Scholars overwhelmingly agree that Jehoiachin was eighteen, not eight. The parallel account in 2 Kings 24:8 says eighteen, and other ancient manuscripts also support this. Commentators explain this is likely a simple scribal error, as the Hebrew letter for 'ten' (yod) is very small and could have been easily omitted during transcription. This understanding aligns with the fact that Jehoiachin already had wives.