Bible Strands
2 Kings 24:17
Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative records the king of Babylon installing Mattaniah as monarch immediately after deporting Jehoiachin and Judah’s fighting men and craftsmen.
The words — וַיַּמְלֵךְ (va.yamlekh) translates literally as “and he made king,” while וַיַּסֵּב (va.yassev) means “and he changed,” marking the dual acts of enthronement and renaming.
The thread — This imperial method of substituting a royal relative and altering his name also appears in 2 Kings 23:34 and 2 Chronicles 36:4, where Pharaoh Neco installs Eliakim and renames him Jehoiakim.
Why it lands — The text documents a political transaction, requiring the reader to observe how foreign rulers managed Judah’s leadership through forced substitution and identity alteration.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 37:1 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
- 2 Kings 23:34 Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.
- 2 Chronicles 36:4 Then Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
- 1 Chronicles 3:15 The sons of Josiah: Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum the fourth.
- 2 Chronicles 36:10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 52:1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.