Zebidah זְבוּדָה
Mother of King Jehoiakim of Judah
Who is Zebidah in the Bible?
Zebidah was the mother of King Jehoiakim of Judah, as recorded in 2 Kings 23:36. She was the daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah and the wife of King Josiah, who had instituted significant religious reforms in Judah. After Josiah's death, their son Jehoiakim became king at age twenty-five and ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. Unlike his father's righteousness, Jehoiakim did evil in the sight of the Lord, marking a significant departure from the spiritual leadership Josiah had established. Zebidah's mention in Scripture underscores the generational shift in Judah's leadership and the kingdom's spiritual decline during this period.
Biography
Zebidah is mentioned in the biblical record as the mother of Jehoiakim, who became king of Judah. She was the daughter of Pedaiah from the town of Rumah. Zebidah's husband was Josiah, the king of Judah who instituted significant religious reforms. After Josiah's death, their son Jehoiakim ascended to the throne at the age of twenty-five and reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. However, Jehoiakim did not follow in his father's footsteps and did evil in the sight of the Lord.
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical book2 Kings 1 verse
- 2 Kings 23:36
"Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah; she was from Rumah."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | זְבוּדָה |
Zebidah
ng Jehoiakim of Judah (2Ki 23:36). The Septuagint's Codex Vaticanus has, however, Iella thugater Edeil ek Krouma, Codex Alexandrinus Eieldaph th. Eieddila ek Rhuma. In 2Ch 36:5 Massoretic Text lacks these names, but the Septuagint Codex Vaticanus has Zechora th. Nereiou ek Rhama; here the name of the king's mother = Hebrew zekhurah, due to a confusion of the Hebrew letter kaph (k) with the Hebrew letter beth (b), and the Hebrew letter resh (r) with the Hebrew letter daleth (d), and thus we find support for the Qere, zebhudhah ("Zebudah," in 2Ki 23:36 the King James Version). Lucian has confused the names here with those of 2Ki 24:18, and has as there, "Amital, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah."
David Francis Roberts
ze-bi'-na (zebhina', "bought"): One of those who had married foreign wives (Ezr 10:43); the name is not in 1 Esdras 9:35, and is omitted by the Septuagint's Codex Alexandrinus in E