Zedekiah

Zedekiah (Hebrew: צִדְקִיָּהוּ, Modern Tzidkiyahu, Tiberian Ṣiḏqiyyāhû; Greek: Ζεδεκίας; Latin: Sedecias) was the last king of Judah before the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. He was the son of Josiah and the third son of Jehoiakim, and he ruled from 597 BC to 586 BC. Zedekiah's reign was marked by the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, which ultimately led to the city's destruction and the exile of the Jewish people. The name Zedekiah is derived from the Hebrew elements ṣedeq (צֶדֶק), meaning "righteousness," and Yah (יָהּ), a shortened form of Yahweh, the name of the God of Israel. In Arabic, he is known as Zidkiyā (زيدكياهو). Zedekiah's story is primarily recorded in the Books of Kings and Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible, as well as in the writings of the prophet Jeremiah. His reign and the events surrounding it are pivotal in the history of ancient Israel and Judah.