Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the accession details of King Zedekiah at the conclusion of Judah’s final decline. This historical note immediately precedes the account of Jerusalem’s destruction.
The words — The phrase בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִ֣ים וְאַחַ֤ת שָׁנָה (ben-esrim ve'achat shanah) literally renders "son of twenty-one years," a Hebrew idiom for age at accession. The verb בְּמָלְכּוֹ (bemalchot) denotes "when he reigned" or "when he became king."
The thread — This accession record parallels 2 Kings 24:18 and 2 Chronicles 36:11, while the mention of his mother’s hometown Libnah echoes Joshua 10:29. The identical phrasing across these books confirms a shared historical tradition.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that Zedekiah’s royal lineage and age do not guarantee faithful rule. It prepares the reader to weigh his reign against the standard of obedience outlined in the following verse.
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
Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
Cross-references
- Joshua 10:29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.
- 2 Kings 24:18 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.
- 2 Chronicles 36:11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
- Joshua 15:42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
- 2 Kings 8:22 So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.