Who was Zebidah in the Bible?

Zebidah was the daughter of Pedaiah from the town of Rumah and the mother of King Jehoiakim, who ruled the Kingdom of Judah. She is mentioned briefly in the lineage of Judah's kings (2 Kings 23:36).

Why is Zebidah significant in the Bible?

Zebidah's significance comes from her role as the mother of a king, which places her in the royal lineage during a critical period of Judah's history. Her son, Jehoiakim, was a notoriously wicked king whose reign contributed to God's judgment on Judah (2 Kings 24:1-4).

What do we know about Zebidah's life and family?

The Bible only records that Zebidah was from Rumah and was the wife of King Josiah. Her key life event was giving birth to Jehoiakim, who became king after his brother Jehoahaz was deposed (2 Kings 23:34-36).

Zebidah

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyFemaleKingMother

Zebidah, daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah, was the mother of Jehoiakim, king of Judah.

Zebidah

Biography

Zebidah, daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah, was the mother of King Jehoiakim of Judah, one of the last monarchs to reign in Jerusalem before the Babylonian conquest (2 Kings 23:36). Her son Jehoiakim came to the throne at age twenty-five, placed there by Pharaoh Necho of Egypt after the defeat and death of the reforming King Josiah at Megiddo and the brief reign of Jehoahaz. Jehoiakim reigned for eleven years (609-598 BC) and is remembered in Scripture as a king who did evil in the eyes of the Lord, burning Jeremiah's prophetic scroll and exhibiting contempt for divine warnings (Jeremiah 36). As the king's mother, Zebidah would have held the honored role of queen mother in the Judean court.

Significance

Zebidah's identification by name in the royal annals reflects the biblical custom of recording the mothers of Judah's kings, a practice that honored their formative influence on their sons and their standing in the royal court. The queen mother in ancient Judah held official status and considerable influence over the king. That her son Jehoiakim became one of Judah's most faithless rulers adds a somber dimension to her legacy. Zebidah's story is a reminder that proximity to divine covenant obligations, even within the royal family, does not guarantee faithfulness, and that the approaching exile was the consequence of generations of leadership that rejected God's prophetic word.

Verse Appearances (1)

2Kgs

2Kgs 23:36

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources