The Gentile Times Reconsidered Chronology Christ

346 THE GENTILE TIMES RECONSIDERED
609 a large Egyptian force headed by Pharaoh Necho marched up
to the Euphrates to help Ashur-uballit recapture Harran. For some
unknown reason, the Judean king Josiah tried to stop the Egyptian
forces at Megiddo, but was defeated and mortally wounded.―2
Kings 23:29–30; 2 Chronicles 35:20–25.
At one time it was debated whether Josiah’s death took place in
609 or 608 B.C.E. 75 This question is now settled, since the
Babylonian chronicle B.M. 22047 (first published by D. J.
Wiseman, 1956) shows that the unsuccessful attempt to recapture
Harran took place between Tammuz and Elul (c. July–September)
in Nabopolassar’s seventeenth regnal year (609/08). 76 As the
Egyptian army needed almost a month to travel from Megiddo up
to the Euphrates, the battle at Megiddo and Josiah’s death took
place early in the summer of 609 B.C.E. 77
As may be seen from the tables, this date is in good agreement
with a Judean Tishri-to-Tishri reckoning of regnal years.
B. Jehoahaz’ three months of reign and Jehoiakim’s succession
After the death of Josiah, the Jews made Jehoahaz the son of
Josiah king in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 36:1) After only three
months of reign, Pharaoh Necho, on his return from the
Euphrates, removed Jehoahaz and put his brother Jehoiakim on
the throne in Jerusalem. From then on Judah was a vassal to Egypt.
As the failed Egyptian-Assyrian attempt to recapture Harran ended
in Elul (August–September), and the Egyptian retreat from Harran
to Jerusalem took almost a month, the removal of Jehoahaz and
installation of Jehoiakim must have occurred in the next month,
Tishri (September–October).
According to the Judean nonaccession year system, Jehoiakim’s
first regnal year, then, should be counted from Tishri 1, 609 B.C.E.
Jehoahaz’ three months of reign were evidently included in Josiah’s
reign of 31 years, instead of being counted as a separate regnal year.
(Jehoiachin’s three months of reign, which ended on March 16, 597
75 Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings. New revised edition
(Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation, 1983), pp. 205–206.
76 D. J. Wiseman, Chronicles of Chaldean Kings (London: The Trustees of the British
Museum, 1961; first published in 1956), pp. 63–67. See also Hayim Tadmor’s
article “Chronology of the Last Kings of Judah” in Journal of Near Eastern Studies,
Vol. XV (1956), p. 228.
77 A. Malamat, “The Twilight of Judah: In the Egyptian-Babylonian Maelstrom” in
Supplements to Vetus Testamentum, Vol. XXVIII (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1975), p. 125,
ftn. 5.