Does Jeremiah 52:31 Mention Christmas?

Jeremiah 52:31
In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison.

2 Kings 25:27
In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month.

Jeremiah 52:31 mentions that when Awel-Marduk or Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison and set him free until his death. Jehoiachin was released from prison on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month. This date has been of interest to several people who think it is a reference to December 25 which is celebrated as Christmas. Is the date in Jeremiah 52:31 a reference to Christmas?

We will understand this when we understand the story. When Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem, he arrested and imprisoned Jehoiachin king of Judah. At some point, Nebuchadnezzar because of pride against the God of heaven was punished with seven years of insanity where he lived like a beast. During the years of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity, his son Awel-Marduk was acting king. When the sanity of Nebuchadnezzar was restored, he discovered that his son Awel-Marduk did so many evil things during the time he acted as king. Therefore Nebuchadnezzar threw his son Awel-Marduk in prison.

During his prison years, Awel-Marduk interacted with other prisoners and formed friendships with them. Some of those imprisoned and who he met were kings of nations that Babylon had conquered. The friendship of Awel-Marduk and Jehoiachin began in prison. When Nebuchadnezzar died and Awel-Marduk left prison to take over leadership from his late father, he also released the friends he had made in prison. This is when and why he released Jehoiachin from prison.

The death of Nebuchadnezzar like any other person’s death is rarely planned. When Nebuchadnezzar died, his son had to immediately take over. Therefore the dates of Awel-Marduk’s taking over of the throne were not dates of feasts and ceremonies, it was just a moment in history. The release of Jehoiachin was as unplanned as the death of Nebuchadnezzar and the take over of Awel-Marduk. That date of the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month carried no significance before and after that.

That date was not so significant, the date of the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month. That is why the other historian of the book of kings cited above, writing the same story tells us that the date was not twenty-fifth but twenty-seventh. Twenty-fifth may have been the date of the decree to release him from prison and twenty-seventh was probably the day of the actual release. The dates didn’t matter and they shouldn’t matter today. What Jeremiah and the other historian captured is the unique situation where an Israelite king while in captivity was released from prison and treated like royalty until his death. That date in Jeremiah 52:31 has no relationship to the Christmas date of December 25.

The twelfth month mentioned by Jeremiah and the second kings is the month of Adar in the Hebrew calendar. This was the month of Adar which is the twelfth month of the Hebrew calendar. The twelfth month of the Hebrew Calendar corresponds with February-March of our modern Gregorian calendar. Therefore this date has no relationship whatsoever with the Christmas date of December 25.

Jeremiah 52:31 has been abused by people who want to use it to support Christmas celebrations and those who want to condemn it. The Association of Jeremiah 52:31 with modern-day Christmas is a result of eisegesis and rushed study of scriptures. The focus of Christmas is the birth of Jesus which happened many years later after this event. The Christmas date of December 25 is not biblical at all.

Jesus was born at a time when Shepherds were out taking care of their sheep. Jesus was born in a Manger. All these could not be possible in December. The middle East where Jesus was born experiences serious winter around December ( Approximately November to February). Therefore no date in December has any relationship with Jesus’ birth. December 25 has its roots in non-Christian traditions but has now been converted into a Christian event and further converted into a worldwide holiday season for commerce, luxury, and social purposes.

How should a Christian, therefore, celebrate Christmas? We answer this question in two short videos of thirty minutes each. Find them on the following site by clicking this link or copying and pasting it to your browser, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukmAwI7QUu4 and also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC6e13N96Qw and you can also find other resources from here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0lVElbpwxIg1DZlGR1Sixw.

The birth of Jesus remains a very important event to all believers and we should always celebrate it throughout the year. When the rest of the world decides to also celebrate Jesus, we shouldn’t mind joining them, on condition that we (1) don’t buy into thinking that December 25 is the actual date of birth of Jesus, (2) we don’t focus on commercial and pleasure only, but actually talk about Jesus and share the goodness of salvation. A happy festive season full of blessings to all of you who read and share with others the good news you find on this site. May immense blessings be all yours, in Jesus’ name, Amen!