2 Chronicles 36:11

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

Zedekiah {H6667} was one {H259} and twenty {H6242} years {H8141} old {H1121} when he began to reign {H4427}, and reigned {H4427} eleven {H259}{H6240} years {H8141} in Jerusalem {H3389}.

Tzedekyah was twenty-one years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for eleven years in Yerushalayim.

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

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

Commentary

2 Chronicles 36:11 introduces King Zedekiah, the final monarch to sit on the throne of Judah before the nation's catastrophic fall to Babylon. This verse concisely states his age at ascension and the duration of his reign, setting the stage for the dramatic and tragic conclusion of the Southern Kingdom's independence.

Context

Zedekiah, originally named Mattaniah, was the son of King Josiah and uncle to King Jehoiachin. After Jehoiachin's brief three-month reign and subsequent deportation to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah as a vassal king in Jerusalem. At just twenty-one years old, Zedekiah inherited a kingdom on the brink of collapse, deeply entangled in Babylonian imperial politics and suffering from generations of spiritual decline. His eleven-year rule was marked by continued rebellion against Babylon, despite warnings from the prophet Jeremiah, ultimately leading to the devastating Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

Key Themes

  • The End of an Era: This verse marks the final chronological entry for a reigning king of Judah in the Davidic line before the exile. It signifies the end of a long period of independent monarchical rule in Jerusalem.
  • Divine Judgment and Consequence: Though not explicitly stated in this verse, Zedekiah's reign is presented in Chronicles as the culmination of Judah's persistent idolatry and disobedience, leading directly to God's promised judgment through the Babylonian invasion and the seventy-year Babylonian captivity.
  • Sovereignty of God in History: Even amidst human failure and national catastrophe, the historical record in Chronicles underscores God's sovereign control over the rise and fall of nations, fulfilling His warnings and prophecies.

Related Scriptures

Practical Application

Zedekiah's story serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of unfaithfulness and ignoring divine warnings. Despite having the prophet Jeremiah as a contemporary guide, Zedekiah chose a path of rebellion against God's ordained judgment. For believers today, this narrative underscores the importance of heeding God's Word, acknowledging His sovereignty even in difficult circumstances, and understanding that persistent disobedience can lead to severe consequences. It also highlights that even in times of judgment, God's long-term plan for redemption and restoration remains steadfast.

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Cross-References

  • 2 Kings 24:18

    Zedekiah [was] twenty and one 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.

  • 2 Kings 24:20

    For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

  • Jeremiah 28:1

    ¶ And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, [and] in the fifth month, [that] Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which [was] of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

  • Jeremiah 52:1

    ¶ 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.

  • Jeremiah 52:3

    For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

  • Jeremiah 27:1

    ¶ In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
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