Jeremiah 52:3

Anger of the Lord. This statement is not to be taken as meaning that Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon was the work of an angry God who desired thereby to bring destruction upon Judah. The perfidy of the Jewish king was of his own choice.

Zedekiah rebelled. See on 2 Kings 24:20. The young and inexperienced Zedekiah faced problems that would have overwhelmed many a ruler of stancher character and greater sagacity than he. He was placed upon the throne, not by legal succession, but by a dominant foreign power that held the rightful king, with many of the national leaders, in exile. He was surrounded by nations eager to revolt against Babylon and likewise eager for his adherence to their cause. His counsels were torn by strife between the pro-Babylonian party encouraged by Jeremiah and a popular nationalism backed by false prophets. He was continually intrigued by the phantom hope that Egypt might rescue his country from Babylonian oppression.