Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Kings 24:20

"For through the anger of Jehovah did it come to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon." — 2 Kings 24:20 (ASV)

It came to pass - Some prefer to read this as, “this came to pass,” with the meaning: “It was through the anger of the Lord that another king ruled in Jerusalem and in Judah.” This reading concludes the chapter with the word “presence” and begins the next chapter with the words, “And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”

Rebelled - The Book of Jeremiah explains the causes of this rebellion. In Zedekiah’s early years, there was an impression in both Jerusalem (Jeremiah 28:1–11) and Babylon (Jeremiah 29:5–28) that Nebuchadnezzar was inclined to relent. Through an embassy to Babylon (Jeremiah 29:3) and a personal visit (Jeremiah 51:59), Zedekiah tried hard to obtain the restoration of the captives and the holy vessels. But he found Nebuchadnezzar unyielding.

Greatly angered with his suzerain, Zedekiah returned to his own country and immediately began to plot a rebellion. He sought an alliance with the kings of Tyre, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Edom (Jeremiah 27:3). He also made overtures to Hophra in Egypt, which were favorably received (Ezekiel 17:15), at which point he openly revolted, apparently in his ninth year, 588 B.C. It must be remembered that Tyre was defying Nebuchadnezzar’s power this entire time, setting an encouraging example of successful revolt for the neighboring states.

It would seem that Nebuchadnezzar, while constantly maintaining an army in Syria and continuing his year-after-year attempts to conquer Tyre , was too occupied with other matters—such as the subjugation of Susiana (Jeremiah 49:34–38)—to devote more than a small part of his attention to his far western frontier. In that same year, however (588 B.C.), Egypt’s new stance prompted him to direct the main force of the Empire to that region and to take the field in person.