King
Zedekiah
20th and Last King of Judah
597–586 BC
Biography
Zedekiah was placed on Judah's throne by Nebuchadnezzar and swore an oath of loyalty to him by God, but later broke that oath by rebelling and seeking help from Egypt. He was a man of weak character who knew the truth — he regularly sought Jeremiah's counsel and acknowledged the prophet spoke the truth — but consistently lacked the courage to act on it. He feared his officials more than he feared God.
When the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem began in 588 BC, Jeremiah urged surrender, but the officials had Jeremiah thrown into a cistern. Zedekiah had Jeremiah pulled out but still would not submit to Babylon. The siege lasted 18 months; famine became severe. When the walls were breached, Zedekiah fled at night but was captured in the plains of Jericho.
Nebuchadnezzar killed his sons before his eyes, then put out his eyes — so the last thing he saw was his sons' deaths. He was taken to Babylon in bronze chains. Jerusalem was burned and the Temple destroyed — ending the monarchy of Judah.
Jeremiah said, 'You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared.'
Key Events
- 1Installed by Nebuchadnezzar2 Kings 24:17→
Nebuchadnezzar made Mattaniah king and changed his name to Zedekiah; he swore loyalty by God's name
Read the verse here
2 Kings 24:17Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
- 2
Secretly met with Jeremiah multiple times, seeking the word of the LORD but fearing to obey it
Read the verses here
Jeremiah 37:17Later, 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.”
Jeremiah 38:14Then 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.”
- 3Jeremiah imprisoned then rescuedJeremiah 38:1-13→
Officials convinced Zedekiah to put Jeremiah in a cistern; Zedekiah allowed him to be rescued but still did not submit
Read the verse here
Jeremiah 38:1-13Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard that Jeremiah had been telling all the people:
- 4Rebellion against Babylon2 Kings 24:20→
Rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, breaking his covenant oath — triggering the final Babylonian siege of Jerusalem
Read the verse here
2 Kings 24:20For 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.
- 5Jerusalem besieged and captured2 Kings 25:1-4→
Babylon besieged Jerusalem for 18 months; famine became severe; walls were breached in 586 BC
Read the verse here
2 Kings 25:1-4So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
- 6Zedekiah captured and judged2 Kings 25:5-7→
Fled at night but captured at Jericho; his sons killed before him, his eyes put out; taken to Babylon in chains
Read the verse here
2 Kings 25:5-7but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him.
- 7Temple and Jerusalem burned2 Kings 25:8-10→
Nebuzaradan burned the Temple, the palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; broke down the city walls
Read the verse here
2 Kings 25:8-10On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
Zedekiah in Scripture
68 verses use this name, in 6 books. Open a book to read its mentions here. Text: Berean Standard Bible. Names repeat in Scripture — some of these verses may speak of another person called Zedekiah.
Old Testament6 books · 68 mentions
1 Kings2 mentions
- 1 Kings 22:11Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’”
- 1 Kings 22:24Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”
2 Kings7 mentions
- 2 Kings 24:17Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
- 2 Kings 24:18Zedekiah 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.
- 2 Kings 24:19And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
- 2 Kings 24:20For 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.
- 2 Kings 25:1So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
2 further mentions in 2 Kings — read them in the book.
1 Chronicles2 mentions
2 Chronicles5 mentions
- 2 Chronicles 18:10Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’”
- 2 Chronicles 18:23Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”
- 2 Chronicles 36:10In 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.
- 2 Chronicles 36:11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
- 2 Chronicles 36:13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.
Nehemiah1 mention
Jeremiah51 mentions
- Jeremiah 1:3and 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.
- Jeremiah 21:1This 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,
- Jeremiah 21:3But Jeremiah answered, “You are to tell Zedekiah that
- 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.’
- Jeremiah 24:8But 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.
46 further mentions in Jeremiah — read them in the book.
Spiritual Significance
Zedekiah is a tragic study in the cost of moral cowardice. He knew the truth — Jeremiah told him plainly, repeatedly — but he chose the approval of men over the commands of God. He is a warning that knowledge of what is right, without the courage to do it, leads to the worst outcomes.
Character Profile
- Strengths
- Genuine interest in God's word, some mercy shown toward Jeremiah personally
- Weaknesses
- Moral cowardice, fear of officials, oath-breaking, rebellion against God's clear directive, inability to act on truth he acknowledged
- Lessons
- Moral cowardice is one of leadership's most destructive sins. Zedekiah had access to divine truth through Jeremiah but consistently chose the fear of men over the fear of God. When we know what God requires and refuse it out of fear, we surrender both our destiny and those under our care.
Related Characters
Also named, no page yet:Nebuzaradan — Babylonian commander who burned Jerusalem
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