Evil-merodach
Name meaning: "the fool of Merodach; the fool grinds bitterly"
Evil-merodach (meaning the fool of Merodach or man of Marduk) was the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon, reigning approximately 562–560 B.C. He is noted in Scripture for releasing Jehoiachin, the exiled king of Judah, from prison in the first year of his reign, speaking kindly to him, giving him a seat of honor above all other captive kings, and supplying him with a regular allowance for the rest of his life (2 Kings 25:27–30; Jeremiah 52:31–34). This act of royal favor to Jehoiachin was theologically significant: it preserved the Davidic line during the exile and provided a tangible token that God had not abandoned his covenant with David. Evil-merodach was killed in a conspiracy led by his brother-in-law Neriglissar after only two years of reign.