2 Crônicas 35

2 Crônicas 35

Morris - This uniquely great Passover, plus the repairs of the temple, the rediscovery and reading of the Scriptures, and the purging of the pagan practices of the land were apparently all accomplished during Josiah's eighteenth year as king, when he was only twenty-six years old (2 Chronicles 34:8). That was truly a momentous year, but it could not prevent the coming judgment of God (2 Chronicles 34:24-25) on the land and its people. Although the reforms were extensive and Josiah's efforts sincere, they seem to have been only superficial and did not take root. With Josiah's death thirteen years later, the people soon returned to their pagan ways. 2 Chronicles 35:20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. Necho: 2Ki 23:29,30, Pharaoh-necho, Jer 46:2-12 Charchemish: Isa 10:9 A SOLEMN TURNING POINT IN THE LIFE OF JOSIAH After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him - Notice that Neco had no beef with Josiah, but for some reason that is not explained Josiah decided to confront Neco at Megiddo. Believer's Study Bible - Carchemish by the (upper) Euphrates was an extremely strategic and important city at that time. It was located about 50 miles due west of Haran. Sargon II (722-705 B.C.) captured Carchemish for Assyria in 717 B.C. During the declining years of the Assyrian Empire, following the fall of Nineveh (612 B.C.) to the combined forces of the Neo-Babylonian and Median Empires, Ashur-uballit II (612-609 B.C.) of Assyria and Necho II (609-594 B.C.) of Egypt joined in an attempt to reconquer Haran, which had been abandoned in 610 B.C. Although Necho's expedition to rescue Haran was unsuccessful, he was able to conquer all of Syria and Palestine and to hold the important city of Carchemish on the Euphrates. During this campaign, Josiah's attempt to intercept the forces at Megiddo led to his death. Four years later, in May or June of 605 B.C., the epoch-making second battle of Carchemish resulted in Nebuchadnezzar's (605-562 B.C.) defeat of the combined armies of Assyria and Egypt (cf. Jer. 46:1-12). Necho had removed Jehoahaz, Josiah's son, from the throne and placed his brother Eliakim (Jehoiakim) on the throne of Judah when he took Jehoahaz captive into Egypt. In this period, Jehoiakim shifted his alliance from Necho II of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Following a fierce battle at the Egyptian border in which the Babylonians suffered a temporary defeat (601 B.C.), Jehoiakim made a strategic blunder when he rebelled against Babylon during the last years of his reign over Judah (609-597 B.C.). In March of 597 B.C., Jerusalem made its first capitulation to Nebuchadnezzar, when Jehoiachin was taken captive and some of the temple treasures were removed to Babylon (cf. 36:6, 7; 2 Kin. 24:1-4; Jer. 22:13-19; 25:1-9; Dan. 1:1; Hab. 1:6). In July, 586 B.C., Jerusalem fell to the Neo-Babylonian Empire (cf. 36:15-21). G. Campbell