June 3, 2015Genealogical Scams & Flimflams - Segment 3 Page 1 of 9 Genealogical Scams and Flimflams Segment 3 A Counter-Missionary Education Lesson by

June 3, 2015 Genealogical Scams & Flimflams - Segment 3 Page 1 of 9

Genealogical Scams and Flimflams

Segment 3

A Counter-Missionary Education Lesson

by

Uri Yosef, Ph.D., Director of EducationVirtual Yeshiva of the Messiah Truth Project, Inc.

[The full article on this topic is located here - http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa53JP.pdf]

Copyright © Uri Yosef 2015 for the Messiah Truth Project, Inc.All rights reserved

Counter-Missionary Education

http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa53JP.pdf


Introduction

In Segment 1 we compared the two genealogies from the New Testament against the genealogy from 1 Chronicles 3 in the Hebrew Bible. This analysis and several “technical” details led to the conclusion that the genealogies in the New Testament are seriously flawed and cannot be used to validate the claim by Christians that Jesus is a legitimate heir to the throne of King David.

In Segment 2 we considered several common claims Christian missionaries use in their attempts to justify the genealogies in the New Testament along with Judaism’s responses that invalidate those claims.

In this last lesson about the two genealogies from the New Testament, we consider several additional claims by Christian missionaries that are connected with the passage Jeremiah 22:24-30, commonly known as “The Curse on Jeconiah”, which would, all by itself, disqualify Jesus from being a legitimate heir to the throne of David, regardless of all the other issues that disqualify him. Judaism’s responses to these claims demonstrate that the claims are baseless.


Where and What is the Curse on Jeconiah?

King Jehoiachin of Judah [ין כ� הוי� ה] ,who is also known by the names, Jeconiah ,[(yehoyaCHIN) י� י� נ� כ� י�(yechan'YAH)] and Coniah, [הו י� נ� was one of those kings of Judah who “did that which ,[(con'YAhu) כ�was evil in the eyes of the Lord“ (2 Kings 24:9), for which he was duly punished – he reigned for only three months and received the following curse –

This passage, which comes at the end of a chapter where Jeremiah lists a series of judgments against several kings of Judah, appears to signal the termination of the royal branch through Jeconiah. The judgment that applies specifically to King Jeconiah is known as the Curse on Jeconiah.

Jeremiah 22:24-30 – (24) "As I live," says the Lord, "even if Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were A SIGNET [ʭ ʕˣʧ (hoTAM)] upon My right hand, I would tear you off. (25) And I will give you to the hand of those who seek your life, and to the hand of those whose face you fear, to the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and to the hand of the Chaldeans. (26) And I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, to another country, where you were not born; and there shall you die. (27) But to the land to which they desire to return, there shall they not return. (28) Is this man Coniah a despised broken vesse l? An object that no one cares for? Why are they cast out, he and his seed, and banished to a land which they know not? (29) O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." (30) Thus says the Lord: "Inscribe this man [Coniah] childless, a man who WILL

NOT PROSPER [ʧʔʬʍʁʑʩʚʠ ˄(LO-yitzLAH)] in his days; for no man of his seed shall prosper [ʧʔʬʍʁʑʩʚʠ ]˄, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."


(†) Missionary Claim () Judaism’s Response

Some Christian missionaries seize on the Curse on Jeconiah and claim that it ended David's royal line. Even though Zedekiah reigned for 11 years following the removal of Jeconiah, they maintain their claim, arguing that even though Zedekiah, Jeconiah's uncle, followed Jeconiah, the usual father-son chain of ascension to the Davidic throne was broken.

This is a false argument since, as we saw in Segment 1, the promise to King David contains no stipulation that a reigning king's (biological) son will always take over the kingdom from his father. The stated requirement is that a king had to be a direct descendant of King David, via King Solomon.

Question: What would happen in the event that a king did not have any sons? Would this end the promised eternal Davidic dynasty?

Answer: Certainly not!

Claim: David’s line ended since father-son chain of ascension was broken

Conclusion: The Christian missionary claim that the break in the common father-to-son progression on the throne of King David when Zedekiah became King of Judah signaled the end of the Davidic dynasty's ability to bring forth the promised Jewish King/Messiah is not supported in the Hebrew Bible. The claim is false.


(†) Missionary Claim () Judaism’s Response – Part 1a

The missionaries cite the following verse to support their claim that, not only were all the sons of Zedekiah killed, but that the rest of the royal seed was eliminated as well [note: the Hebrew version of the phrase that precedes it has been added in order to clarify Judaism’s response] –

Since, according to this rendition, the entire royal pool of heirs to David's throne was wiped out, the missionaries conclude that the only way the Messiah could now be brought forth would be via the miracle of a "Virgin Birth", which, according to them, was God's plan from the outset.

