1/31/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

Introduction

Some people bring up a supposed contradiction in the Bible about the date Jehoiachin was released from prison. The two passages that supposedly contradict are below:

 

“Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.”

Jeremiah 52:31 NASB1995

 

“Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison;”

2 Kings 25:27 NASB1995

 

So do these verses contradict? Let's find out.

 

The supposed contradiction has to do with the date he was released. Jeremiah says he was released in the 25th day of the month while 2 Kings states its the 27th day. Looking at these passages deeper reveals something. They aren't identical in the other information they give as well.

 

Jeremiah 52.31 states that on the 25th day of that month the king of Babylon "lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison." On the other hand, 2 Kings 25:27 states that on the 27th the king of Babylon "released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison." Therefore, it is proposed that these are two different dates because the passages refer to two different instances. 

 

On the 25th the king of Babylon gave the decree for the release of Jehoiachin but it took a couple of days until the 27th for him to actually be released. These two days represent the difference between a royal decision and the administrative execution of that decision. 

 

Jeremiah describes the moment on the twenty‑fifth day when Evil‑merodach “lifted up the head” of Jehoiachin, which is a technical expression used in both Hebrew and Akkadian to indicate that a king publicly granted favor, announced a pardon, or formally changed someone’s status. The lifting of the head found in this verse is also used in Genesis 40:13 for the pardoning of the Chief Cupbearer in Egypt from the Pharaoh:

“within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭40‬:‭13‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

 

It's used to bring someone into a place of honor. When the head is down, they are in dishonor, but when lifted up, they are in honor. That act would have taken place in the royal court, likely involving Jehoiachin being summoned, the king declaring his intention to free him, and scribes drafting the official decree. 

 

Yet, a royal decision was not the same thing as its execution. Babylonian bureaucracy required the decree to be written on tablets, sealed, witnessed, and transmitted to the prison administration. Prison officials then had to verify the order, prepare the prisoner for release, and arrange his transfer from the prison complex to the palace. These steps routinely took one to three days in Mesopotamian administrative practice, even for urgent matters. That is why 2 Kings records the twenty‑seventh day as it was the day the administrative process was completed and Jehoiachin physically walked out of confinement. Thus, there is no contradiction in the passages.

 

Sources

 

Hallo, William W., and K. Lawson Younger Jr., editors. The Context of Scripture: Volume 3, Archival Documents from the Biblical World. Brill, 2002.

 

Oppenheim, A. Leo. Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization. University of Chicago Press, 1977.

 

Wiseman, Donald J. Nebuchadrezzar and Babylon. Oxford University Press, 1985.

 

Kuhrt, Amélie. The Ancient Near East, c. 3000–330 BC. Routledge, 1995.

 

Grayson, A. Kirk. Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles. Eisenbrauns, 2000.

 

van der Toorn, Karel. Scribal Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible. Harvard University Press, 2007.

 

Briant, Pierre. From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire. Eisenbrauns, 2002.

 

Josephus. The Antiquities of the Jews. Translated by William Whiston, Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.