Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. — The grammatical structure of the sentence fixes the original utterance of the message, now reproduced, at a time when Coniah was actually king, during his short three months’ reign. The name of this prince appears in three forms : — (1) The abbreviated Coniah, as here and in Jeremiah 37:1 : this was probably the name by which he was known before he was proclaimed as king. (2) Jeconiah, with slight variations, in Jeremiah 24:1; Jeremiah 27:20, and elsewhere. (3) Jehoiachin, also with varied spelling — probably the regal title assumed on his accession (Jeremiah 52:31; Ezekiel 1:2). The meaning of the name “Jehovah establishes” is constant in all the forms. In 2 Kings 24:8 he is said to have been eighteen years old when he began to reign. In 2 Chronicles 36:9 the age is given as eight. The latter is obviously an error of transcription. His reign lasted for three months only. There is probably a touch of scorn, as in the case of Shallum, in the prophet’s use of the earlier name instead of that which he had assumed as king.
The signet upon my right hand. — The seal-ring was, as in Haggai 2:23, the symbol of kingly power (Genesis 41:42; Esther 3:10; Esther 8:2), authenticating every edict, and was therefore the type of all that was most precious. (Comp. Song of Solomon 8:6.)