Zedekiah [Zĕde kī'ah]—jehovah is might or jehovah is righteous.

The Man Who Vacillated

1. The last king of Judah before its fall at the hands of the Babylonians. Zedekiah is classed among the evil kings. He was the third son of Josiah to become king. Mattaniah was his original name, but upon his succession to Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar named him Zedekiah. What we know of him can be found in 2 Kings 24, 25; 1 Chronicles 3:15; 2 Chronicles 36:10, 11, as well as in almost fifty references in Jeremiah. (Jer 1:3; 21:1, 3, 7, 8). Jeremiah prophesied during the whole of the reign of Zedekiah.

As a ruler, Zedekiah lacked the three indispensable qualifications for leadership, namely, poise, vision, resolution. He came to a disrupted kingdom, and while he meant well, Zedekiah could not keep his head amid confusion. Vacillating, he lacked the courage to labor on with a resolute heart. He was easily persuaded to rebel against the Chaldeans (2 Kings 25), and under Jeremiah’s advice surrendered the city to the Chaldeans (Jer. 21:9, 10).

This troubled reign ended tragically. Zedekiah attempted to escape from the disaster Jeremiah had predicted, but was overtaken and brought to Nebuchadnezzar, who slew the captive king’s children before his eyes, then blinded the king himself and sent him in chains to Babylon. Zedekiah, however, died on the way.

The Man Who Was Rude

2. A son of Chenaanah, a false prophet who encouraged Ahab to attack the Syrians at Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings 22:11, 24; 2 Chron. 18:10, 23). When Micaiah, a true prophet of God, contradicted Zedekiah’s prediction, he struck the man of God upon the cheek and insulted him. Micaiah did not retaliate, but warned Zedekiah that he would come to regret his action (1 Kings 22:11-25), which he did. Along with other political agitators, Zedekiah brought on himself the cruel punishment of being roasted in the fire by the order of Nebuchadnezzar.

3. A son or successor of Jeconiah (1 Chron. 3:16).

4. A son of Maaseiah, a false and immoral prophet (Jer. 29:21).

5. The son of Hananiah, a prince in the reign of Jehoiakim (Jer. 36:12).