13 And the pillars of brass that `are' in the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the sea of brass, that `is' in the house of Jehovah, have the Chaldeans broken in pieces, and bear away their brass to Babylon.
And he formeth the two pillars of brass; eighteen cubits `is' the height of the one pillar, and a cord of twelve cubits doth compass the second pillar.
And all the vessels of the house of God, the great and the small, and the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king and of his princes -- the whole he hath brought in to Babylon.
And the pillars of brass that `are' to the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the brasen sea that `is' in the house of Jehovah, have the Chaldeans broken, and they bear away all the brass of them to Babylon; and the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they minister, they have taken away; and the basins, and the fire-pans, and the bowls, and the pots, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups, the gold of that which `is' gold, and the silver of that which `is' silver, hath the chief of the executioners taken. The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve brazen oxen that `are' beneath the bases, that king Solomon made for the house of Jehovah, there was no weighing of the brass of all these vessels.
And thou hast made its pots to remove its ashes, and its shovels, and its bowls, and its forks, and its fire-pans, even all its vessels thou dost make of brass.
And he maketh the molten sea, ten by the cubit from its edge unto its edge; `it is' round all about, and five by the cubit `is' its height, and a line of thirty by the cubit doth compass it round about; and knops beneath its brim round about are compassing it, ten by the cubit, going round the sea round about; in two rows `are' the knops, cast in its being cast. It is standing on twelve oxen, three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the south, and three facing the east, and the sea `is' upon them above, and all their hinder parts `are' inward. And its thickness `is' an handbreadth, and its edge as the work of the edge of a cup, flowers of lilies; two thousand baths it containeth. And he maketh the ten bases of brass; four by the cubit `is' the length of the one base, and four by the cubit its breadth, and three by the cubit its height. And this `is' the work of the base: they have borders, and the borders `are' between the joinings; and on the borders that `are' between the joinings `are' lions, oxen, and cherubs, and on the joinings a base above, and beneath the lions and the oxen `are' additions -- sloping work. And four wheels of brass `are' to the one base, and axles of brass; and its four corners have shoulders -- under the laver `are' the molten shoulders, beside each addition. And its mouth within the chapiter and above `is' by the cubit, and its mouth `is' round, the work of the base, a cubit and half a cubit; and also on its mouth `are' carvings and their borders, square, not round. And the four wheels `are' under the borders, and the spokes of the wheels `are' in the base, and the height of the one wheel `is' a cubit and half a cubit. And the work of the wheels `is' as the work of the wheel of a chariot, their spokes, and their axles, and their felloes, and their naves; the whole `is' molten. And four shoulders `are' unto the four corners of the one base; out of the base `are' its shoulders. And in the top of the base `is' the half of a cubit in the height all round about; and on the top of the base its spokes and its borders `are' of the same. And he openeth on the tablets of its spokes, and on its borders, cherubs, lions, and palm-trees, according to the void space of each, and additions round about. Thus he hath made the ten bases; one casting, one measure, one form, have they all. And he maketh ten lavers of brass; forty baths doth the one laver contain, four by the cubit `is' the one laver, one laver on the one base `is' to the ten bases; and he putteth the five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house, and the sea he hath put on the right side of the house, eastward -- over-against the south. And Hiram maketh the lavers, and the shovels, and the bowls; and Hiram completeth to do all the work that he made for king Solomon, `for' the house of Jehovah; pillars two, and bowls of the chapiters that `are' on the top of the pillars two, and the nets two, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that `are' on the top of the pillars; and the pomegranates four hundred for the two nets, two rows of pomegranates for the one net, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that `are' on the front of the pillars; and the ten bases, and the ten lavers on the bases; and the one sea, the twelve oxen under the sea, and the pots, and the shovels, and the bowls; and all these vessels, that Hiram hath made to king Solomon `for' the house of Jehovah, `are' of brass -- polished.
And he maketh the molten sea; ten by the cubit, from its edge unto its edge, round in compass, and five by the cubit its height, and a line of thirty by the cubit doth compass it, round about. And the likeness of oxen `is' under it, all round about encompassing it, ten in the cubit, compassing the sea round about; two rows of oxen are cast in its being cast. It is standing on twelve oxen, three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the south, and three facing the east, and the sea `is' upon them above, and all their hinder parts `are' within. And its thickness `is' a handbreadth, and its lip as the work of the lip of a cup flowered with lilies; taking hold -- baths three thousand it containeth. And he maketh ten lavers, and putteth five on the right, and five on the left, to wash with them; the work of the burnt-offering they purge with them; and the sea `is' for priests to wash with.
two pillars, and the bowls, and the crowns on the heads of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two bowls of the crowns that `are' on the heads of the pillars; and the pomegranates four hundred to the two wreaths, two rows of pomegranates to the one wreath, to cover the two bowls of the crowns that `are' on the front of the pillars. And the bases he hath made; and the lavers he hath made on the bases; the one sea, and the twelve oxen under it, and the pots, and the shovels, and the forks, and all their vessels, hath Huram his father made for king Solomon, for the house of Jehovah, of brass purified.
