Jehoiachin Ration Tablets
Babylonian palace records of oil for 'Yaukin, king of the land of Judah' and his sons
Found 1899 — Robert Koldewey (German Oriental Society), Babylon excavations 1899–1917; published by Ernst Weidner in 1939
Where Babylon, South Palace (Iraq)
Dates from c. 592 BCE (Nebuchadnezzar's 13th year) · Neo-Babylonian · Exile of Yehoyakhin (Jehoiachin) in Babylon
Now at Vorderasiatisches Museum (Pergamon Museum), Berlin
Names a biblical person Jehoiachin (dated by Nebuchadnezzar's regnal years)
How Jehoiachin Ration Tablets was found
Found in a vaulted storeroom complex of Nebuchadnezzar's South Palace near the Ishtar Gate, among about 300 administrative tablets.
What it is
Four cuneiform tablets listing rations of sesame oil and barley issued to foreign captives and craftsmen at the royal court. Among them: '10 sila of oil to Yaukin, king of the land of Yahud' and '2.5 sila to the five sons of the king of Yahud', plus other Judeans by name.
Why it matters for the Bible
They show Jehoiachin alive in Babylon after 597, still called 'king of Judah', and kept at the court with his family — exactly the picture in 2 Kings 25:27–30, where he is later released and given a daily allowance 'all the days of his life'. Judah's exiles apparently still regarded him as king (Ezekiel dates his visions by Jehoiachin's exile). The tablets are the earliest written evidence of Judeans in Babylon.
The Hebrew word: ah-roo-CHAH
אֲרֻחָה
אֲרֻחָה is pronounced ah-roo-CHAH and means allowance, ration (2 Kings 25:30) (Strong's H737).
People this discovery connects to
- Jehoiachin — יְהוֹיָכִין (ye-hoh-yah-CHEEN) — YHVH establishes
- Nebuchadnezzar — נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר (ne-voo-chad-neh-TSAR) — Nabu protect my heir
Places
- Babylon — בָּבֶל (bah-VEL) — gate of god
Events
Exile of Jehoiachin (597 BCE) · Life of the Judean exiles in Babylon
Jehoiachin Ration Tablets in Scripture
2 Kings 24:6 First mention of Jehoiachin in Scripture.
2 Kings 24:15 Nebuchadnezzar carries Jehoiachin, his mother, wives and officials to Babylon.
2 Kings 25:27-30 Jehoiachin eats at the king's table and receives a regular allowance — the tablets record that allowance.
Questions people ask
What is Jehoiachin Ration Tablets?
Four cuneiform tablets listing rations of sesame oil and barley issued to foreign captives and craftsmen at the royal court. Among them: '10 sila of oil to Yaukin, king of the land of Yahud' and '2.5 sila to the five sons of the king of Yahud', plus other Judeans by name.
When was Jehoiachin Ration Tablets discovered?
It was found in 1899 by Robert Koldewey (German Oriental Society), Babylon excavations 1899–1917; published by Ernst Weidner in 1939, at Babylon, South Palace.
Where is Jehoiachin Ration Tablets today?
Vorderasiatisches Museum (Pergamon Museum), Berlin.
Which Bible verses does Jehoiachin Ration Tablets relate to?
2 Kings 24:6, 2 Kings 24:15, 2 Kings 25:27-30.
Related discoveries
- בֵּלEast India House Inscription of NebuchadnezzarThe king's own account of rebuilding Babylon's temples, palaces and walls
- בָּבֶלIshtar Gate and Processional Way of BabylonNebuchadnezzar's glazed-brick gateway, the Babylon the exiles walked into
- גָּלוּתBabylonian Chronicle BM 21946 (the 'Jerusalem Chronicle')Nebuchadnezzar's own dated record: Carchemish 605 and the capture of Jerusalem, 2 Adar 597 BCE
- כּוֹרֶשׁCyrus CylinderCyrus the Great's clay proclamation of his capture of Babylon and the return of exiled peoples and their gods
- רַב־סָרִיסNebo-Sarsekim TabletA Babylonian temple receipt naming an officer from Jeremiah 39:3
- בֵּלְשַׁאצַּרNabonidus ChronicleBabylonian chronicle recording the night Babylon fell to the army of Cyrus
Sources
- Weidner, 'Jojachin, König von Juda, in babylonischen Keilschrifttexten', Mélanges Dussaud II (1939)
- Wikipedia, 'Jehoiachin'