Wikipedia's first sentence called it “twentieth and final king of judah before the conquest of the kingdom by nebuchadnezzar ii of babylon”. Today it says “righteousness"”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). Nelson and Sons. : Missing or empty |title= ( help ) Zedekiah or Tzidkiyáhu ( צִדְקִיָּהוּ "Righteous of/is the LORD ", Standard Hebrew Ẓidqiyyáhu , Tiberian Hebrew Ṣiḏqiyyāhû ; BoM Arabic صدقيا Ṣidqiyyā ) was the last king of Judah . Albright has dated his reign to 597 - 587 BC , while Thiele offers the dates 597 - 586 BC . He was the third son of Josiah , and his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, thus he was the brother of Jehoahaz ( 2 Kings 23:31; 24:17, 18). His original name was Mattaniah or Matanyáhu ( מַתַּנְיָהוּ "Gift of/is the LORD ", Standard Hebrew Mattanyáhu , Tiberian Hebrew Mattanyāhû ); but when Nebuchadnezzar II placed him on the throne as the successor to Jehoiachin , he changed his name to Zedekiah.1 The prophet Jeremiah was his counsellor, yet "he did evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 24:19, 20; Jeremiah 52:2, 3). He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-one years. The kingdom was at that time tributary to Nebuchadnezzar II . Despite the strong remonstrances of Jeremiah and others, as well as the example of Jehoiachin , he revolted against Babylon , and entered into an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra , king of Egypt . This brought up Nebuchadnezzar, "with all his host" (2 Kings 25:1), against Jerusalem . Nebuchadnezzar began a siege of Jerusalem 589 BC . During this siege, which lasted about eighteen months, "every worst woe befell the devoted city, which drank the cup of God's fury to the dregs" (2 Kings 25:3; Lamentations 4:4, 5, 10). In the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, Nebuchadnezzar succeeded in conquering Jerusalem. The city was plundered and reduced to ruins. Zedekiah and his followers attempted to escape, making their way out of the city, but were captured on the plains of Jericho , and were taken to Riblah . There, after seeing his own children put to death, his own eyes were put out, and, being loaded with chains, he was carried captive (587 BC) to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-7; 2 Chronicles 36:12; Jeremiah 32:4,5; 34:2, 3; 39:1-7; 52:4-11; Ezekiel 12:12), where he remained a prisoner, how long is unknown, to the day of his death. After the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuzaraddan sent to carry out its complete destruction. The city was razed to the ground. Only a small number of vinedressers and husbandmen were permitted to remain in the land (Jer. 52:16). Gedaliah , with a Chaldean guard stationed at Mizpah , were left to rule over Judah (2 Kings 25:22, 24; Jer. 40:1, 2, 5, 6). According to the Book of Mormon , Zedekiah's surviving son Mulek escaped death and travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas , where he founded a nation that later merges with the Nephites .2
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 15961984.
The opening as it stood in 2010 21 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
of Judah Zedekiah from "Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum " Zedekiah or Tzidkiyahu ( Hebrew : צִדְקִיָּהוּ , Modern : Tsidkiyyahu , Tiberian : Ṣiḏqiyyā́hû , "My righteousness is Yahweh "; Greek : Ζεδεκίας, Zedekías ; ) was the last king of Judah before the destruction of the kingdom by Babylon.He was installed as king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II , king of Babylon , after a siege of Jerusalem to succeed his nephew, Jeconiah , who was overthrown as king after a reign of only three months and ten days.Albright dates the reign of Zedekiah to 597 – 587 BC , while E.Thiele to 597 – 586 BC .On that reckoning, he was born c. 618 BC, being twenty-one on becoming king.The prophet Jeremiah was his counselor, yet "he did evil in the sight of the Lord" ( 2 Kings 24:19–20 ; Jeremiah 52:2–3 ). 2 Chronicles 36:9 Edwin Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings , (1st ed.; New York: Macmillan, 1951; 2d ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965; 3rd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan/Kregel, 1983).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 362779395.
