"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" Galatians 4:16

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts... For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old,
-2 Peter 3:3-5

Skeptic's Argument: One who scoffs at God's Word.

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
-2 Kings 24:8

This section says Jehoaichin was 18-years-old when he reigned as king, but Chronicles tells a different story.

Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem:
-Chronicles 36:9

This is an obvious contradiction, therefore the Bible is wrong, or it's just a copiest error, therefore the Bible is not Word of God as some quacks claim it is.

Bible-Reader's Answer: One who takes God's Word seriously.

The God-hating scoffer often attempts to use Chronicles & Kings side-by-side, being willfully ignorant of the difference of testimony between the two books. However, worse than that are the typical leavened "ministries" that attempt to answer this as a "copiest error" in a lazy fashion that helps them justify their new-age bible versions full of errors, instead of going to the Word of God to find more details.

Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
-2 Chronicles 36:5-10

We have Jehoiachin at eight years old in the timeline of 2 Chronicles, however, we have a DIFFERENT timeline in 2 Kings:

So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
-2 Kings 24:6

The second book of Chronicles does not mention Jehoiachin's father dying in that timeline; only his capture. Here, we have Jehoiakim dying, and then:

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
-2 Kings 24:8

Jehoiachin actually began to reign twice, in two different capacities. The first was being named an heir and given power and authority to reign in his father's stead, during his father's reign, and the second time was being named king after his father died in captivity.

We also notice that both accounts say Jehoiachin's reign lasted three months, and this is because he only reigned solo over Jerusalem for three months (and ten days). Official timings for the throne of Jerusalem are only accredited to one person at a time, therefore, from 8-years-old to 17-years-old, Jehoiachin's reign was counted as a part of the time of reign of his father, Jehoiakim.


It is also interesting to note that the phrase "king over Judah and Jerusalem" was not used until 2 Chronicles 36:4 after Egypt's involvement.

And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim.
-2 Chronicles 36:4

Prior to this, there were two kings, one over Judah, and one over Jerusalem, which are specifically defined in a number of places. Let's look at 1 Kings 15:

Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
-1 Kings 15:1-2

Despite what the God-hating scoffer wants to believe, this is not a contradiction. Jeroboam assigned Abijam over the throne of Judah, and later, in verse 9, he assigned Asa the same authority. There are two seats to reign as king, one in Jerusalem, and the other in Judah, and it is the willful ignorance of this fact that God-hating scoffers stand on the fallacious arguments of "contradiction."

Though the Bible is not specific on exactly what Jehoiachin reigned over at the age of eight, based on these prior verses, it is most likely that he was given authority over Judah in essence (though Judah and Jerusalem's thrones were being combined into one), while Jehoiakim reigned in the main seat over Jerusalem. It wasn't until Jehoiakim died that Jehoiachin reigned in Jerusalem, and that helps us better understand the awkwardness of the situation, authority changing from Israel, to Egypt, and then to Babylon, all in a few short years in the early life of Jehoiachin.

In addition to this, 2 Kings also mentions the wives of Jehoiachin:

And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it... And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
-2 Kings 24:11-15

This is why 2 Kings mentions Jehoiachin at eighteen years old, and not eight, because an 8-year-old boy would not have wives. (He would be betrothed at the most.) There are no wives of Jehoiachin mentioned in 2 Chronicles because it's speaking of the difference in age, in a different type of reign.

Many new-age bible versions put in footnotes that say the Hebrew manuscripts do say eight in 2Ch 36:9, but they change it anyway. The change creates a problem because the Bible tells us:

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months... And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.
-2 Kings 24:8-9

I have wondered how it was possible for Jehoiachin, as a king, to do all the wicked deeds his fathers had done as kings, in only three months. Also, it is curious why God would give the other kings many years to come to repentance, but didn't allow Jehoiachin the same time frame. This is easily answered if we stick with the King James Bible, because Jehoiachin was reigning for almost ten years before he got solo leadership, giving him plenty of time to do all the evil of his fathers, and the Lord God being long-suffering with him to give him ample time to repent.

Jehoiachin started reigning both at 8 and at 18, in different capacities. There is no contradiction.

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