Zedekiah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zedekiah
Zedekiah from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum, 1553
King of Judah
Reign	597–586 BC
Predecessor	Jehoiachin
Successor	Monarchy abolished
Born	Mattaniah c. 618 BC Jerusalem, Kingdom of Judah
Died	After 586 BC Babylon, Neo-Babylonian Empire
House	House of David
Father	Josiah
Mother	Hamutal

Zedekiah (also spelled Sedekias) was the last king of Judah before the powerful Babylonian Empire destroyed Jerusalem. His original name was Mattaniah, which means "Gift of God."

After the city of Jerusalem was attacked in 597 BC, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II removed the previous king, Jeconiah. Nebuchadnezzar then made Mattaniah king instead, changing his name to Zedekiah. The prophet Jeremiah often gave Zedekiah advice. However, Zedekiah usually did not listen to Jeremiah. The Bible says that Zedekiah "did evil in the sight of the Lord."

Zedekiah became king when he was about 21 years old. His rule ended when Jerusalem was attacked and fell to Nebuchadnezzar II. This happened around 587 or 586 BC.

Judah's Troubled Times

The ancient world was changing a lot around Zedekiah's time. The powerful Neo-Assyrian Empire was defeated in 612 BC by the rising Neo-Babylonian Empire. This caused big problems for the Kingdom of Judah.

Egypt, which was worried about the new Babylonian power, moved north to help Assyria. In 608 BC, the Egyptian army marched through Judah. King Josiah, Zedekiah's father, tried to stop them. Sadly, he was badly wounded in battle at Megiddo and died.

Josiah's younger son, Jehoahaz, became king. But just three months later, the Egyptian pharaoh Necho II removed Jehoahaz. He put Jehoahaz's older brother, Jehoiakim, on the throne instead. Jehoahaz was taken as a prisoner to Egypt.

Babylon's Growing Power

Later, the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians in a big battle in 605 BC. After this, Nebuchadnezzar II attacked Jerusalem. To save his city, King Jehoiakim agreed to become a loyal subject of Babylon. He paid tribute from the treasury and gave some valuable items from Solomon's Temple. Some members of the royal family and important people were also taken to Babylon as hostages.

However, when Babylon failed to invade Egypt, Jehoiakim thought he could switch sides again. After three years, he stopped paying tribute to Babylon and sided with Egypt. Because of this, Nebuchadnezzar II attacked Judah again in 599 BC. He laid siege to Jerusalem once more.

In 598 BC, Jehoiakim died during the siege. His son Jeconiah became king. But Jerusalem fell within three months. Nebuchadnezzar removed Jeconiah and made Zedekiah, Jeconiah's uncle, the new king.

Zedekiah's Rule and Jerusalem's Fall

Nebuchadnezzar confronts Zedekiah, who holds a plan of Jerusalem, in this Baroque-era depiction in Zwiefalten Abbey in Germany

The Bible says that Zedekiah was 21 years old when Nebuchadnezzar II made him king of Judah in 597 BC. At this time, Judah was a kingdom that had to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar.

Even though the prophet Jeremiah and other advisors warned him, Zedekiah made a secret agreement with Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt. He decided to rebel against Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar reacted quickly by invading Judah. He began a siege of Jerusalem in December 589 BC. The city suffered terribly during this long siege.

The End of Jerusalem

After about 30 months, Nebuchadnezzar finally captured Jerusalem in 586 BC. Zedekiah and his followers tried to escape the city. But they were caught on the plains of Jericho. They were then taken to Riblah.

There, Zedekiah was forced to watch his own sons being killed. After that, his eyes were put out. He was then put in chains and taken as a prisoner to Babylon. He remained a prisoner there until he died.

After Jerusalem fell, Nebuchadnezzar sent his commander to destroy the city. Jerusalem was looted and completely torn down. Solomon's Temple was also destroyed. Only a small number of farmers were allowed to stay in the land.

Zedekiah and the Prophet Jeremiah

Zedekiah's story is closely linked with the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah often brought messages from God to Zedekiah.

In one story, Zedekiah sent officials to Jeremiah to ask God why Nebuchadnezzar had declared war. Jeremiah told them that God would destroy Zedekiah's people with war, sickness, and hunger if he did not surrender to Nebuchadnezzar. But if Zedekiah surrendered, his people would survive.

Jeremiah also advised Zedekiah to rule fairly and justly. He warned the king about what would happen if he did not obey God's word. Jeremiah had told Zedekiah from the beginning of his reign to submit to Babylon. He warned him not to listen to false prophets who said he wouldn't have to serve Babylon.

Jeremiah's Warnings and Imprisonment

In Zedekiah's tenth year as king, he put Jeremiah in prison in his palace. This was because Jeremiah had prophesied that Jerusalem would be captured by Nebuchadnezzar.

Later, Zedekiah made a promise to his people to free all Hebrew slaves. But then, the people who owned the slaves made them slaves again. God spoke through Jeremiah and said that Zedekiah had done right by freeing the slaves. But he broke his own promise by allowing them to be enslaved again.

Zedekiah sent officials to ask Jeremiah to pray for them. This happened when the Egyptian army threatened the Babylonians, making them temporarily leave Jerusalem. Jeremiah responded again that the Babylonians would return and capture the city.

Jeremiah was once imprisoned because people thought he was trying to join the Babylonians. Zedekiah secretly questioned him and asked if there was any message from God. Jeremiah said yes: Zedekiah would be captured by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah pleaded not to be sent back to the harsh prison. So, Zedekiah moved him to a different guard area and ordered that he receive bread every day.

Later, Zedekiah's officials wanted to execute Jeremiah for his prophecies. Zedekiah refused but let them do what they wanted. They threw Jeremiah into a deep pit. A servant named Ebed-melech heard about this and told Zedekiah. Zedekiah ordered Ebed-melech to take 30 men to pull Jeremiah out of the pit. Jeremiah then warned Zedekiah one last time: he would be saved if he obeyed God and surrendered to Babylon. But if he didn't, Jerusalem would be destroyed, and he would not escape Nebuchadnezzar.

What Happened After Zedekiah

After Jerusalem fell, the Kingdom of Judah became a part of the Babylonian Empire. It was renamed the Yehud province. Nebuchadnezzar moved the main government center from Jerusalem to Mizpah. He appointed Gedaliah as the new governor, with Babylonian guards watching over him.

When Jews living in other lands heard this news, many returned to Judah. However, Gedaliah was later killed. This caused most of the people in Judah to flee to Egypt for safety. They settled in different cities in Egypt.

Zedekiah's Family Tree

Zedekiah's birth name was Mattanyahu. He was the third of King Josiah's four sons. His brothers were Eliakim, Shallum, and Johanan.

Shallum became king after Josiah, taking the name Jehoahaz. Eliakim then became king after Shallum, taking the name Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was followed by his own son, Jeconiah.

Nebuchadnezzar II removed Jeconiah from the throne. He then made Jeconiah's uncle, Mattanyahu, king. Mattanyahu's name was changed to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before Babylon conquered the kingdom and took its people away as prisoners.

Zedekiah in Movies

See also

• Zedekiah's Cave