A somewhat different account from that given in its rendition of Jeremiah 52:10 is provided by the KJV in the following passage [note: Hebrew phrase added for clarification] –

Since both accounts describe the same event, and because the two phrases, ה הוד� י י� �ר ל־ש� ת־כ� י & א" �ר ל־ח$ ת כ� �אה הוד� are synonymous, the two KJV translations are ,י�inconsistent. A third passage helps confirm this conclusion –

In this passage the author explicitly identifies those who were slain along with Zedekiah's sons – the noblemen – not all the other princes (i.e., the royal seed) of Judah.

Claim: David’s line ended since the royal seed was eliminated

Conclusion: The account in 2 Kings 25 :7,18-21 proves that Jeremiah 52:10 is mistranslated in the KJV whereas Jeremiah 39:6 is consistent with the Hebrew text. Therefore, the claim based on Jeremiah 52:10 is false.

Jeremiah 52:10(KJV) - And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah

[ʤʕʣ˒ʤʍʩʩʒyʕʚʬʕʚ ʓʠ (ET-KOL-saREI yehuDAH)] in Riblah.

Jeremiah 39:6(KJV) – Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew

all the nobles of Judah [ʤʕʣ˒ʤʍʩʩʒyʖʧʚʬʕʺ ʒʠ (ET KOL-hoREI yehuDAH)].

2Kings 25:7,18-21(KJV) – (7) And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. (18) And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door: (19) And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city: (20) And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah: (21) And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.


() Judaism’s Response – Part 1b

Evidently, some of the royal seed survived the massacre at Riblah, a fact that is confirmed elsewhere in Hebrew Bible and properly translated in the KJV –

This passage describes the assassination of Gedaliah, the Governor of Judah, an event that took place long after all that occurred in Riblah.

Claim: David’s line ended since the royal seed was eliminated (continued)

Conclusion: The Christian missionary claim that the entire royal seed, all eligible heirs, to David's throne were wiped out at Riblah is bogus!

2Kings 25:22,25(KJV) – (22) And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler. … (25) But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

() Judaism’s Response – Part 1c

Here is yet another passage from the KJV translation that describes Gedaliah’s assassination –

This account clearly shows that not all royal seed was slain at Riblah. This is consistent with the KJV renditions of Jeremiah 39:6 and 2 Kings 25:18-21, and conflicts with the KJV rendition of Jeremiah 52:10.

Missionaries do not use Jeremiah 39:6, 41:1, and 2 Kings 25:25 to support their claim. They cite the mistranslated Jeremiah 52:10, as if it were the only recorded account of the event.

Jeremiah 41:1(KJV) - Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal,

and the princes of the king [ £ß²� � �� Í ¦ê� � �� (veraBEI ha'MElech)], even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.

Conclusion: The KJV and other Christian translations cannot be relied upon to accurately reflect the Hebrew text of the Hebrew Bible.


() Judaism’s Response – Part 1c

Given that Jeconiah's royal branch has been cursed, so that none of his offspring is eligible to sit on the throne of David, and Zedekiah's royal branch appears to have been eliminated by the slaying of his sons at Riblah, the question that begs for an answer is: Is there a royal branch left from which the Messiah will emerge?

God's promise to David (2 Samuel 7:12-16) requires the Davidic dynasty to pass through David’s son who will build the Temple, which turned out to be Solomon (1 Kings 8:15-20; 1 Chronicles 17:11-15, 22:9-10, 28:3-7). From that point on, no further restrictions are explicitly stated anywhere in the Hebrew Bible about any one particular royal branch being preferable over another. Thus, the Messiah may emerge from any royal branch that leads to David via Solomon. The following table of data from the Hebrew Bible helps illustrate this.

The information in this table gives riseto several significant observations –•The only children of Solomon that are named in the Hebrew Bible are his son Rehoboam and his two daughters, Taphat and Basmat• Given that the messianic line must go via a male through Solomon, and Rehoboam is his only named son, it follows that the messianic line must pass through Rehoboam• If Rehoboam were taken out of the total of more than 55 sons of royal families, at least 54 legitimate royal branches that lead to David through Solomon and Rehoboam remain

Claim: David’s line ended since the royal seed was eliminated (continued)

Conclusion: The Curse on Jeconiah and the slaughter of Zedekiah's sons at Riblah are moot issues that have no bearing on the viability of a flesh and blood Messiah sprouting from the seed of David. The lineage of the Messiah is not restricted to either of these two allegedly "problematic" branches of monarchs. As has been demonstrated, and according to the Hebrew Bible, the Messiah may emerge from any royal branch that leads to David through Solomon.

