Jeremiah 22:13-23·~1 min

A Warning about Jehoiakim

Jehoiakim is cursed for constructing a grand palace through injustice, forcing others to labor without pay, and craving cedar luxury while neglecting the justice his father practiced. Josiah defended the poor and needy and so truly knew the LORD, but Jehoiakim's eyes and heart are fixed only on dishonest gain, oppression, and bloodshed.

“¹³Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, ¹⁴who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, ¹⁵Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? ¹⁶He took up the cause of the poor and needy, ¹⁷“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing

Because of this, the LORD says no one will properly lament Jehoiakim's death. He will receive the burial of a donkey, dragged away and cast outside Jerusalem's gates.

¹⁸Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: ¹⁹He will be buried like a donkey,

Jerusalem is told to cry out from Lebanon, Bashan, and Abarim because all her allies are broken. Though warned in times of prosperity, she refused to listen; now wind and exile will sweep away her leaders, and the one nestled among cedars will groan when pangs come upon her.

²⁰Go up to Lebanon and cry out; ²¹I warned you when you were secure. ²²The wind will drive away all your shepherds, ²³O inhabitant of Lebanon,

Section summaryJehoiakim is denounced for building his palace through unrighteousness and exploitation while ignoring the just example of his father. The prophet exposes his greed, violence, and self-indulgence, then announces that his death will be shameful and unlamented, while the nation that trusted in him will be left crying out from the heights as its lovers and shepherds are swept away.

Role in the chapterThis section is the chapter's fullest indictment of corrupt kingship, contrasting exploitative grandeur with the true knowledge of God shown in justice for the poor.