Jehoiachin was the king of Judah for a very short time, ruling from 598 to 597 BC. He was the son of Jehoiakim and Nehushta, who was the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem (possibly the same Elnathan mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah, see Jeremiah 26:22; 36:12, 2). The name Jehoiachin means "Yahweh will uphold." He is also known by other names like:
Jeconiah (1 Chronicles 3:16–17; Esther 2:6; Jeremiah 24:1; 27:20; 28:4; 29:2)
Jechoniah (Matthew 1:11–12).
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king after his father's death, but he ruled for only three months and ten days in Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:8; compare 2 Chronicles 36:9). At that time, Judah was under control of Babylon, but rebelling against them. When the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem, Jehoiachin had to surrender because the odds were overwhelming. According to the Babylonian Chronicle, which is based on the official records of the Babylonian kings, Nebuchadnezzar entered the region in December 598 BC and captured Jerusalem on March 16, 597 BC. The Babylonians empties the palace and temple treasuries. The Babylonians took many prisoners to Babylon:
Jehoiachin
His family
Military leaders
Royal officials
Skilled workers
Before returning to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar placed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, who was renamed Zedekiah, on the throne in Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:12–17; compare 2 Chronicles 36:10).
The prophet Jeremiah observed that despite the traumatic invasion by Babylon and the political chaos, the people of Judah did not experience much spiritual change (Jeremiah 37–38). Jeremiah also predicted that Jehoiachin would go into exile and that none of his descendants would succeed him as king (Jeremiah 22:24–30). In contrast, a false prophet named Hananiah predicted that Jehoiachin would be restored to the throne within two years (Jeremiah 28:3–4, 11; compare veres 12–17).
Jehoiachin remained the legitimate king of Judah, which is reflected in the fact that the prophet Ezekiel dated his messages according to the years of Jehoiachin’s exile, not by Zedekiah’s reign (Ezekiel 1:2; 8:1; 20:1). Babylonian records also acknowledge Jehoiachin's royal position. These records show that he retained his title as king and received favorable treatment from the Babylonians. One cuneiform tablet even lists "Yaukin, king of the land of Yahuda," along with his five sons, as recieving rations of oil and barley. This suggests they were not imprisoned but lived relatively normal lives in Babylon. However, at some point, Jehoiachin was imprisoned. He was later released during the reign of Evil-merodach around 562 BC and was given the privilege of dining with the Babylonian king (2 Kings 25:27–30; Jeremiah 52:31–34). It’s unclear whether his imprisonment was due to an escape attempt or because of Judah’s rebellion against Babylon under Zedekiah.
Jehoiachin's name appears in the family list of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:11–12). Some people believe this contradicts Jeremiah’s prophecy that none of Jehoiachin’s descendants would sit on the throne (Jeremiah 22:30). However, others suggest that the blessing of Zerubbabel (a descendant of Jehoiachin) by the prophet Haggai (Haggai 2:20–23) reversed Jeremiah’s curse and reintroduced Jehoiachin’s line into the Davidic and ultimately messianic line (see Isaiah 56:3–5).