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And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
Jeremiah 52:2 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
  • KJV And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
  • NKJV He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
  • NASB He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done.
  • NLT But Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as Jehoiakim had done.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Zedekiah did evil in Yahweh's sight, following the wicked pattern of Jehoiakim. His persistent rebellion against God set Judah on the path to ruin.

Overview

The narrator's spiritual verdict precedes the political account, showing that Jerusalem's fall was ultimately a moral and covenantal matter, not merely military. Like the kings before him, Zedekiah refused to repent despite Jeremiah's repeated warnings. His unbelief illustrates the human heart's bent toward sin, underscoring the need for the righteous King, Christ, who would do only what pleases the Father.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • 1 Kgs 14:22And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done.
  • Jer 36:21–23Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing beside him.
  • Jer 36:29–31You are to proclaim concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah that this is what the LORD says: You have burned the scroll and said, ‘Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon would surely come and destroy this land and deprive it of man and beast?’
  • 2 Kgs 24:19–20And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
  • Ezek 21:25And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, the day has come for your final punishment.’
  • Jer 26:21–23King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and officials heard his words, and the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah found out about it, he fled in fear and went to Egypt.
  • Ezek 17:16–20‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.
  • 2 Chr 36:12–13And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Jeremiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Jeremiah 52:2YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JeremiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.

How Jeremiah 52:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.