Worthy.Bible » STRONG » 2 Kings » Chapter 25 » Verse 10

2 Kings 25:10 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

10 And all the army H2428 of the Chaldees, H3778 that were with the captain H7227 of the guard, H2876 brake down H5422 the walls H2346 of Jerusalem H3389 round about. H5439

Cross Reference

Nehemiah 1:3 STRONG

And they said H559 unto me, The remnant H7604 that are left H7604 of the captivity H7628 there in the province H4082 are in great H1419 affliction H7451 and reproach: H2781 the wall H2346 of Jerusalem H3389 also is broken down, H6555 and the gates H8179 thereof are burned H3341 with fire. H784

Jeremiah 5:10 STRONG

Go ye up H5927 upon her walls, H8284 and destroy; H7843 but make H6213 not a full end: H3617 take away H5493 her battlements; H5189 for they are not the LORD'S. H3068

Jeremiah 39:8 STRONG

And the Chaldeans H3778 burned H8313 the king's H4428 house, H1004 and the houses H1004 of the people, H5971 with fire, H784 and brake down H5422 the walls H2346 of Jerusalem. H3389

Jeremiah 52:14-23 STRONG

And all the army H2428 of the Chaldeans, H3778 that were with the captain H7227 of the guard, H2876 brake down H5422 all the walls H2346 of Jerusalem H3389 round about. H5439 Then Nebuzaradan H5018 the captain H7227 of the guard H2876 carried away captive H1540 certain of the poor H1803 of the people, H5971 and the residue H3499 of the people H5971 that remained H7604 in the city, H5892 and those that fell away, H5307 that fell H5307 to the king H4428 of Babylon, H894 and the rest H3499 of the multitude. H527 But Nebuzaradan H5018 the captain H7227 of the guard H2876 left H7604 certain of the poor H1803 of the land H776 for vinedressers H3755 and for husbandmen. H3009 Also the pillars H5982 of brass H5178 that were in the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 and the bases, H4350 and the brasen H5178 sea H3220 that was in the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 the Chaldeans H3778 brake, H7665 and carried H5375 all the brass H5178 of them to Babylon. H894 The caldrons H5518 also, and the shovels, H3257 and the snuffers, H4212 and the bowls, H4219 and the spoons, H3709 and all the vessels H3627 of brass H5178 wherewith they ministered, H8334 took they away. H3947 And the basons, H5592 and the firepans, H4289 and the bowls, H4219 and the caldrons, H5518 and the candlesticks, H4501 and the spoons, H3709 and the cups; H4518 that which was of gold H2091 in gold, H2091 and that which was of silver H3701 in silver, H3701 took H3947 the captain H7227 of the guard H2876 away. H3947 The two H8147 pillars, H5982 one H259 sea, H3220 and twelve H8147 H6240 brasen H5178 bulls H1241 that were under the bases, H4350 which king H4428 Solomon H8010 had made H6213 in the house H1004 of the LORD: H3068 the brass H5178 of all these vessels H3627 was without weight. H4948 And concerning the pillars, H5982 the height H6967 of one H259 pillar H5982 was eighteen H8083 H6240 cubits; H520 and a fillet H2339 of twelve H8147 H6240 cubits H520 did compass H5437 it; and the thickness H5672 thereof was four H702 fingers: H676 it was hollow. H5014 And a chapiter H3805 of brass H5178 was upon it; and the height H6967 of one H259 chapiter H3805 was five H2568 cubits, H520 with network H7639 and pomegranates H7416 upon the chapiters H3805 round about, H5439 all of brass. H5178 The second H8145 pillar H5982 also and the pomegranates H7416 were like unto these. And there were ninety H8673 and six H8337 pomegranates H7416 on a side; H7307 and all the pomegranates H7416 upon the network H7639 were an hundred H3967 round about. H5439

Commentary on 2 Kings 25 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 25

2Ki 25:1-3. Jerusalem Again Besieged.

1. Nebuchadnezzar … came … against Jerusalem—Incensed by the revolt of Zedekiah, the Assyrian despot determined to put an end to the perfidious and inconstant monarchy of Judea. This chapter narrates his third and last invasion, which he conducted in person at the head of an immense army, levied out of all the tributary nations under his sway. Having overrun the northern parts of the country and taken almost all the fenced cities (Jer 34:7), he marched direct to Jerusalem to invest it. The date of the beginning as well as the end of the siege is here carefully marked (compare Eze 24:1; Jer 39:1; 52:4-6); from which it appears, that, with a brief interruption caused by Nebuchadnezzar's marching to oppose the Egyptians who were coming to its relief but who retreated without fighting, the siege lasted a year and a half. So long a resistance was owing, not to the superior skill and valor of the Jewish soldiers, but to the strength of the city fortifications, on which the king too confidently relied (compare Jer 21:1-14; 37:1-38:28).

pitched against it, and … built forts—rather, perhaps, drew lines of circumvallation, with a ditch to prevent any going out of the city. On this rampart were erected his military engines for throwing missiles into the city.

3. on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed—In consequence of the close and protracted blockade, the inhabitants were reduced to dreadful extremities; and under the maddening influence of hunger, the most inhuman atrocities were perpetrated (La 2:20, 22; 4:9, 10; Eze 5:10). This was a fulfilment of the prophetic denunciations threatened on the apostasy of the chosen people (Le 26:29; De 28:53-57; Jer 15:2; 27:13; Eze 4:16).

