Commentators explain that Pharaoh Neco's actions demonstrate Judah's complete loss of sovereignty. By changing the new king's name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim, Neco asserted his dominance, treating Judah as a vassal state. This act, along with exiling the former king and imposing tribute, was a clear sign that Judah's king no longer ruled with true authority but at the pleasure of a foreign power.