Jeremiah 37:1

1 Zedekiah son of Josiah succeeded Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim as the king of Judah. He was appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

Jeremiah 37:1 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 37:1

And King Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned
The brother of Jehoiakim, whose untimely death, and want of burial, are prophesied of in the preceding chapter. The name of Zedekiah was Mattaniah before he was king; his name was changed by the king of Babylon, who made him king, ( 2 Kings 24:17 ) ; instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim:
the same with Jehoiakim, or jeconiah, called Coniah by way of contempt; he reigned but three months, and so was not reckoned as a king, not being confirmed by the king of Babylon, but was carried captive by him, and his uncle placed in his stead: whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah;
to whom he became tributary, and swore homage and fealty, ( 2 Chronicles 36:13 ) .

Jeremiah 37:1 In-Context

1 Zedekiah son of Josiah succeeded Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim as the king of Judah. He was appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

2 But neither King Zedekiah nor his attendants nor the people who were left in the land listened to what the LORD said through Jeremiah.

3 Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, to ask Jeremiah, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us.”

4 Jeremiah had not yet been imprisoned, so he could come and go among the people as he pleased.

5 At this time the army of Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt appeared at the southern border of Judah. When the Babylonian army heard about it, they withdrew from their siege of Jerusalem.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew Coniah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin.
• [b]. Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar.