Jehoiachin's Rations Tablets
Encyclopedia
Jehoiachin's rations tablets date from the 6th century BC and describe the rations set aside for a royal captive identified with Jehoiachin
, king of Judah
.Tablets from the royal archives of Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon were unearthed in the ruins of Babylon that contain food rations paid to captives and craftsmen who lived in and around the city. On one of the tablets, "Yaukin, king of the
land of Judah" is mentioned along with his five sons listed as royal princes.
during 1899–1917 by Robert Koldewey
and were stored in a barrel-vaulted underground building consisting of rows of rooms near the Ishtar Gate.
Another tablet reads:
1 1/2 sila (oil) for three carpenters from Arvad, 1/2
apiece,
11 1/2 sila for eight wood workers from Byblos, . . .
3 1/2 sila for seven Greek craftsman, 1/2 sila apiece,
1/2 sila to the carpenter, Nabuetir
10 sila to Ia-ku-u-ki-nu, the king of Judah’s son,
2 1/2 sila for the five sons of the Judean king
This evidence matches precisely with the Biblical text found in II Kings 24:10-17
Jeconiah
Jeconiah "; ; ), also known as Coniah and as Jehoiachin , was a king of Judah who was dethroned by the King of Babylon in the 6th Century BCE and was taken into captivity. Most of what is known about Jeconiah is found in the Hebrew Bible. After many excavations in Iraq, records of Jeconiah's...
, king of Judah
Kingdom of Judah
The Kingdom of Judah was a Jewish state established in the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the northern Kingdom of Israel....
.Tablets from the royal archives of Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar was the name of several kings of Babylonia.* Nebuchadnezzar I, who ruled the Babylonian Empire in the 12th century BC* Nebuchadnezzar II , the Babylonian ruler mentioned in the biblical Book of Daniel...
king of Babylon were unearthed in the ruins of Babylon that contain food rations paid to captives and craftsmen who lived in and around the city. On one of the tablets, "Yaukin, king of the
land of Judah" is mentioned along with his five sons listed as royal princes.
Excavation
The tablets were excavated from BabylonBabylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
during 1899–1917 by Robert Koldewey
Robert Koldewey
Robert Johann Koldewey was a German architect, famous for his discovery of the ancient city of Babylon in modern day Iraq. He was born in Blankenburg am Harz in Germany, the duchy of Brunswick, and died in Berlin at the age of 70...
and were stored in a barrel-vaulted underground building consisting of rows of rooms near the Ishtar Gate.
Translation
The tablets text states:Babylon 28122: "...t[o] Ia-'-u-kin, king..."
Babylon 28178: "10 (sila of oil) to ...Ia-'-kin, king of Ia[...] 2 1/2 sila to [...so]ns of the king of Ia-a-hu-du"
Babylon 28186: "10 (sila) to Ia-ku-u-ki-nu, the son of the king of Ia-ku-du, 2 1/2 sila for the 5 sons of the king of Ia-ku-du"
Another tablet reads:
1 1/2 sila (oil) for three carpenters from Arvad, 1/2
apiece,
11 1/2 sila for eight wood workers from Byblos, . . .
3 1/2 sila for seven Greek craftsman, 1/2 sila apiece,
1/2 sila to the carpenter, Nabuetir
10 sila to Ia-ku-u-ki-nu, the king of Judah’s son,
2 1/2 sila for the five sons of the Judean king
This evidence matches precisely with the Biblical text found in II Kings 24:10-17