And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
Zedekiah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the pattern and example of Jehoiakim. That evil consisted in rejecting God's word, mocking His messengers, despising His words, and mistreating His prophets. His evil reign came just before the completion of Judah's captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem.
The destruction set forth in the chapter came a few years after the warning given through Jeremiah concerning the sacredness of the Sabbath, that if the people would carry no burdens on the Sabbath day Jerusalem would stand forever, but if they would not listen concerning keeping the holy day it would be destroyed. The punishment that followed came through Nebuchadnezzar, who acted as the instrument of God's judgment. After the Spirit of the Lord was withdrawn, Zedekiah blindly rebelled against Babylon, whose king he was bound to serve.
The verse forms part of Jeremiah's account of unheeded warnings and doom, including the judgment illustrated by the fates of Babylon and Tyre, showing that wickedness brings judgment. In that setting it serves as a lesson of judgment for people, places, and modern cities that forget and defy God. The lesson calls for a settled principle of doing right, not merely a temporary impulse to improve. The description of a ruler doing evil fits the warning that open wickedness invites catastrophe.
Zedekiah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the pattern and example of Jehoiakim. That evil consisted in rejecting God's word, mocking His messengers, despising His words, and mistreating His prophets. His evil reign came just before the completion of Judah's captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem.
The destruction set forth in the chapter came a few years after the warning given through Jeremiah concerning the sacredness of the Sabbath, that if the people would carry no burdens on the Sabbath day Jerusalem would stand forever, but if they would not listen concerning keeping the holy day it would be destroyed. The punishment that followed came through Nebuchadnezzar, who acted as the instrument of God's judgment. After the Spirit of the Lord was withdrawn, Zedekiah blindly rebelled against Babylon, whose king he was bound to serve.
The verse forms part of Jeremiah's account of unheeded warnings and doom, including the judgment illustrated by the fates of Babylon and Tyre, showing that wickedness brings judgment. In that setting it serves as a lesson of judgment for people, places, and modern cities that forget and defy God. The lesson calls for a settled principle of doing right, not merely a temporary impulse to improve. The description of a ruler doing evil fits the warning that open wickedness invites catastrophe.