Hamutal חֲמוּטַל
Mother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah, kings of Judah.
Biography
Hamutal was the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah and the mother of two kings of Judah: Jehoahaz and Zedekiah (2Ki.23.31; 24.18). Jehoahaz, also known as Shallum, became king after the death of his father, King Josiah (1Ch.3.15). However, he reigned for only three months before being deposed by Pharaoh Necho of Egypt (2Ki.23.31-34). Zedekiah, Hamutal's other son, was the last king of Judah before the Babylonian exile. He was appointed as king by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after the deportation of his nephew, King Jehoiachin (2Ki.24.17-18). Zedekiah reigned for eleven years but ultimately rebelled against Babylon, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (2Ki.25.1-10). The mention of Hamutal in the genealogies of the kings of Judah highlights the importance of maternal lineage in the royal succession and provides insight into the political dynamics of the time.
Family
Parents
In Scripture
2 biblical books ; 1 with study content2 Kings 2 verses
- 2 Kings 23:31
"Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah."
- 2 Kings 24:18
"Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah."
Jeremiah 1 verse Study available
- Jeremiah 52:1
"Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign. He reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah."
Study Jeremiah →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | חֲמוּטַל | H2537 |
| (same form as previous) | Hebrew | חֲמוּטַל | H2537 |
Hamutal
sRef="Bible:2Kgs.24.18">24:18; Jer 52:1). In the last two references and in the Septuagint the name appears as "Hamital." Swete gives a number of variants, e.g. 2Ki 24:18: Codex Vaticanus, Mitat; Codex Alexandrinus, Amitath; Jer 52:1: Codex Vaticanus, Hameitaal; Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus Hamitaal; Codex Q Hamital.
han'-a-mel (hanam'el; the King James Version Hanameel, ha-nam'el): The son of Shallum, Jeremiah's uncle, of whom the prophet, while in prison, during the time when Jerusalem was besieged by the Chaldeans, bought a fie