2 Kings 25 Study Notes: Jerusalem Falls and Judah Goes Into Exile
Babylon besieges Jerusalem until famine breaks it, captures the fleeing Zedekiah, burns the temple and city, and carries off the people and the temple bronze. Gedaliah governs the remnant until he is murdered and the survivors flee to Egypt, and in Babylon the captive Jehoiachin is released and honored.
General
What did the Chaldeans do with the bronze pillars, the stands and the great bronze basin called the Sea (2 Kings 25:13)?
Answer: They broke them up and carried the bronze off to Babylon
The Chaldean (Babylonian) army broke apart the two bronze pillars, the movable stands and the huge bronze basin called the Sea, and hauled the bronze away to Babylon; they also took the smaller bronze, gold and silver articles used in temple worship (25:13-15). The text says these were pieces made by Solomon for the LORD’s house and that their bronze was too heavy to weigh (25:16); the skilled bronze worker Huram had cast the pillars for King Solomon (1 Kings 7:13-15). Jeremiah had named these very items, the pillars, the stands and the Sea, as things that would be taken to Babylon and kept there until the LORD brought them back (Jeremiah 27:19-22).
- 2 Kings 25:13 (BSB)“Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon.”The Chaldeans break up the temple’s great bronze pieces and haul the metal to Babylon.
- 1 Kings 7:13-15 (BSB)“Now King Solomon sent to bring Huram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work. He cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.”King Solomon brought the bronze craftsman Huram from Tyre, and he cast the two bronze pillars for the temple.
- Jeremiah 27:19-22 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD of Hosts says about the pillars, the sea, the bases, and the rest of the articles that remain in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Yes, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: ‘They will be carried to Babylon and will remain there until the day I attend to them again,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’””The LORD had said the pillars, the Sea and the stands left after Jeconiah’s exile would also go to Babylon, until He brought them back.
Theological
What became of Solomon’s bronze pillars, stands and Sea when Jerusalem fell (2 Kings 25:13)?
Answer: They broke them up and carried the bronze off to Babylon
The Chaldeans smashed the pillars, the stands and the great basin called the Sea and took the metal to Babylon, with the vessels of temple service in bronze, gold and silver (25:13-15). These were the furnishings Solomon had made, the pillars cast for him by the craftsman Huram, and their bronze was too great to weigh (25:16; 1 Kings 7:13-15). Jeremiah had specified the pillars, stands and Sea left after Jeconiah’s deportation as destined for Babylon, there to remain until the day the LORD would visit them again and restore them (Jeremiah 27:19-22): a word of judgment that also carried a promise.
- 2 Kings 25:13 (BSB)“Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon.”The Chaldeans break up the temple’s great bronze pieces and haul the metal to Babylon.
- 1 Kings 7:13-15 (BSB)“Now King Solomon sent to bring Huram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work. He cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.”King Solomon brought the bronze craftsman Huram from Tyre, and he cast the two bronze pillars for the temple.
- Jeremiah 27:19-22 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD of Hosts says about the pillars, the sea, the bases, and the rest of the articles that remain in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Yes, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: ‘They will be carried to Babylon and will remain there until the day I attend to them again,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’””The LORD had said the pillars, the Sea and the stands left after Jeconiah’s exile would also go to Babylon, until He brought them back.
General
True or False: 2 Kings ends with David’s royal line wiped out and no living heir left.
Answer: False
This is false. The last scene shows Jehoiachin, a descendant of David, alive, released from prison and treated with honor in Babylon (25:27-30). Matthew’s list of Jesus’ ancestors includes Jehoiachin under the name Jeconiah, placed at the point when the people were deported to Babylon (Matthew 1:11-12), and the angel Gabriel told Mary that God would give her Son His ancestor David’s throne and that His reign would have no end (Luke 1:32-33). Many Christians have seen in Jehoiachin’s release a small sign that God had not forgotten His promise to David, a promise that reaches its fulfillment in Christ.
- 2 Kings 25:27 (BSB)“On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.”Evil-merodach releases King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
- Matthew 1:11-12 (BSB)“and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,”Jeconiah, that is, Jehoiachin, appears in the genealogy of Jesus at the time of the exile to Babylon.
- Luke 1:32-33 (BSB)“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!””The angel announces that God will give Jesus the throne of His father David and that His kingdom will never end.
Theological
True or False: The book of 2 Kings closes with the Davidic line extinguished.
Answer: False
This is false. The final episode presents Jehoiachin, the Davidic heir, released and honored in Babylon (25:27-30). Matthew’s genealogy carries the line of Christ through Jeconiah at the point of the deportation to Babylon (Matthew 1:11-12), and Gabriel announces that Jesus will receive David’s throne from God and reign without end (Luke 1:32-33). Many Christians have seen in Jehoiachin’s release a quiet pledge that the LORD would keep His covenant with David, which the New Testament sees fulfilled in Christ.
