Zedekiah

How Nave’s arranged it

• 1. Made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar2 Kings 24:172 Kings 24:181 Chronicles 3:152 Chronicles 36:10Jeremiah 37:1
• Throws off his allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar2 Kings 24:202 Chronicles 36:13Jeremiah 52:3Ezekiel 17:12–21
• Forms an alliance with the king of EgyptEzekiel 17:11–18
• The allegiance denounced
• By Jeremiah2 Chronicles 36:12Jeremiah 21Jeremiah 24:8–10Jeremiah 27:12–22Jeremiah 32:3–5Jeremiah 34Jeremiah 37:7–10Jeremiah 37:17Jeremiah 38:14–28
• By EzekielEzekiel 12:10–16Ezekiel 17:12–21
• Imprisons Jeremiah on account of his denunciationsJeremiah 32:2Jeremiah 32:3Jeremiah 37:15–21Jeremiah 38:5–28
• Seeks the intercession of Jeremiah with God on his behalfJeremiah 21:1–3Jeremiah 37:3Jeremiah 38:14–27
• The evil reign of2 Kings 24:192 Kings 24:202 Chronicles 36:122 Chronicles 36:13Jeremiah 37:2Jeremiah 38:5Jeremiah 38:19Jeremiah 38:24–26Jeremiah 52:2
• Nebuchadnezzar destroys the city and temple, takes him captive to Babylon, blinds his eyes, kills his sons2 Kings 25:1–102 Chronicles 36:17–20Jeremiah 1:3Jeremiah 32:1Jeremiah 32:2Jeremiah 39:1–10Jeremiah 51:59Jeremiah 52:4–30
• 2. Grandson of Jehoiakim1 Chronicles 3:16
• 3. A false prophetJeremiah 29:21–23

The passages, in Bible order (43)

The same references, sorted Genesis to Revelation. The first 16 are quoted in full; the rest are one click beneath them, book by book.

1. 1 Kings 22:11

   Now 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.’”

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 22:111 voice

   “Horns of iron - The horn in Scripture is the favorite symbol of power; and pushing with the horn is a common metaphor for attacking and conquering enemies (see Deu 33:17; Compare Psa 44:5; Dan 8:4). Zedekiah, in employing a symbolic action, was following the example of a former Israelite prophet 1Ki 11:30. Thus saith the Lord - Or, יהוה yehovâh. Zedekiah lays aside the unmeaningful “Lord” אדני 'ǎdonāy of the general company of Israelite prophets 1Ki 22:6, and professes to have a direct message from Yahweh to Ahab.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 22:11→

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2. 1 Kings 22:24

   Then 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?”

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 22:241 voice

   “Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me - This is an expression of as great insolence as the act was of brutal aggression. “Did the Spirit of the Lord, who rests solely upon me, condescend to inspire thee? Was it at this ear [where he smote him] that it entered, in order to hold communion with thee?” Josephus tells an idle rabbinical tale about this business, which is as unworthy of repetition as it is of credit. See his Antiq. of the Jews, book viii., c. 10.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 22:24→

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3. 2 Kings 24:17

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

   ›Commentary on 2 Kings 24:172 voices

   “But, according to the custom of conquerors, who changed the names of the great men they took captives in war, in token of their supremacy, he gave him the new name of Zedekiah--that is, "The righteous of God." This being a purely Hebrew name, it seems that he allowed the puppet king to choose his own name, which was confirmed.

   “And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead,.... The third son of Josiah, 1Ch 3:15. and changed his name to Zedekiah; for the same reason the king of Egypt changed the name of Eliakim, 2Ki 23:34 to signify his subjection to him; though some think it was to put him in mind of the justice of God, as the name signifies, that would overtake him, should he be treacherous to him, and rebel against him; so the Jewish Midrash.

   Everything gathered on 2 Kings 24:17→

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4. 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.

   ›Commentary on 2 Kings 24:182 voices

   “But, according to the custom of conquerors, who changed the names of the great men they took captives in war, in token of their supremacy, he gave him the new name of Zedekiah--that is, "The righteous of God." This being a purely Hebrew name, it seems that he allowed the puppet king to choose his own name, which was confirmed.

   “Zedekiah was twenty years old when he began to reign,.... So that he was but between nine and ten years of age when his father Josiah died; for Jehoahaz reigned three months, Jehoiakim eleven years, and his son three months and ten days: and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah; by which it appears that he was the brother of Jehoahaz by father and mother's side, 2Ki 23:

   Everything gathered on 2 Kings 24:18→

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5. 2 Kings 24:19

   And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.

   ›Commentary on 2 Kings 24:192 voices

   “But, according to the custom of conquerors, who changed the names of the great men they took captives in war, in token of their supremacy, he gave him the new name of Zedekiah--that is, "The righteous of God." This being a purely Hebrew name, it seems that he allowed the puppet king to choose his own name, which was confirmed.

   “He did that which was evil - The character of Zedekiah seems to have been weak rather than wicked. Consult Jer. 34; 37: His chief recorded sins were: (1) his refusal to be guided in his political conduct by Jeremiah’s counsels, while nevertheless he admitted him to be a true Yahweh-prophet; and (2) his infraction of the allegiance which he had sworn to Nebuchadnezzar.

   Everything gathered on 2 Kings 24:19→

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6. 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.

