Jehoaichin was the King of Judah who was exiled to Babylon. He was the grandson of king Josiah, the son of king Jehoaikim who was also exiled to Babylon.
Jehoaichin became the king of Judah after the captive of his father Jehoaikim by the Babylonian king. But three months into his reign, he was captured and also exiled to Babylon.
And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from
Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 KINGS 24:15 ESV
The life of Jehoiachin, one of the last kings of Judah, is a portrait of sadness, both for him and for his people. It seems that the only bright rays of hope that shone during his life came briefly at the beginning and then again at the end. The first bright ray shone at his birth, in that his grandfather Josiah was still king of Judah. Josiah brought about revival throughout the country, repaired the temple, and even expanded his territory to reclaim much of the land of Israel that had been lost to Assyria many years earlier.
Later, however, Josiah was killed in a battle with Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, and Neco installed Josiah’s son Eliakim as king, changing his name to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was the father of Jehoiachin. Soon after this, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gained control of Judah and
exiled Jehoiakim, and many other Judeans, to Babylon when the puppet
king rebelled against him. Jehoiachin then became king in place of his father but reigned only three months before he, too, was exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiachin remained in Babylon for over thirty-seven years.
Jehoiachin’s second ray of hope shone during his final days, when the new king of Babylon released Jehoiachin from prison and gave him a seat of honor above all the other captive kings. Jehoiachin was allowed to eat with the king of Babylon for the rest of his days (Jeremiah 52:31– 34).
Zedekiah, another son of Josiah and the uncle of Jehoiachin, was the only other king to rule over Judah after Jehoiachin. Zedekiah was originally called Mattaniah until the Babylonians changed his name.