- 2 Kings 25:27 (BSB)“On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.”Evil-merodach releases King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
- Matthew 1:11-12 (BSB)“and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,”Jeconiah, that is, Jehoiachin, appears in the genealogy of Jesus at the time of the exile to Babylon.
- Luke 1:32-33 (BSB)“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!””The angel announces that God will give Jesus the throne of His father David and that His kingdom will never end.
General
After Ishmael killed Gedaliah at Mizpah, what did the remaining people and the army commanders do (2 Kings 25:25-26)?
Answer: They fled to Egypt because they were afraid of the Chaldeans
During the seventh month Ishmael, Nethaniah’s son and a man of royal descent, arrived with a band of ten and killed Gedaliah, as well as both the Judeans and the Babylonians at his side in Mizpah (25:25). Afterward the whole people, from the least to the greatest, along with the army commanders, got up and went to Egypt because they feared what the Chaldeans would do (25:26). Jeremiah records that the LORD had told this remnant plainly not to go to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:19). In Jeremiah’s account, they entered Egypt in disobedience to the LORD’s voice (Jeremiah 43:7). The people who had been brought out of Egypt in the exodus now went back there in fear.
- 2 Kings 25:25-26 (BSB)“In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.”Ishmael, of the royal family, kills Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the remaining people flee to Egypt.
- Jeremiah 42:19 (BSB)“The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today!”The LORD warned the remnant of Judah not to go to Egypt.
- Jeremiah 43:7 (BSB)“So they entered the land of Egypt because they did not obey the voice of the LORD, and they went as far as Tahpanhes.”Jeremiah’s account says they went into Egypt because they did not obey the voice of the LORD.
Theological
How did the remnant respond after Ishmael assassinated Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:25-26)?
Answer: They fled to Egypt because they were afraid of the Chaldeans
Ishmael, Nethaniah’s son and of royal descent, struck down Gedaliah and the Judeans and Babylonians at his side in Mizpah (25:25). Fearing Chaldean reprisal, the whole people, the least to the greatest, with the army commanders, fled to Egypt (25:26). Jeremiah records that the LORD had expressly warned this remnant against going to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:19) and that they went in disobedience to His voice (Jeremiah 43:7). The scene closes with the remnant back in Egypt, the land from which the exodus had delivered Israel, a reversal that underscores the depth of the judgment.
- 2 Kings 25:25-26 (BSB)“In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.”Ishmael, of the royal family, kills Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the remaining people flee to Egypt.
- Jeremiah 42:19 (BSB)“The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today!”The LORD warned the remnant of Judah not to go to Egypt.
- Jeremiah 43:7 (BSB)“So they entered the land of Egypt because they did not obey the voice of the LORD, and they went as far as Tahpanhes.”Jeremiah’s account says they went into Egypt because they did not obey the voice of the LORD.
General
What did Gedaliah, the governor Nebuchadnezzar appointed, urge the commanders and their men to do (2 Kings 25:22-24)?
Answer: Stay in the land, serve Babylon’s king, and all would go well
Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, to govern the people left in Judah (25:22). When the army commanders and their men came to him at Mizpah, Gedaliah swore an oath to them: they need not fear the Chaldean officials; if they settled down where they were and served Babylon’s king, things would go well for them (25:23-24). His counsel matched what the LORD had told Zedekiah through Jeremiah, to submit to Babylon and live (Jeremiah 27:12), and what He told the exiles in Babylon, to seek the good of the place where He had sent them (Jeremiah 29:7).
- 2 Kings 25:22-24 (BSB)“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah. When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men. And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.””Nebuchadnezzar appoints Gedaliah over those left in Judah, and Gedaliah assures the army commanders under oath.
- Jeremiah 27:12 (BSB)“And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!”The LORD’s message to Zedekiah had been to submit to Babylon’s king and live.
- Jeremiah 29:7 (BSB)“Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.””The LORD told the exiles to seek the good of the place where He had sent them.
Theological
What counsel did Gedaliah give under oath to the commanders who came to him at Mizpah (2 Kings 25:23-24)?
Answer: Stay in the land, serve Babylon’s king, and all would go well
Nebuchadnezzar set Gedaliah, Ahikam’s son and Shaphan’s grandson, over the remnant in Judah (25:22). Gedaliah swore to the commanders and their men that they need not fear the Chaldean officials, but should remain where they were as subjects of Babylon’s king, and it would go well with them (25:23-24). This was the same submission the LORD had commanded through Jeremiah, both to Zedekiah (Jeremiah 27:12) and to the exiles, who were to seek the welfare of the place of their exile (Jeremiah 29:7). Under judgment, the path of life lay in accepting the discipline God had appointed.
