Jehoiakim יהויקים מלך יהודה

Eliakim son of Josiah became king not by the people's choice but by the appointment of Pharaoh Necho, who gave him a new name — Jehoiakim. He was twenty-five and reigned eleven years (2 Kings 23:36). He raised the tribute for Pharaoh by taxing the people of the land, «every one according to his assessment».

In his days a new power came from the east: Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt at Carchemish, and Jehoiakim became his vassal, and after three years rebelled (2 Kings 24:1). With that he opened the road to everything that followed.

The best-known episode of his reign is recorded in Jeremiah. The prophet dictated to Baruch son of Neriah a scroll of all his words; it was read to the king in the winter house, and as he listened he cut off the columns already read with a scribe's knife and threw them into the brazier until the whole scroll was burned. «And they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king nor any of his servants» (Jeremiah 36:22–24). Jeremiah dictated the scroll again, and many like words were added to it.

His reign was AM 3316–3327 by the traditional count, 609–598 BCE by the academic one.