YEHOYAKIN’S RATION TABLET

YEHOYAKIN’S RATION TABLET

  • This clay tablet from ancient Babylon describes the monthly rations granted to Jehoiachin, King of Judah, after his deportation to Babylon.
  • The biblical account of King Jehoiachin in 2 Kings 24 and 25 specifies that he received a “regular allowance” from the king of Babylon during his captivity.
  • It was engraved around 595-570 BC and was discovered in Babylon around 1900.
  • The text is in Akkadian cuneiform script and measures approximately 10 x 10 cm.
  • The artifact is now housed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

Additional Notes: YEHOYAKIN’S RATIONS TABLET.
The tablet was found in Babylon, along with numerous other clay tablets dating from the 10th to 13th years of Nebuchadnezzar II (595-570 BC).
It describes the rations of barley, oil, dates, and spices for a royal captive identified as Jeconiah, King of Judah, “Ja’u-kinu, the king of the land of Ja-hudu, and his sons, listed as royal princes.”
Ja’u-kinu of Yahudu is the biblical king (Jeconiah, also called Jehoiachin, of Judah, who reigned in 587 BC) who surrendered to King Nebuchadnezzar II during the siege of Jerusalem.

These tablets are important for several reasons. First, they establish that Jehoiachin was indeed in captivity in Babylon and was still recognized as king of Judah. ​​Furthermore, he received larger rations than the other people named in the tablets, suggesting that he was accorded special honor. Since these tablets date from a period before Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this suggests that he was treated kindly.

The rations of oil set aside for a royal captive identified with Jeconiah, king of Judah.[2][3] Tablets from the royal archives of Nebuchadnezzar II, emperor of the Neo-Babylonian, were discovered in the ruins of Babylon. They contain food rations given to captives and artisans who lived in and around the city. On one of them, “Ya’u-kīnu, king of the land of Yahudu” is mentioned, along with his five sons, listed as royal princes.