- 2 Kings 25:22-24 (BSB)“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah. When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men. And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.””Nebuchadnezzar appoints Gedaliah over those left in Judah, and Gedaliah assures the army commanders under oath.
- Jeremiah 27:12 (BSB)“And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!”The LORD’s message to Zedekiah had been to submit to Babylon’s king and live.
- Jeremiah 29:7 (BSB)“Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.””The LORD told the exiles to seek the good of the place where He had sent them.
General
How does 2 Kings end the story of Jehoiachin, Judah’s king taken captive to Babylon (2 Kings 25:27-30)?
Answer: He was freed and honored with meals at Babylon’s royal table
When Jehoiachin was in his thirty-seventh year of exile, Evil-merodach, who had just become Babylon’s king, let him out of prison. The king treated him kindly and gave him a seat of honor above the other kings in Babylon. Jehoiachin left his prison garments behind, ate at the royal table and received a daily allowance as long as he lived (25:27-30). The book ends with a living son of David, honored even in exile. The LORD had promised to keep a lamp burning for David’s line for all time (8:19). He had told David that His loving devotion would never be taken from David’s son and that his house and throne would last forever (2 Samuel 7:15-16), and He had sworn it by His holiness (Psalm 89:35-37).
- 2 Kings 25:27-30 (BSB)“On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life. And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.”In the thirty-seventh year of his exile, Jehoiachin is released by Evil-merodach and provided for the rest of his life.
- 2 Kings 8:19 (BSB)“Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.”For David’s sake the LORD had promised to keep a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
- 2 Samuel 7:15-16 (BSB)“But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.””God promised that His loving devotion would never be taken from David’s son and that David’s house and throne would endure.
- Psalm 89:35-37 (BSB)“Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness—I will not lie to David— his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun, like the moon, established forever, a faithful witness in the sky.” Selah”God swore by His holiness that David’s offspring would endure forever.
Theological
What happened to Jehoiachin in the closing verses of 2 Kings (25:27-30)?
Answer: He was freed and honored with meals at Babylon’s royal table
In his thirty-seventh year of captivity, Jehoiachin was freed when Evil-merodach, newly king of Babylon, released him from prison, spoke kindly to him and gave him a throne above the other kings with him; Jehoiachin put off his prison garments, and the king supplied him a place at the royal table and a regular allowance for life (25:27-30). The history thus closes not with the extinction of David’s line but with its heir alive and favored. This ending fits the LORD’s firm commitments to David: a lamp kept for David’s house for all time (8:19), a loving devotion never to be withdrawn and a house and throne established forever (2 Samuel 7:15-16), sworn by His holiness (Psalm 89:35-37). Judgment on the kings had not annulled the covenant with David.
- 2 Kings 25:27-30 (BSB)“On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life. And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.”In the thirty-seventh year of his exile, Jehoiachin is released by Evil-merodach and provided for the rest of his life.
- 2 Kings 8:19 (BSB)“Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.”For David’s sake the LORD had promised to keep a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
- 2 Samuel 7:15-16 (BSB)“But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.””God promised that His loving devotion would never be taken from David’s son and that David’s house and throne would endure.
- Psalm 89:35-37 (BSB)“Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness—I will not lie to David— his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun, like the moon, established forever, a faithful witness in the sky.” Selah”God swore by His holiness that David’s offspring would endure forever.
General
True or False: When Jerusalem fell, Nebuzaradan took every person in Judah to Babylon and left the land completely empty.
Answer: False
This is false. Nebuzaradan carried off the people who were left in the city, those who had already gone over to Babylon, and everyone else, but he left a number of the poorest people behind to care for the vines and the fields (25:11-12). The narrator then sums up the result in one line: Judah had been carried off from its homeland (25:21). Moses had warned that if Israel turned from the LORD they would be torn from the land and scattered among the nations (Deuteronomy 28:63-64), and the LORD had declared that He would remove Judah just as He had removed Israel (23:27). Jeremiah had announced that the land would lie waste while the nations served Babylon’s king for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11).
- 2 Kings 25:11-12 (BSB)“Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population. But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.”Nebuzaradan deports the rest of the city’s people but leaves a number of the poorest to work the land.
- 2 Kings 25:21 (BSB)“There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.”The narrator sums up: Judah has gone into exile from its land.
- Deuteronomy 28:63-64 (BSB)“Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.”Moses had warned that unfaithfulness would bring uprooting from the land and scattering among the nations.
- 2 Kings 23:27 (BSB)“For the LORD had said, “I will remove Judah from My sight, just as I removed Israel. I will reject this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the temple of which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’””The LORD had said He would remove Judah from His sight as He had removed Israel.
- Jeremiah 25:11 (BSB)“And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.”Jeremiah had announced that the land would lie desolate while the nations served Babylon’s king seventy years.