   ›Commentary on 2 Kings 24:202 voices

   “Zedekiah rebelled - This was in the eighth year of his reign: and he is strongly reproved for having violated the oath he took to the king of Babylon: see 2Ch 36:13. This was the filling up of the measure of iniquity; and now the wrath of God descends upon this devoted king, city, and people, to the uttermost. See the catastrophe in the next chapter.

   “Came to pass - Thus the peoples sins were the true cause why God gave them wicked kings, whom he suffered to do wickedly, that they might bring the long-deserved, and threatened punishments upon themselves and their people.

   Everything gathered on 2 Kings 24:20→

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7. 2 Kings 25:1–10

   So 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.

   ›Commentary on 2 Kings 25:1–102 voices

   “What think you of Nebuchadnezzar? Have you not heard from Scripture that he was bloodthirsty, fierce, with the disposition of a lion? Have you not heard that he disinterred the kings? Have you not heard that he brought the people away into captivity? Have you not heard that he put the king's sons to the sword before Zedekiah's eyes and then blinded him? Have you not heard that he shattered the cherubim?

   “And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign,.... Of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah. From hence to the end of 2Ki 25:7, the account exactly agrees with Jer 52:4.

   Everything gathered on 2 Kings 25:1–10→

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8. 1 Chronicles 3:15

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

   ›Commentary on 1 Chronicles 3:152 voices

   “Zedekiah--called the son of Josiah (compare Jer 1:3; 37:1), but in 2Ch 36:19 he is described as the brother of Jehoiachin, who was the son of Jehoiakim, and consequently the grandson of Josiah. Words expressive of affinity or relationship are used with great latitude in the Hebrew.

   “Of the sons of Josiah, Johanan, “the first-born,” who is mentioned in this place only, must, it would seem, have died before his father, or with him at Megiddo; and Shallum (also called Jehoahaz, marginal note and reference) was considerably older than Zedekiah, and was consequently the third, and not the fourth, son. He is perhaps assigned the fourth place here by way of intentional degradation. Compare Jer 22:10-12; Eze 19:3-4.

   Everything gathered on 1 Chronicles 3:15→

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9. 1 Chronicles 3:16

   The successors of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, and Zedekiah.

   ›Commentary on 1 Chronicles 3:162 voices

   “And the sons of Jehoiakim; Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. This is not the Zedekiah mentioned in the preceding verse; for he was not the son but the uncle of Jeconiah, unless he should be called his son because he succeeded him in the kingdom; but he seems to be another of that name, nowhere else mentioned, and not the son of Jeconiah in any sense; he is not reckoned among them in the following verses, but of Jehoiakim.

   “Zedekiah his son - If this be the same who was the last king of Judah, before the captivity, the word son must be taken here to signify successor; for it is certain that Zedekiah was the successor of Jeconiah, and that Zedekiah was the son of Josiah, and not of Jehoiakim.

   Everything gathered on 1 Chronicles 3:16→

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10. 2 Chronicles 18:10

    Now 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.’”

    Verse page →Original language →

11. 2 Chronicles 18:23

    Then 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?”

    Verse page →Original language →

12. 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.

    ›Commentary on 2 Chronicles 36:102 voices

    “Made Zedekiah - king - His name was at first Mattaniah, but the king of Babylon changed it to Zedekiah. See 2Ki 24:17 (note), and the notes there.

    “Expired - Hebrew. at the return of the year: at the beginning of the next year, according to the sacred account of the Hebrew, at the spring of the year, the time when kings go forth to battle, as is elsewhere said, when Nebuchadnezzar, among others, went forth to settle and enlarge his conquests.

    Everything gathered on 2 Chronicles 36:10→

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13. 2 Chronicles 36:12

    And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.

    Verse page →Original language →

14. 2 Chronicles 36:13

    He 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.

    ›Commentary on 2 Chronicles 36:132 voices

    “The oath of allegiance was taken when he was first installed in his kingdom. On Zedekiah’s sin in breaking his oath, see Eze 17:18-20; Eze 21:25.

    “By God - Who had required him to swear fealty and constant obedience to him by the true God, whom he called upon to be a witness against him if he broke his oath. So his rebellion was aggravated with perjury, and horrid contempt of God.

    Everything gathered on 2 Chronicles 36:13→

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15. 2 Chronicles 36:17–20

    So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,

    ›Commentary on 2 Chronicles 36:17–202 voices

    “Chaldees - Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldees, when God took him into covenant with himself. And now his degenerate seed are carried into that country again, to signify that they had forfeited all that kindness wherewith they had been loved for their father's sake, and the benefit of the covenant into which he was called.

    “The fearful slaughter took place at the capture of the city, in the courts of the temple itself (Eze 9:6-7; compare Lam 2:7, Lam 2:20).

    Everything gathered on 2 Chronicles 36:17–20→

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16. 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.

    ›Commentary on Jeremiah 1:32 voices

    “Of Jerusalem - The inhabitants of Jerusalem, under Zedekiah, during all which time Jeremiah prophesied. Captive - This does not terminate the time of his prophecies; for he prophesied also both in Judea, and in Egypt afterwards: but only relates to what he prophesied while the city and temple were standing, the rest seeming to be added as a supplement.

    “The whole period contained in this verse is no less than 40 years and 6 months, namely, 18 years under Josiah, two periods of 11 years each under Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, and 3 months under each of the omitted kings, Jehoahaz and Jeconiah. In the fifth month - The capture of Jerusalem took place in the fourth month, but its destruction was in the fifth month (see the marginal references), the ninth day of which was subsequently kept as a fast-day Zec 7:3.

    Everything gathered on Jeremiah 1:3→

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