King # Wives # Concubines # Sons # Daughters Source/Remarks Solomon 700 300 1 + ?* 2 + ? 1 Kings 4:11,15, 11:43 Rehoboam 18 60 28 60 2 Chronicles 11:18-22 Abijah 14 ? 22 16 2 Chronicles 13:21 Josiah 2 ? 4 ? 1 Chronicles 3:15 Total --- --- 55+? --- Sons only * A ?-mark indicates the information is not listed in the Hebrew Bible


(†) Missionary Claim () Judaism’s Response – Part 1a

Some Christian missionaries argue that the Curse on Jeconiah was just a temporary measure that was eventually lifted and, since Zerubbabel was the last mentioned ruler of Judah, the Davidic line ended there. Therefore, they claim, the only way to bring forth a Messiah was through the miracle of a "Virgin Birth", which was God's plan from the outset. They cite the following passage in support of this claim –

A careful reading of Jeremiah 52:31-34 reveals that it does not mention anything about Jeconiah actually prospering in his days – the Hebrew phrase for [he] will not prosper [ח ל/ -LO)לא־יצ�yitzLAH) in Jeremiah 22:30] is not countermanded. In fact, Jeconiah never returned to Judah, never returned to sit on the throne of David, and he died in exile, just as was foretold by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 22:27-28).

Jeconiah’s release from his prison cell and being invited to sit at the head of the table of all the other nations’ exiled kings in Babylonian captivity is offered as evidence that the proclamation that he will be a man who “will not prosper” was reversed.

Claim: The Curse on Jeconiah was temporary and eventually it was lifted

Conclusion: The Christian missionary claim that the Curse on Jeconiah was only a temporary measure and was lifted in order to bring forth the Christian Messiah, because no ruler of Judah followed Zerubbabel, thereby ending the Davidic line, is not supported in the Hebrew Bible.

Jeremiah 52:31-34 – (31) And it was in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in the year of his coronation, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah and released him from prison. (32) And he spoke with him kindly and placed his seat above the seat of the kings who were with him in Babylon. (33) And he changed his prison garb, and he ate meals before him regularly all the days of his life. (34) And his meals, were regular meals given to him from the king of Babylon, each day's need in its day, all the days of his life.


(†) Missionary Claim () Judaism’s Response

The claim is essentially the same, but the argument to support it is different. The Christian missionaries argue that Zerubbabel, Jeconiah's great-grandson, prospered and ruled Judah –

This carefully selected passage is claimed to be messianic since it "connects" with the opening verse in the Curse on Jeconiah (Jeremiah 22:24) via the signet ring, ם which ,חות�the missionaries claim to symbolize kingship.

Several serious flaws invalidate the missionary claim –

• The Haggai passage is not messianic – it’s historical. The Hebrew tenses indicate that Zerubbabel has been chosen to do a certain job, and that he will be made like a signet. In Haggai 2:23 the Prophet refers to the previous verses, Haggai 2:20-22, in which he assures Zerubbabel of God's protection, and where he also describes the defeat of the Persian Empire at the hands of the Greeks, an event that occurred not long after this prophecy was spoken.• The Hebrew noun ם .means a signet ring [hoTAM] חות�

Another Hebrew noun,ת ע/ ב/ is a generic term ,[taBA’at] ט/for a ring with several biblical applications in the context of a signet ring. None of the applications in the Hebrew Bible for either term are in connection with kingship. The biblical applications of the latter in the context of a signet ring clearly demonstrate that a signet ring symbolizes authority not kingship (Genesis 41:42 and Esther 8:2).• The phrase in Jeremiah 22:24 is conditional, i.e., "even IF

Coniah … were a signet". Given that Coniah already was the king at the time the curse was put on him and on his descendants, the context here is that, due to Coniah’s wickedness, even IF he were vested with God’s authority, such as when he first took the throne, it would surely have been removed from him.

• The clue for understanding what God meant by saying to Zerubbabel, "I will make you LIKE A SIGNET; for I have

chosen you" is found in the fourth chapter in the Book of Zechariah. In that chapter Zerubbabel is told that he has been chosen (anointed) to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Zechariah 4:6-9). Although Jeconiah was wicked, his great-grandson, Zerubbabel, was righteous and played a central role in the restoration of the second commonwealth; he was given the authority to rule over the Jewish people as Governor of Judah (Haggai 1:1, Ezra 5:14). However, his authority was limited since he did not sit on the throne of David and rule as King of Judah.

Claim: The Curse on Jeconiah was lifted since Zerubbabel ruled Judah

Conclusion: God showed his mercy to Zerubbabel, and rewarded him with the privilege of rebuilding the Temple and ruling as Governor, not King, of Judah. Therefore, the Curse on Jeconiah was not revoked.

Haggai 2:23 – "On that day," says the Lord of Hosts, "I will take you, O Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, My servant;" says the Lord,

"and I will make you LIKE A SIGNET [ʭ ʕˣʧʔ (ka'hoTAM)]; for I have chosen you," says the Lord of Hosts.

Documents

June 3, 2015Genealogical Scams & Flimflams - Segment 3 Page 1 of 9 Genealogical Scams and Flimflams Segment 3 A Counter-Missionary Education Lesson by