Melachim Bais 24:17

17 And Melech Bavel made Matanyah dodo (his [Y’hoyakhin’s] uncle) Melech in his place, and changed shmo to Tzidkiyahu (Zedekiah).

Melachim Bais 24:17 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 24:17

And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother
king in his stead
The third son of Josiah, ( 1 Chronicles 3:15 )

and changed his name to Zedekiah;
for the same reason the king of Egypt changed the name of Eliakim, ( 2 Kings 23:34 ) to signify his subjection to him; though some think it was to put him in mind of the justice of God, as the name signifies, that would overtake him, should he be treacherous to him, and rebel against him; so the Jewish Midrash.

Melachim Bais 24:17 In-Context

15 And he carried away Y’hoyakhin to Bavel, and the Em HaMelech, and the nashim of HaMelech, and his sarisim, and the leading men of HaAretz, those he carried into the Golus from Yerushalayim to Babylon.
16 And all the anshei hachayil, even shivat alafim, and a thousand charash and masger, all that were gibborim for making milchamah, even them Melech Bavel took into the Golus to Babylon.
17 And Melech Bavel made Matanyah dodo (his [Y’hoyakhin’s] uncle) Melech in his place, and changed shmo to Tzidkiyahu (Zedekiah).
18 Tzidkiyau (Zedekiah) was twenty and one shanah when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven shanah in Yerushalayim. And shem immo was Chamutal Bat Yirmeyahu of Livnah.
19 And he did that which was rah in the eyes of Hashem, according to all that Y’hoyakim had done.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.