Chapter 22: A Call for Justice and the Fall of Judah’s Kings

(30 Pesukim)

Overview

Hashem sends Yermiyahu to the royal palace with a message for the king and his officials. The chapter emphasizes justice, compassion, and covenant faithfulness as conditions for blessing. It warns that failure will lead to ruin, exile, and disgrace. Specific judgments are pronounced against Shallum, Jehoiakim, and Coniah, revealing the tragic consequences of pride and oppression.

1. The Royal Mandate: Justice and Mercy (22:1-5)

Hashem commands Yermiyahu to tell the Kings house:

• “Hear My word, O king of Judah, sitting on David’s throne.”
• Do what is right:
  • Rescue victims from oppressors.
  • Do no harm to strangers, orphans, and widows.
  • Avoid shedding innocent blood.

Promise:

• If you obey, David’s dynasty will endure—kings riding in splendor through these gates.

Warning:

• If you refuse, this palace will become a desolation.

2. The Palace Will Fall (22:6-10)

Hashem compares the royal house to Lebanon’s cedars and Gilead’s heights—majestic yet doomed.

• Destroyers will come, cutting down its finest wood and burning it.
• Nations will pass by the ruins and ask, “Why did Hashem do this?”
• Answer: “Because they abandoned His covenant and worshipped other gods.”
• “Do not grieve for the deceased, nor lament his passing; rather, express sorrow for those who depart and do not return, as they will no longer see their homeland.”

3. Tzidkiyahu’s Fate (22:11-12)

Hashem declares concerning Shallum (Tzidkiyahu[1]), son of Yoshiyahu:

• Do not mourn the dead king; mourn the one exiled.
• Shallum will never return—he will die in captivity.

4. Woe to Yehoiakim: Greed and Injustice (22:13-19)

Hashem condemns Yehoiakim for:

• Building a grand palace with cedar and vermilion while exploiting workers without pay.
• Unlike his father Yoshiyahu, who upheld justice and cared for the poor, Jehoiakim’s heart is set only on gain, bloodshed, and oppression.

Judgment:

• He will have no royal funeral, no eulogies—only a donkey’s burial, dragged outside Jerusalem.

5. Lament Over Broken Alliances (22:20-23)

Hashem calls Judah to cry from Lebanon, Bashan, and Abarim—regions tied to its allies—because all its lovers (foreign partners) are shattered.

• In times of peace, Judah refused to listen; now calamity comes like labor pains.

6. Coniah’s Humiliation (22:24-30)

Hashem swears that Yehoiachin’s son will not reign after him:

• Even if Coniah the son of Yehoiachin were a signet ring on His hand, He would tear him off.
• Coniah and his mother will be exiled to a foreign land and die there.
• None of his descendants will sit on David’s throne or rule Judah.
• He is inscribed as childless—a man whose line ends in disgrace. “Land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says Hashem: Record this man, Coniah, as childless—a man who shall not prosper in his days. None of his descendants will succeed in sitting upon the throne of David or in exercising rule again over Judah. This shall mark the conclusion of both the man himself and the royal dynasty.”

[1] Rashi 22:11