Zedekiah
The last king of Judah. Placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar, he rebelled, and saw Jerusalem and its temple destroyed before being blinded and taken to Babylon.
Zedekiah was an uncle of Jehoiachin. Nebuchadnezzar made him king in 597 BC and changed his name from Mattaniah (2 Kings 24:17–18). He rebelled against Babylon (2 Kings 24:20). During the siege that followed, Jeremiah urged him to surrender, and he held back for fear of the Judeans who had already gone over to the enemy (Jeremiah 38:14–23).
When the city fell he fled, was captured near Jericho, saw his sons killed and was blinded and deported (2 Kings 25:4–7).
In the timeline
- 16 March 597 BC, firm dateThe First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusalem, deports the young king Jehoiachin with thousands of Judah’s leading people, and puts Zedekiah on the throne. Babylon’s own chronicle dates the capture to the day.
- 587/586 BC, estimated dateThe Fall of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Temple
After a long siege the Babylonian army breaches Jerusalem, burns Solomon’s temple and the city, and deports most of the remaining people. The kingdom of Judah comes to an end.