ZEDEKIAH (Hebrew for " righteousness of Yah[weh] ")

This article appears in Volume V28, Page 964 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: YAK-ZYM

ZEDEKIAH (Hebrew for " righteousness of Yah[weh] ") , son of Josiah, and the last king of Judah (2 Kings xxiv. 17 sqq.; 2 Chron. xxxvi. to seq.). Previously known as Mattaniah ("

gift

GIFT (a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. die Gift, gift, das Gift, poison, formed from the Teut.
stem
- STEM (O. Eng. staefn, stemn, cf. Du. stain, Ger. Stamm, &c., probably related to " staff ")
gab-, to give, cf. Dutch geven, Ger. geben; in O. Eng. the word appears with initial y, the guttural of later
English
- ENGLISH
is due to Scandinavian influence)

of Yah[weh] "), he was appointed king by

Nebuchadrezzar

NEBUCHADREZZAR, or NEBUCHADNEZZAR

after the capture of Jerusalem (597 B.C.) and his name changed to

Zedekiah

ZEDEKIAH (Hebrew for " righteousness of Yah[weh] ")

. He held his position under an oath of allegiance, but after three years (cf.

Jehoiakim

JEHOIAKIM (Heb. " Yahweh] raiseth up ")

, 2 Kings xxiv. 1) began an intrigue with Moab, Edom, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, which the prophet Jeremiah vigorously denounced (Jer. xxvii. seq.; cf. also Ezek. xvii. 11-21). It is possible that he was summoned to Babylon to explain his conduct (Jer. li. 59; the

Septuagint

SEPTUAGINT, THE (Gr. of 0', Lat. LXX.)

reads " from

Zedekiah

ZEDEKIAH (Hebrew for " righteousness of Yah[weh] ")

"; see also xxix. 3). Nevertheless, relations were maintained with

Egypt

EGYPT

and steps were taken to revolt. The Babylonian army began to lay siege to Jerusalem in the ninth year of his reign, and a gain attempt was made by

Pharaoh

PHARAOH (Par'oh)

Hophra to cause a diversion. The headings to the prophecies in Ezek. xxix. sqq. suggest that fuller details of the events were once preserved, and the narratives in Jer. xxxii.-xxxiv., xxxvii. give some account of the internal position in Jerusalem at the time. After six months a breach was made in the city, Zedekiah's flight was cut off in the Jordan Valley and he was taken to

Nebuchadrezzar

NEBUCHADREZZAR, or NEBUCHADNEZZAR

at Riblah. His sons were killed, and he was blinded and carried to Babylon in chains (cf. Ezek. xii. 10-14). Vengeance was taken upon Jerusalem, and, on the seventh day of the fifth month, 586 B.C., Nebuzaradan sacked the temple, destroyed the walls and houses, and deported the citizens, only the poorest peasantry of the land being left behind. See

JEws

(HISTORY), 17 seq. (S. A. C.)

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