THE ATHEIST'S COMPLAINT:
How was Zedekiah related to Nebuchadnezzar? Was he Nebuchadnezzar’s uncle (2 Kings 24:17), or was he Nebuchadnezzar’s brother (2 Chronicles 36:10)? Is there a contradiction?

RESPONSE:
It is apparent that the questioner failed to read these two verses in context. Neither verses indicates that Zedekiah is a relation of Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah was a Jew, Nebuchadnezzar was Babylonian. They are no relation.

Notice in 2 Kings 24:15, Jehoiachin was carried captive to Babylon. Following this, Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place. Nebuchadnezzar was never king of Judah, and he certainly did not give the throne of Babylon to Zedekiah. Zedekiah replaced his uncle, Jehoiachin, as king in Judah.

Now, to 2 Chronicles 36. Again, the context reveals that Jehoiachin was king in Judah (v 9), that he was taken to Babylon (v 10), and replaced by Zedekiah (v 10). The question remains, why is Zedekiah called Jehoiachin’s uncle in the 2 Kings text, but his brother here? The Hebrew word ach can refer to a brother (ie. siblings), but is often rendered as "brethren" or "kindred", simply indicating a family relation, not necessarily a sibling. Such would be the case here.

There is no contradiction.

This article is a response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible

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