2 Kings 24:17 kjv
And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
2 Kings 24:17 nkjv
Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
2 Kings 24:17 niv
He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
2 Kings 24:17 esv
And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
2 Kings 24:17 nlt
Then the king of Babylon installed Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, as the next king, and he changed Mattaniah's name to Zedekiah.
2 Kings 24 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 17:5 | "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham..." | God changes names to signify a new identity or covenant. |
| Gen 32:28 | "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel..." | God's power over identity. |
| Gen 41:45 | "...Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah..." | Human rulers renaming to assert authority or bestow position. |
| 2 Kgs 23:34 | "...Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king... and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim..." | Precedent for a conquering power changing a king's name. |
| Dan 1:7 | "The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, Belteshazzar..." | Conquerors renaming captives to signify ownership and subservience. |
| Jer 27:6 | "Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant..." | God's sovereignty over giving power to earthly rulers. |
| Jer 29:10 | "For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon..." | Prophecy of the duration of Babylonian captivity. |
| Jer 22:24-30 | "...Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah... will be handed over to Nebuchadnezzar..." | Prophecy directly foretelling Jehoiachin's fate. |
| 2 Kgs 25:1-7 | "...In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign... the whole army of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem..." | Account of Zedekiah's rebellion and Jerusalem's destruction. |
| Jer 37:1 | "King Zedekiah son of Josiah succeeded Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim as king..." | Confirms the royal succession. |
| Ezek 17:13-14 | "...and took the mighty of the land, that the kingdom might be base, and not lift itself up..." | Prophecy about the puppet king Zedekiah and his low status. |
| Lam 4:20 | "The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was captured..." | Lament for Zedekiah's capture and blinding. |
| Prov 21:1 | "The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." | God's sovereign control over kings' decisions. |
| Dan 2:21 | "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings..." | God's ultimate power over all kingdoms and their rulers. |
| Psa 75:6-7 | "For promotion cometh neither from the east... but God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another." | God is the ultimate dispenser of power. |
| Rom 13:1 | "For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." | All earthly authority originates from God. |
| Deut 28:36 | "The LORD will bring you and your king... to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known..." | Prophetic warning of exile for disobedience, including kings. |
| 1 Sam 2:30 | "...for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." | Divine principle of judgment on disobedient leaders. |
| Isa 39:6-7 | "The days are coming when everything in your palace... will be carried off to Babylon... And some of your descendants will be taken away..." | Hezekiah's prophecy foreshadowing royal exile to Babylon. |
| Jer 23:5-6 | "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch..." | Prophecy of a truly righteous King from David's line, contrasting Zedekiah. |
| Matt 1:11-12 | "...Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel after the deportation to Babylon..." | Matthew's genealogy maintaining the Davidic line through the exile. |
| Ezek 12:12-13 | "...and his eyes shall not see it... he shall come to Babylon... yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there." | Prophecy detailing Zedekiah's unique blinding and fate in Babylon. |
2 Kings 24 verses
2 Kings 24 17 Meaning
2 Kings 24:17 records a crucial moment in Judah's submission to Babylon. Following the exile of King Jehoiachin, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon asserted his absolute authority by installing a new ruler over the diminished kingdom of Judah. He chose Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, and powerfully changed his name to Zedekiah. This act unequivocally demonstrated Babylon's dominion, signaling Judah's loss of independence and becoming a mere vassal state completely subservient to Babylonian will.
2 Kings 24 17 Context
This verse is set after the first significant deportation of Judeans to Babylon in 597 BC. King Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim's son, had reigned for only three months and then surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 24:10-12). Nebuchadnezzar then plundered the Temple and palace, taking Jehoiachin, the queen mother, court officials, nobles, skilled craftsmen, and soldiers (around 10,000 people) into exile in Babylon (2 Kgs 24:14-16). Judah had continually turned away from God's covenant, leading to centuries of prophetic warnings, and this act by Nebuchadnezzar was a direct fulfillment of the promised judgment, orchestrated by God (Jer 27:6). The installation of a puppet king and a name change was a common imperial practice in the ancient Near East, used by dominant powers to cement their control and ensure allegiance from subjugated kingdoms.
2 Kings 24 17 Word analysis
- And the king of Babylon: Refers to Nebuchadnezzar II, the most powerful Neo-Babylonian ruler. He served, albeit unknowingly, as God's instrument of judgment against Judah.
- made Mattaniah his uncle king:
- made... king (הִמְלִ֣יךְ, himlîḵ): The Hiphil form emphasizes active causation by Nebuchadnezzar. He caused Mattaniah to reign, stripping Judah of its independent right to choose its king.
- Mattaniah (מַתַּנְיָ֥הוּ, Mattanyāhū): Meaning "Gift of Yahweh." This name, reflecting a dedication to the God of Israel, carries tragic irony considering the king's unrighteous future actions and the devastating fate that befell Jerusalem under his rule.
- his uncle (דֹּד֛וֹ, dodō): Specifically, Jehoiachin's paternal uncle (his father Josiah's youngest son). This choice ensured a degree of Davidic lineage continuity, which might pacify the populace, while securing a malleable ruler who owed his position entirely to Babylon.
- in his place: Confirms Mattaniah as the successor and direct replacement of Jehoiachin, formally acknowledging Jehoiachin's deposition and removal by Babylon.
- and changed his name to Zedekiah:
- changed his name (וַיַּסֵּב, wayyassêḇ): A Hiphil verb indicating the act of causing a change. This act was a powerful display of political and spiritual dominance, symbolizing a new allegiance and identity imposed by the conquering power.
- Zedekiah (צִדְקִיָּֽהוּ, Ṣidqîyāhū): Meaning "Yahweh is (my) Righteousness." This name is profoundly ironic. His reign would be marked by wickedness (2 Kgs 24:19), deception (Ezek 17:15-16), and ultimately, Judah's final destruction. The name, emphasizing God's righteousness, contrasts sharply with the unrighteous actions of the king and points toward the future fulfillment of true righteousness through the Messiah.
Words-group analysis:
- "made Mattaniah his uncle king in his place": This phrase encapsulates the decisive end of Judah's political autonomy. It demonstrates that the power to choose Judah's king, a right once belonging to God and exercised through Davidic covenant succession, had now fallen entirely into the hands of a foreign pagan monarch. Judah was now a subject kingdom.
- "changed his name to Zedekiah": This specific action was a potent symbol of suzerainty. More than just a political gesture, it was a symbolic appropriation of Judah's identity, history, and even its God. By renaming "Gift of Yahweh" to "Yahweh is Righteousness," Nebuchadnezzar was signaling, intentionally or not, that even Judah's relationship with its God was now dictated and overshadowed by Babylonian power.
2 Kings 24 17 Bonus section
- The choice of Mattaniah, an uncle, over Jehoiachin's own sons (who were also taken to Babylon) was a strategic move by Nebuchadnezzar. It maintained a lineage acceptable to the Judean people while preventing any immediate strong claim by a direct heir who might foster future rebellions. An older, less established relative provided a stable but weak point of control.
- This act also set a precedent of conditional Davidic rule; the remaining "kings" would only rule at the discretion and under the direct authority of foreign empires, highlighting the spiritual reality that Israel's true king was God Himself, and their well-being depended on their obedience to Him.
- The historical parallels to this practice reinforce the profound humiliation for Judah. This was not a unique incident but a common tactic by empires like Egypt and Babylon to integrate conquered peoples into their broader imperial structure. Judah, once chosen and mighty, was now just another province in Nebuchadnezzar's dominion.
2 Kings 24 17 Commentary
2 Kings 24:17 marks a point of no return for the kingdom of Judah. It represents not just the loss of territory or wealth, but the definitive end of its sovereign monarchy, reducing the Davidic line to a vassal state. Nebuchadnezzar's installation of Zedekiah and the name change served as clear statements of complete subjugation. This act fulfilled centuries of prophecy regarding Israel's covenant unfaithfulness leading to foreign domination and exile. The profound irony of Mattaniah, "Gift of Yahweh," becoming Zedekiah, "Yahweh is Righteousness," is central. Zedekiah proved himself to be anything but righteous, failing to heed God's prophets like Jeremiah and breaking his oath to Babylon, actions that precipitated the final, catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem. Thus, even in the political maneuvers of a pagan king, God's sovereign will was at work, bringing judgment upon His disobedient people, yet subtly pointing forward to the true "Righteous Branch" promised in the Davidic line, Jesus Christ (Jer 23:5-6).