Who was King Zedekiah?

Zedekiah's Rise to Power

During the course of events, we meet the last king to rule over Judah: Zedekiah.

Let's take a few minutes to learn more about who Zedekiah is.

Around 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, captured Jerusalem, robbed the temple, and deported most of the leaders and politically powerful members of Judahite society (2 Kgs 24:13-16).

Rather than install a Babylonian government, Nebuchadnezzar gave power to a member of the Davidic family: Mattaniah. He changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah (2 Kgs 24:17).

Zedekiah began his eleven-year reign at 21, ruling Judah between the first and second Babylonian exiles (597, 586 BC).

Though Zedekiah was one of David’s descendants, he ruled Judah as a Babylonian vassal. As such, he was expected to pay tribute to the Babylonian king and fulfill other expectations. He would be deposed and punished if he failed to honor this treaty.

Rebellion and Alliances: Zedekiah’s Attempt to Regain Independence

During his reign, Zedekiah faced pressure to seek Egypt’s assistance to rebel against Babylon. At first, Zedekiah remained loyal to Babylon.

However, over time Zedekiah sought Egypt’s assistance in rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar. This fateful decision led to the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s ninth year (2 Kgs 24:20; 25:1).

The exact timeline for the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem is difficult to reconstruct. The siege lasted more than one year and less than two years. Based on data from Jeremiah, sixteen months is as good of a guess as any.

It is worth remembering that Babylon did not just destroy Jerusalem at this time. They decimated the entire kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah 34:6-7 describes a time just before the end of the Babylonian conquest in which only three cities remained: Jerusalem, Lachish, and Azekah.

Archaeological discoveries in city of Lachish corroborate Jeremiah’s account and provide insights into the tragic last days of Judah.

Archaeologists discovered ostraca in Lachish, which are broken pots with writing on them. A couple of these ostraca describe events just before Babylon conquered the city.

Ostracon 3 describes a Judean commander going to Egypt. It seems to confirm that Egypt did support Zedekiah initially. Ostracon 4 mentions the inhabitants of Lachish watching the smoke signals of Jerusalem, presumably because they were the last cities standing (cf., Jer 34:6-7).

As the siege progressed, the conditions in Jerusalem deteriorated. Struck with famine and dwindling resources, the city succumbed to the Babylonians roughly a year and a half after the attack began.

Zedekiah's Downfall

When the Babylonians breached the city’s walls Zedekiah and some of his soldiers tried to escape. They fled towards Jericho in a desperate attempt to escape the clutches of Nebuchadnezzar’s power.

When the Babylonian soldiers overtake them, Zedekiah’s men abandon him. He is led alone to Nebuchadnezzar at the city of Riblah.

What happens next is deeply tragic and symbolic. Nebuchadnezzar forces Zedekiah to watch his sons’ execution before having his eyes blinded. This punishment is traumatic to Zedekiah, the kingdom of Judah, and all who read the Book of Kings.

• Zedekiah’s last image on earth is the death of his sons.
• The Kingdom of Judah sees Zedekiah’s family line snuffed out.
• The reader wonders whether the same will happen to the entire family line of David.

After being blinded, Zedekiah is taken to Babylon where he dies as a political prisoner.

This era of the kingdom of Judah looms large in the Bible. Numerous prophetic texts address this moment in the story.

The prophet Jeremiah returns to the story numerous times (cf., Jeremiah 27:1-11; 37:1-21; 38:14-28; 39:1-10; 52:4-30).

Ezekiel refers to the events in 17:15; 21:21-22.

Additionally, Lamentations 4 is a mournful poem about Jerusalem’s demise.

That's a quick introduction to King Zedekiah.

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Thanks for reading,

Tyler Fulcher