דברי הימים ב, פרק ל״ו, פסוק י׳

The Babylonian empire tightened its grip on the Kingdom of Judah through a forced change of leadership and the looting of Temple treasures. Exactly one year after King Nebuchadnezzar sent his troops to exile the previous king, Jehoiakim, the cycle repeated itself [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The Babylonian king initially dispatched his army to Jerusalem before arriving in person to capture King Jehoiachin [מלבי״ם]. His primary goal was to firmly establish his control over Judah by taking Jehoiachin to Babylon as a prisoner and hostage [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, the young king was not dragged away by force. As recorded in the Book of Kings, he willingly walked out of the city and surrendered himself to the Babylonian ruler of his own free will [רש״י, מצודת דוד].

Along with the exiled king, the invaders seized the most precious and important vessels from the Temple. This marked a second wave of looting. Despite the kingdom's weakened state following the first Babylonian raid, the people of Judah had managed to craft new holy vessels to replace those that were lost. Now, Nebuchadnezzar confiscated these replacements as well [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Still, he did not strip the Temple bare. He took only the finest items, leaving the remaining vessels behind until the final exile [רש״י].

With Jehoiachin gone, the king of Babylon appointed Zedekiah to rule over Judah. The Babylonian ruler personally selected the royal name Zedekiah for the new king, whose original name was Mattaniah [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. While sometimes referred to as Jehoiachin's brother, commentators agree that Zedekiah was actually his uncle, the brother of the former king Jehoiakim [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The familial title of brother is simply a reflection of the biblical custom to refer to close relatives in this manner, much like Abraham did with his nephew Lot [רד״ק].