For thus said Jehovah of Hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, That Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath not taken, in his removing Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon with all the freemen of Judah and Jerusalem, Surely thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king of Judah, and `in' Jerusalem: To Babylon they are brought, and there they are till the day of My inspecting them -- an affirmation of Jehovah; then I have brought them up, and have brought them back unto this place.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 2 Kings 25
Commentary on 2 Kings 25 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 25
In this chapter is an account of the siege, taking, and burning of the city of Jerusalem, and of the carrying captive the king and the inhabitants to Babylon, 2 Kings 25:1, as also of the pillars and vessels of the temple brought thither, 2 Kings 25:13 and of the putting to death several of the principal persons of the land, 2 Kings 25:18, and of the miserable condition of the rest under Gedaliah, whom Ishmael slew, 2 Kings 25:23, and the chapter, and so the history, is concluded with the kindness Jehoiachin met with from the king of Babylon, after thirty seven years' captivity, 2 Kings 25:27.
And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign,.... Of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah. From hence to the end of 2 Kings 25:7, the account exactly agrees with Jeremiah 52:4.
And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month,.... In Jeremiah 52:12 it is the tenth day of the month; which, how to be reconciled; see Gill on Jeremiah 52:12.
which is the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar; who, according to Ptolemy's canon, reigned forty three years; MetasthenesF21De Judicio Temp. & Annal. Pers. fol. 221. 2. says forty five; and from hence, to the end of 2 Kings 25:12 facts are related as in Jeremiah 52:12 whither the reader is referred.
And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord,.... The two pillars in the temple, Jachin and Boaz. Benjamin of Tudela saysF23Itinerar. p. 13. , that in the church of St. Stephen in Rome these pillars now are with the name of Solomon engraved on each; and the Jews at Rome told him, when there, (in the twelfth century,) that on the ninth of Ab (the day the temple was destroyed) every year sweat was found upon them like water; the one, I suppose, will equally be believed as the other, since it is here expressly said that the Chaldeans broke them in pieces. From hence, to the end of 2 Kings 25:17 is the same with Jeremiah 52:7, where it is rather more largely and fully expressed; only there is this difference here in 2 Kings 25:17 the height of the chapiter of a pillar is said to be three cubits, there five cubits; for the reconciliation of which; see Gill on Jeremiah 52:22.
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest,.... The sagan, or deputy priest, who officiated for the high priest, when by any means he was rendered unfit and incapable; so Joseph, the son of Ellem, as JosephusF24Antiqu. l. 17. c. 6. sect. 4. relates, officiated for Matthias, when defiled with a nocturnal pollution; and seven days before the day of atonement they always substituted one under the high priest, lest anything of this kind should happen to himF25Misn. Yoma, c. 1. sect. 1. . From hence, to the end of 2 Kings 25:21 the account is the same as in Jeremiah 52:25, only here in 2 Kings 25:19 it is said, that five men that were in the king's presence were taken, there seven men; to account for which; see Gill on Jeremiah 52:25.
And as for the people that remained,.... That were left in the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen; over these the king of Babylon made Gedaliah governor, to whom the captains, with their scattered troops, came, and submitted for a time; of whom; see Gill on Jeremiah 40:7; see Gill on Jeremiah 40:8; see Gill on Jeremiah 40:9.
And it came to pass in the seventh month,.... Not of Gedaliah's government, but of the year, the month Tisri or September, near two months after the destruction of Jerusalem; the Jews say fifty two days after it; of the death of Gedaliah, and the man that slew him, as here related; see Gill on Jeremiah 41:1, Jeremiah 41:2, Jeremiah 41:3.
And all the people, both small and great,.... High and low, rich and poor, among whom were the king's daughters, committed to the care of Gedaliah, and also the prophets Jeremiah and Baruch, see Jeremiah 41:16.
and the captains of the armies rose, and came to Egypt; contrary to the express command of God; these were Johanan, and the captain of the forces with him, Jeremiah 43:4.
for they were afraid of the Chaldees; lest they should come and avenge the death of Gedaliah, appointed governor of Judea, see Jeremiah 41:17.
And it came to pass in the thirty and seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah,.... Who must then be fifty five years of age:
in the twelfth month, on the twenty and seventh day of the month; in Jeremiah 52:31 it is said to be the twenty fifth day; of the reason of which difference; see Gill on Jeremiah 52:31,
that Evilmerodach king of Babylon; who is supposed, by someF26Vid. Lampe, Eccles. Hist. l. 1. c. 7. sect. 18. ", to be the same with Belshazzar, and his successor Neriglissar, the same with Darius the Mede in Daniel. From hence, to the end of the chapter, the same account is given of the kindness of this king to Jehoiachin, as in Jeremiah 52:31. See Gill on Jeremiah 52:31; see Gill on Jeremiah 52:32; see Gill on Jeremiah 52:33; see Gill on Jeremiah 52:34.MetasthenesF1Ut supra. (De Judicio Temp. & Annal. Pers. fol. 221. 2.) calls him Amilinus Evilmerodach, and says he reigned thirty years, and makes Belshazzar, or Baltassar, as he calls him, his third son.