What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 6:15? Jehozadak - Identified in 1 Chronicles 6:14 as the son of Seraiah, the last serving high priest before the Babylonian conquest. - Though his father was executed at Riblah (2 Kings 25:18-21), Jehozadak himself survived and was carried away. - His lineage matters: his son Jeshua (Joshua) becomes the high priest who returns with Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:2; Haggai 1:1), showing God’s preservation of the priestly line even in judgment. went into captivity - The phrase points to forced relocation, not voluntary migration. - Babylon’s policy was to deport leaders, artisans, and priests (2 Kings 24:14-16). - For Jehozadak, captivity meant loss of temple service, homeland, and status, yet God was still writing His redemption story (Jeremiah 29:11-14). when the LORD sent - Scripture stresses that the exile was the LORD’s doing, fulfilling covenant warnings (Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:36). - 2 Chronicles 36:15-17 explains that God “sent word to them again and again,” but when Judah refused, He “brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans.” - This underscores divine sovereignty: Babylon is the tool, but God is the sender. Judah and Jerusalem - The southern kingdom (Judah) and its capital (Jerusalem) are singled out because the northern kingdom had already fallen (2 Kings 17:18-23). - Jerusalem, the city of God’s Name (Psalm 48:1-2), is now under judgment—yet future restoration is implied (Isaiah 40:2; Daniel 9:2). into exile - Exile was more than punishment; it was purification and preparation. - Jeremiah 25:11 predicted seventy years of Babylonian rule, a literal period fulfilled when Cyrus allowed the first return (Ezra 1:1-3). - God disciplines His people to bring them back to Himself (Hebrews 12:6, citing Proverbs 3:11-12). by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar - Nebuchadnezzar is repeatedly called God’s “servant” (Jeremiah 27:6), highlighting the LORD’s control over world rulers (Proverbs 21:1). - Daniel 1:1-2 records that “the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand,” matching the chronicler’s statement. - Even a pagan emperor becomes an instrument for fulfilling prophetic warnings and, later, for setting the stage for Israel’s return (Ezra 1:1). summary 1 Chronicles 6:15 anchors Judah’s exile in both history and theology. Jehozadak’s deportation shows: • God faithfully preserves a priestly remnant even while judging sin. • The captivity is God-initiated, underscoring His covenant faithfulness and sovereignty. • Judah’s fall, Jerusalem’s ruin, and Nebuchadnezzar’s dominance fulfill prophetic warnings but also prepare for eventual restoration. In one concise verse, the chronicler reminds readers that every event—from a priest’s fate to an empire’s rise—unfolds under the purposeful hand of the LORD. |
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