2 Chronicles 36 11

2 Chronicles 36:11 kjv

Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:11 nkjv

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:11 niv

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.

2 Chronicles 36:11 esv

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 36:11 nlt

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.

2 Chronicles 36 verses

2 Chronicles 36 11 Meaning

This verse precisely details the beginning and duration of Zedekiah's reign as the final king of Judah before the Babylonian exile. It states that Zedekiah assumed the throne at the age of twenty-one and reigned for eleven years from Jerusalem, bringing to a close the continuous line of Davidic kings ruling in Judah from their capital. This numerical and chronological detail sets the stage for the narrative of Jerusalem's fall and the temple's destruction, signifying the culmination of Judah's unfaithfulness and God's resultant judgment.

2 Chronicles 36 11 Context

2 Chronicles 36:11 marks the pivotal transition point at the end of Judah's monarchy. The preceding verses detail the reigns of Zedekiah's immediate predecessors, Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin, both of whom were subjected to Babylonian overlordship and deportations. Zedekiah, whose original name was Mattaniah, was appointed king by Nebuchadnezzar, emphasizing his status as a vassal ruler. The context of 2 Chronicles as a whole is a theological history demonstrating that faithfulness to God and His covenant (especially centered around the Temple and the Law) brings blessing, while unfaithfulness brings judgment, culminating in the Babylonian Exile. Zedekiah's reign serves as the final, tragic illustration of this principle, as his profound wickedness and rebellion against God's direct prophetic warnings ultimately led to the complete destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, fulfilling long-standing covenant curses.

2 Chronicles 36 11 Word analysis

• Zedekiah (צִדְקִיָּהוּ - Tsidqiyyahu): Originally Mattaniah (מַתַּנְיָה - Mattanyah, "Gift of Yahweh"), he was renamed "Zedekiah" by Nebuchadnezzar, meaning "My righteousness is Yahweh" or "Yahweh is righteousness." This name is deeply ironic given his unrighteous reign and his rebellion against Yahweh's commands. It serves as a stark theological commentary on his actions and fate.
• was twenty and one years old (בֶּן־אֶחָת וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה - ben-ʼeḥāt wᵉ‘eśrīm šānâ): This specifies his youth upon ascending the throne. His age, while not directly judgmental, implies a lack of maturity or experience, perhaps contributing to his poor judgment or susceptibility to bad counsel during a critical period.
• when he began to reign (בְּמָלְכוֹ - bᵉmālḵō): This Hebrew term signifies the formal commencement of his rule. The chronicler carefully records the start and end of each king's reign, marking the timeline of Judah's destiny.
• and he reigned eleven years (אֶחָת עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה מָלַךְ - ʼeḥāt ‘eśrêh šānâ mālaḵ): A precise, short duration, highlighting the swift demise of the monarchy. This brief reign brought about the most devastating catastrophe in Judah's history to date.
• in Jerusalem (בִּירוּשָׁלַםִ - bīrûšālāyim): The capital city, once symbolic of God's presence and David's throne, now becoming the focal point of God's judgment and destruction. His reign in Jerusalem signifies the last gasp of independent rule for the Davidic dynasty from their ancestral capital before its obliteration and the prolonged exile.

• Zedekiah ... when he began to reign: This phrase establishes the specific individual, Zedekiah, whose reign is the subject. His accession is significant as the final Davidic king of Judah before the Babylonian exile.
• twenty and one years old... reigned eleven years: These numerical details provide the chronological parameters of his reign, indicating a short but calamitous period of leadership that led directly to national destruction. The precise age and duration are typical Chronicler details, emphasizing factual record-keeping and historical finality.

2 Chronicles 36 11 Bonus section

• The selection of Zedekiah's original name, Mattaniah ("Gift of Yahweh"), contrasts starkly with the irony of his new, imposed name, Zedekiah ("Yahweh is Righteousness"). His reign served as a "gift" from Babylon (appointed by Nebuchadnezzar) and paradoxically, Judah's final king whose unrighteousness perfectly illustrated God's righteous judgment against persistent sin.
• The Chronicler's primary focus in detailing the final kings of Judah is to emphasize the direct link between royal (and national) disobedience and divine judgment. Zedekiah's brief, corrupt reign functions as the climactic illustration of this theological truth, justifying the exile not as God's failure but as a necessary and righteous consequence of human rebellion. This served as a vital lesson for the post-exilic community reading this account.
• This verse represents the calm before the storm—a seemingly routine kingly datum before the Chronicler's devastating account of the fulfillment of Deuteronomy's curses (specifically Lev 26:33-35 regarding land Sabbath).

2 Chronicles 36 11 Commentary

2 Chronicles 36:11 succinctly presents the calendrical facts of Zedekiah's reign, yet it carries immense theological weight within the Chronicler's narrative. His relatively young age and the short duration of his rule (eleven years) are chilling details that foreshadow the catastrophic end of the Davidic monarchy. The verse acts as a prologue to Judah's darkest chapter: the unrighteous king whose defiance of God and rejection of Jeremiah's prophetic warnings resulted in Jerusalem's fall, the Temple's desecration, and the nation's exile. This reign, presided over by a king whose very name ("Yahweh is Righteousness") stood in stark contrast to his character and actions, highlights God's unwavering righteousness in judgment. The account underscores that even the lineage of David, central to God's covenant, was subject to the covenantal curses for sustained national disobedience and rejection of divine pleas for repentance, leading to a period of total cessation of rule from Jerusalem.