from prison.
Biography
Evil-merodach was a king of Babylon who reigned from 562 to 560 BC. He was the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar II, the Babylonian king who had conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem. In the 37th year of the exile of Jehoiachin, the former king of Judah, Evil-merodach showed him kindness by releasing him from prison (2Ki.25.27; Jer.52.31). He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon (2Ki.25.28; Jer.52.32). Evil-merodach also provided Jehoiachin with regular food allowances for the rest of his life (2Ki.25.29-30; Jer.52.33-34). This act of mercy toward the exiled king of Judah is the only event recorded in the Bible about Evil-merodach's reign.
In Scripture
2 biblical books ; 1 with study content2 Kings 1 verse
- 2 Kings 25:27
"In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;"
Jeremiah 1 verse
- Jeremiah 52:31
"In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and released him from prison."
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | אֱוִיל מְרֹדַךְ | H0192 |
Encyclopedia Article
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain) Evil-merodach
ar II, king of Babylon. The Babylonian form of the name is Amelu- Marduk, that is, "man of Marduk." About 30 contract tablets dated in this reign have been found. They show that Evil-merodach reigned for two years and about five months. He is said by Berosus to have conducted his government in an illegal and improper manner, and to have been slain by his sister's brother, Nergalshar-ucur, who then reigned in his stead. Evil- merodach is said in 2Ki 25:27-30 and in the parallel passage in Jer 52:31-34 to have taken Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from his prison in Babylon, where he seems to have been confined for 37 years, to have clothed him with new garments, to have given him a seat above all the other kings, and to have allowed him to eat at the king's table all the days of his life. It is an undesigned coincidence, that may be worthy of mention, that the first dated tablet from this reign was written on the 26th of Elul, and Jer 52:31 says that Jehoiachin was freed from prison on the 25th of the same month.
R. Dick Wilson
Occurs twice in English Versions
(1) 1Pe 2:1 it is the translation of katalalia, "a speaking against," rendered "backbiting" in <ref osisRef="Bi