Atomic Bible

Last king of Judah before the Babylonian exile

Zedekiah

Named in 54 verses across 4 books, first in 2 Kings 24:17.

צִדְקִיָּ֫הוּZedekiah

מַתַּנְיָ֫הוּMattaniah

יְהוֹיָקִיםZedekiah

Also called Mattaniah.

The name means “the Lord is my justice; the justice of the Lord.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869

Father
Josiah
Mother
Hamutal
Brothers and sisters
Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Shallum
People
Tribe of Judah

About Zedekiah Written by AI

Zedekiah, originally named Mattaniah, was the last king of Judah before the Babylonian exile. He was the son of Josiah and the uncle of Jehoiachin. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, appointed him as a vassal king after deporting Jehoiachin. Zedekiah reigned for 11 years, but he did evil in the sight of the Lord. Despite the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, leading to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. During the siege, Zedekiah sought counsel from Jeremiah but did not heed his advice to surrender. When the city fell, Zedekiah attempted to flee but was captured. His sons were killed before his eyes, and then he was blinded and taken to Babylon in chains. Zedekiah's reign ended in tragedy, marking the fall of the kingdom of Judah and the beginning of the Babylonian exile.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

This entry is on the name Zedekiah, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.

Righteousness of Jehovah. (1.) The last king of Judah. He was the third son of Josiah, and his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, and hence he was the brother of Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31; 24:17, 18). His original name was Mattaniah; but when Nebuchadnezzar placed him on the throne as the successor to Jehoiachin he changed his name to Zedekiah. The prophet Jeremiah was his counsellor, yet “he did evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 24:19, 20; Jer. 52:2, 3). He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-one years. The kingdom was at that time tributary to Nebuchadnezzar; but, despite the strong remonstrances of Jeremiah and others, as well as the example of Jehoiachin, he threw off the yoke of Babylon, and entered into an alliance with Hophra, king of Egypt. This brought up Nebuchadnezzar, “with all his host” (2 King 25:1), against Jerusalem. During this siege, which lasted about eighteen months, “every worst woe befell the devoted city, which drank the cup of God’s fury to the dregs” (2 Kings 25:3; Lam. 4:4, 5, 10). The city was plundered and laid in ruins. Zedekiah and his followers, attempting to escape, were made captive and taken to Riblah. There, after seeing his own children put to death, his own eyes were put out, and, being loaded with chains, he was carried captive (B.C. 588) to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-7; 2 Chr. 36:12; Jer. 32:4,5; 34:2, 3; 39:1-7; 52:4-11; Ezek. 12:12), where he remained a prisoner, how long is unknown, to the day of his death.

After the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuzaraddan was sent to carry out its complete destruction. The city was razed to the ground. Only a small number of vinedressers and husbandmen were permitted to remain in the land (Jer. 52:16). Gedaliah, with a Chaldean guard stationed at Mizpah, ruled over Judah (2 Kings 25:22, 24; jer. 40:1, 2, 5, 6).

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(2.) The son of Chenaanah, a false prophet in the days of Ahab (1 Kings 22:11, 24; 2 Chr. 18:10, 23).

(3.) The son of Hananiah, a prince of Judah in the days of Jehoiakim (Jer. 36:12).

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.

GenesisMatthewRevelation

Where the Bible names him

  1. 2 Kings 24:17

    Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.

  2. 2 Kings 24:18

    Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.

  3. 2 Kings 24:20

    For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.

  4. 2 Kings 25:2

    And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.

  5. 2 Kings 25:7

    And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.

  6. 1 Chronicles 3:15

    The sons of Josiah: Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum the fourth.

  7. 2 Chronicles 36:10

    In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

  8. 2 Chronicles 36:11

    Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.

  9. Jeremiah 1:3

    and through the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

  10. Jeremiah 21:1

    This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malchijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said,

  11. Jeremiah 21:3

    But Jeremiah answered, “You are to tell Zedekiah that

  12. Jeremiah 21:7

    ‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’

  13. Jeremiah 24:8

    But like the bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.

  14. Jeremiah 27:1

    At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.

  15. Jeremiah 27:3

    Send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

  16. Jeremiah 27:12

    And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!

  17. Jeremiah 28:1

    In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, near the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people:

  18. Jeremiah 29:3

    The letter was entrusted to Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It stated:

  19. Jeremiah 32:1

    This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

  20. Jeremiah 32:3

    For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying: “Why are you prophesying like this? You claim that the LORD says, ‘Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.

  21. Jeremiah 32:4

    Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.

  22. Jeremiah 32:5

    He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’”

  23. Jeremiah 34:2

    The LORD, the God of Israel, told Jeremiah to go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.

  24. Jeremiah 34:4

    Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the LORD says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;

  25. Jeremiah 34:6

    In Jerusalem, then, Jeremiah the prophet relayed all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah

  26. Jeremiah 34:8

    After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD

  27. Jeremiah 34:21

    And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.

  28. Jeremiah 37:1

    Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.

  29. Jeremiah 37:3

    Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!”

  30. Jeremiah 37:17

    Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

  31. Jeremiah 37:18

    Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison?

  32. Jeremiah 37:21

    So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

  33. Jeremiah 38:5

    “Here he is,” replied King Zedekiah. “He is in your hands, since the king can do nothing to stop you.”

  34. Jeremiah 38:14

    Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance to the house of the LORD. “I am going to ask you something,” said the king to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.”

  35. Jeremiah 38:15

    “If I tell you,” Jeremiah replied, “you will surely put me to death. And even if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

  36. Jeremiah 38:16

    But King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands of these men who are seeking your life.”

  37. Jeremiah 38:17

    Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive.

  38. Jeremiah 38:19

    But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for the Chaldeans may deliver me into their hands to abuse me.”

  39. Jeremiah 38:24

    Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.

  40. Jeremiah 39:1

    In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to the city.

And 14 more

Jeremiah 39:2, 39:4, 39:5, 39:6, 39:7, 44:30, 49:34, 51:59, 52:1, 52:3, 52:5, 52:8, 52:10, 52:11

From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.