his father's brother: He was son of Josiah, brother to Jehoiakim, and uncle of Jehoiachin. 1Ch 3:15-16; 2Ch 36:10
changed: The change of name was to shew Nebuchadnezzar's supremacy, and that Zedekiah was only his vassal or viceroy. The custom of changing names, we are assured by travellers, still exists in the East. 2Ki 23:34; 2Ch 36:4