1) (Mattaniah) (fl. 6th cent BCE)
King of Judah (597-586 BCE), son of Josiah. He was origi-nally called Mattaniah, but took the name Zedekiah when he was appointed king by Nebuchadnezzar in succession to Jehoiachin. Initially he refused to join an anti-Babylonian coalition, but later conspired with Egypt against Babylonia; as a result, the Babylonians invaded Judah and captured Jerusalem. Zedekiah was subsequently imprisoned in Babylon (II Kings 25; Jeremiah 52).
2) (fl. 9th cent, BCE)
Israelite false prophet. He incorrectly predicted that Ahab would be successful in his invasion of Ramoth Gilead. He made iron horns to symbolize Ahab's victory (I Kings 22).
Dictionary of Jewish Biography. Dan Cohn-Sherbok.