2Ki 25:4-30. Zedekiah Taken.

4. the city was broken up—that is, a breach was effected, as we are elsewhere informed, in a part of the wall belonging to the lower city (2Ch 32:5; 33:14).

the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden—The king's garden was (Ne 3:15) at the pool of Siloam, that is, at the mouth of the Tyropæon. A trace of the outermost of these walls appears to be still extant in the rude pathway which crosses the mouth of the Tyropæon, on a mound hard by the old mulberry tree, which marks the traditional spot of Isaiah's martyrdom [Robinson]. It is probable that the besiegers had overlooked this pass.

the king went … toward the plain—that is, the Ghor, or valley of Jordan, estimated at five hours' distance from Jerusalem. The plain near Jericho is about eleven or twelve miles broad.

6, 7. they took the king, and brought him … to Riblah—Nebuchadnezzar, having gone from the siege to oppose the auxiliary forces of Pharaoh-hophra, left his generals to carry on the blockade, he himself not returning to the scene of action, but taking up his station at Riblah in the land of Hamath (2Ki 23:33).

they gave judgment upon him—They, that is, the council (Jer 39:3, 13; Da 6:7, 8, 12), regarding him as a seditious and rebellious vassal, condemned him for violating his oath and neglecting the announcement of the divine will as made known to him by Jeremiah (compare Jer 32:5; 34:2; 38:17). His sons and the nobles who had joined in his flight were slain before his eyes (Jer 39:6; 52:10). In conformity with Eastern ideas, which consider a blind man incapable of ruling, his eyes were put out, and being put in chains, he was carried to perpetual imprisonment in Babylon (Jer 52:11), which, though he came to it, as Ezekiel had foretold, he did not see (Jer 32:5; Eze 12:13; 17:16).

8-18. on the seventh day of the month … came Nebuzar-adan—(compare Jer 52:12). In attempting to reconcile these two passages, it must be supposed either that, though he had set out on the seventh, he did not arrive in Jerusalem till the tenth, or that he did not put his orders in execution till that day. His office as captain of the guard (Ge 37:36; 39:1) called him to execute the awards of justice on criminals; and hence, although not engaged in the siege of Jerusalem (Jer 39:13), Nebuzar-adan was despatched to rase the city, to plunder the temple, to lay both in ruins, demolish the fortifications, and transport the inhabitants to Babylon. The most eminent of these were taken to the king at Riblah (2Ki 25:27) and executed, as instigators and abettors of the rebellion, or otherwise obnoxious to the Assyrian government. In their number were Seraiah, the high priest, grandfather of Ezra (Ezr 7:1), his sagan or deputy, a priest of the second order (Jer 21:2; 29:25, 29; 37:3).

18. the three keepers of the door—not mere porters, but officers of high trust among the Levites (2Ki 22:4; 1Ch 9:26).

19. five men of them that were in the king's presence—that is, who belonged to the royal retinue. It is probable that there were five at first, and that other two were found afterwards (Jer 52:25).

22-26. Nebuchadnezzar … made Gedaliah … ruler—The people permitted to remain were, besides the king's daughters, a few court attendants and others (Jer 40:7) too insignificant to be removed, only the peasantry who could till the land and dress the vineyards. Gedaliah was Jeremiah's friend (Jer 26:24), and having, by the prophet's counsel, probably fled from the city as abandoned of God, he surrendered himself to the conqueror (Jer 38:2, 17), and being promoted to the government of Judea, fixed his provincial court at Mizpeh. He was well qualified to surmount the difficulties of ruling at such a crisis. Many of the fugitive Jews, as well as the soldiers of Zedekiah who had accompanied the king in his flight to the plains of Jericho, left their retreats (Jer 40:11, 12) and flocked around the governor; who having counselled them to submit, promised them on complying with this condition, security on oath that they would retain their possessions and enjoy the produce of their land (Jer 40:9).

25. Ishmael … of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah—He had found refuge with Baalis, king of the Ammonites, and he returned with a bad design, being either instigated by envy of a governor not descended from the house of David, or bribed by Baalis to murder Gedaliah. The generous governor, though apprised of his intentions, refused to credit the report, much less to sanction the proposal made by an attached friend to cut off Ishmael. The consequence was, that he was murdered by this same Ishmael, when entertaining him in his own house (Jer 41:1).

26. and all the people … came to Egypt—In spite of Jeremiah's dissuasions (Jer 43:7, 8) they settled in various cities of that country (Jer 44:1).

27. seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin—corresponding with the year of Nebuchadnezzar's death, and his son Evil-merodach's ascension to the throne.

Evil-merodach … did lift up the head of Jehoiachin … and spake kindly—gave him liberty upon parole. This kindly feeling is said to have originated in a familiar acquaintance formed in prison, in which Evil-merodach had lain till his father's death, on account of some malversation while acting as regent during Nebuchadnezzar's seven years' illness (Da 4:32, 33). But doubtless the improvement in Zedekiah's condition is to be traced to the overruling providence and grace of Him who still cherished purposes of love to the house of David (2Sa 7:14, 15).

29. Jehoiachin … did eat … continually before him—According to an ancient usage in Eastern courts, had a seat at the royal table on great days, and had a stated provision granted him for the maintenance of his exiled court.