The opening as it stood in 2015 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Zedekiah from Guillaume Rouillé 's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum , 1553 of Judah Zedekiah ( / ˌ z ɛ d [invalid input: 'ɨ'] ˈ k aɪ ə / ; Hebrew : צִדְקִיָּהוּ , Modern : Tsidkiyyahu , Tiberian : Ṣiḏqiyyā́hû , "My righteousness is Yahweh "; Greek : Ζεδεκίας, Zedekías ; ), also written Tzidkiyahu , was a biblical character, said to be the last king of Judah before the destruction of the kingdom by Babylon. Zedekiah had been installed as king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II , king of Babylon , after a siege of Jerusalem in 597 BCE, to succeed his nephew, Jeconiah , who was overthrown as king after a reign of only three months and ten days. Albright dates the start of Zedekiah's reign to 598 BCE, while E.Thiele gives the start in 597 BCE.On that reckoning, Zedekiah was born in c. 627 BCE or 618 BCE, being twenty-one on becoming king.Zedekiah's reign ended with the siege and fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar II, which both Albright and Thiele agree took place in 586 BCE, though more recent evidence dates the fall of Jerusalem to 587 BCE.The prophet Jeremiah was his counselor, yet his epitaph is "he did evil in the sight of the Lord".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 666466808.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Zedekiah ( / ˌ z ɛ d ɪ ˈ k aɪ ə / ) also known as Tzidkiyahu originally called Mattanyahu or Mattaniah , was the twentieth and last king of Judah before the destruction of the kingdom by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon . Zedekiah had been installed as king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II , king of Babylon, after a siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC, to succeed his nephew, Jehoiachin , who was overthrown as king after a reign of only three months and ten days. Albright dates the start of Zedekiah's reign to 598 BC, while E. Thiele gives the start in 597 BC. On that reckoning, Zedekiah was born in c. 617 BC or 618 BC, being twenty-one on becoming king.Zedekiah's reign ended with the siege and fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar II, which has been dated to 587 or 586 BC.The prophet Jeremiah was his counselor, yet he did not heed the prophet and his epitaph is "he did evil in the sight of the Lord" ( 2 Kings 24:19–20 ; Jeremiah 52:2–3 ).There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).Hezekiah in History and Tradition .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 956699645.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Biblical figure; last monarch of the Kingdom of Judah Not to be confused with Hezekiah .Zedekiah ( / ˌ z ɛ d ɪ ˈ k aɪ ə / ) was the twentieth and final King of Judah before the conquest of the kingdom by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon .His birth name was Mattaniah/Mattanyahu ( , Mattanyāhū , "Gift of God "; ; ).After the siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II deposed king Jeconiah and installed his uncle Mattanyahu instead, changing his name to Zedekiah ( 2 Kings 24:17 ). The prophet Jeremiah was his counselor, yet he did not heed the prophet and his epitaph is "he did evil in the sight of the Lord" ( 2 Kings 24:19–20 ; Jeremiah 52:2–3 ). Albright dates the start of Zedekiah's reign to 598 BC, while Edwin R. Thiele gives the start in 597 BC. On that reckoning, Zedekiah was born in c. 617 BC or 618 BC, being twenty-one on becoming king. Zedekiah's reign ended with the siege and fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar II, which has been dated to 587 or 586 BC. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ). Hezekiah in History and Tradition .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1170177854.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Biblical figure; last monarch of the Kingdom of Judah For the High Priest of Solomon's Temple, see Zedekiah (High Priest) .Zedekiah ( / ˌ z ɛ d ɪ ˈ k aɪ ə / ZED -ih- KY -ə ; born Mattaniah ; c. 618 BC – after 586 BC) was the twentieth and final King of Judah (or puppet) before the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon . After the siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II deposed king Jeconiah and installed his uncle Mattaniah instead, changing his name to Zedekiah ( 2 Kings 24:17 ). The prophet Jeremiah was his counselor, yet he did not heed the prophet and his epitaph is "he did evil in the sight of the Lord" ( 2 Kings 24:19–20 ; Jeremiah 52:2–3 ). Albright dates the start of Zedekiah's reign to 598 BC, while Edwin R. Thiele gives the start in 597 BC. On that reckoning, Zedekiah was born in c. 617 BC or 618 BC, being twenty-one on becoming king. Zedekiah's reign ended with the siege and fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar II, which has been dated to 587 or 586 BC. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ). Hezekiah in History and Tradition .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1297063834. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “twentieth and final king of judah before the conquest of the kingdom by nebuchadnezzar ii of babylon”. Today it says “righteousness"”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since October 7, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
twentieth and final king of judah before the conquest of the kingdom by nebuchadnezzar ii of babylon
Now
righteousness"
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
