EVIL-MERODACH

(Eʹvil-me·roʹdach) [man of Marduk; also called Amel-Marduk].

The oldest son of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and his immediate successor to the throne in 580 B.C.E. Evil-merodach receives mention in the Bible for the kindness he extended, in the year of his becoming king, to Jehoiachin the king of Judah by releasing him from the house of detention in the thirty-seventh year of his exile in Babylon and granting him a position of favor above all the other kings who were in captivity in Babylon. (2 Ki. 25:27-30; Jer. 52:31-34) Josephus claims that Evil-merodach viewed Jehoiachin as one of his most intimate friends.

There is also archaeological testimony concerning Evil-merodach. For example, an inscription on a vase found near Susa reads: “Palace of Amil-Marduk, King of Babylon, son of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.” However, no historical annals of his reign have been found. On the basis of a statement by Berossus, quoted by Josephus, historians assign him a reign of two years. Josephus himself assigns him eighteen years. Supposedly slain as the result of a plot, Evil-merodach was replaced by Neriglissar (Nergal-sharezer), his brother-in-law. Reliable confirmation of these details is lacking.