Theological
True or False: Nebuzaradan emptied the land entirely, deporting every last inhabitant of Judah.
Answer: False
This is false. Nebuzaradan deported the remnant of the city, the deserters and all the others, yet left a number of the poorest to work the vines and the fields (25:11-12). The narrator’s summary is terse: Judah went into exile from its land (25:21). Here the covenant sanction of Deuteronomy, uprooting and scattering for persistent unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 28:63-64), falls on Judah as it had fallen on Israel, exactly as the LORD had declared (23:27). Jeremiah had set the period of Babylon’s dominion at seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11), so even the exile had a God-appointed limit.
- 2 Kings 25:11-12 (BSB)“Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population. But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.”Nebuzaradan deports the rest of the city’s people but leaves a number of the poorest to work the land.
- 2 Kings 25:21 (BSB)“There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.”The narrator sums up: Judah has gone into exile from its land.
- Deuteronomy 28:63-64 (BSB)“Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.”Moses had warned that unfaithfulness would bring uprooting from the land and scattering among the nations.
- 2 Kings 23:27 (BSB)“For the LORD had said, “I will remove Judah from My sight, just as I removed Israel. I will reject this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the temple of which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’””The LORD had said He would remove Judah from His sight as He had removed Israel.
- Jeremiah 25:11 (BSB)“And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.”Jeremiah had announced that the land would lie desolate while the nations served Babylon’s king seventy years.
General
True or False: Nebuzaradan took Seraiah, the leading priest, and other leaders of Jerusalem to Riblah, where Babylon’s king had them executed.
Answer: True
This is true. Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, brought Seraiah, the leading priest, the second priest Zephaniah, the doorkeepers, an officer over the soldiers, royal advisors and others left in Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, and there they were executed (25:18-21). The LORD had declared through Jeremiah that He would hand over Zedekiah’s officials and the city’s survivors to Nebuchadnezzar, who would show them no mercy (Jeremiah 21:7). The book of Lamentations, a collection of mourning poems over Jerusalem’s fall, confesses that the LORD in His anger had rejected king and priest alike (Lamentations 2:6) and that the priests were no longer honored (Lamentations 4:16).
- 2 Kings 25:18-21 (BSB)“The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers. Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city. Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.”Nebuzaradan takes Seraiah the chief priest and other leaders to Riblah, where they are executed, and Judah goes into exile.
- Jeremiah 21:7 (BSB)“‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’”The LORD had said He would hand Zedekiah, his officials and the survivors over to Nebuchadnezzar, who would not spare them.
- Lamentations 2:6 (BSB)“He has laid waste His tabernacle like a garden booth; He has destroyed His place of meeting. The LORD has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and Sabbaths. In His fierce anger He has despised both king and priest.”The poet confesses that in His fierce anger the LORD had despised both king and priest.
- Lamentations 4:16 (BSB)“The presence of the LORD has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no honor; the elders find no favor.”The LORD scattered His people, and the priests were given no honor.
Theological
True or False: Seraiah, the leading priest, and other remaining leaders were brought to Riblah and executed by Babylon’s king.
Answer: True
This is true. Nebuzaradan brought Seraiah, the high priest of the day, Zephaniah, second in rank, the three doorkeepers, a military official, royal advisors, the army scribe and sixty others to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, and there they were put to death (25:18-21). The judgment reached the religious and civil leadership alike, as the LORD had declared through Jeremiah that He would give Zedekiah’s officials and the survivors into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand without pity (Jeremiah 21:7). Lamentations confesses the LORD’s hand in it: His burning anger spurned king and priest (Lamentations 2:6), and the priests were shown no honor (Lamentations 4:16).
- 2 Kings 25:18-21 (BSB)“The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers. Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city. Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.”Nebuzaradan takes Seraiah the chief priest and other leaders to Riblah, where they are executed, and Judah goes into exile.
- Jeremiah 21:7 (BSB)“‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’”The LORD had said He would hand Zedekiah, his officials and the survivors over to Nebuchadnezzar, who would not spare them.
- Lamentations 2:6 (BSB)“He has laid waste His tabernacle like a garden booth; He has destroyed His place of meeting. The LORD has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and Sabbaths. In His fierce anger He has despised both king and priest.”The poet confesses that in His fierce anger the LORD had despised both king and priest.
- Lamentations 4:16 (BSB)“The presence of the LORD has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no honor; the elders find no favor.”The LORD scattered His people, and the priests were given no honor.
General
What condition had Jerusalem reached by the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s long siege (2 Kings 25:1-3)?
Answer: Hunger had grown so harsh that the people had nothing to eat
In Zedekiah’s ninth year, Nebuchadnezzar led his whole army to Jerusalem, camped around it and built siege works on every side (25:1). The siege dragged on into Zedekiah’s eleventh year, and by then hunger had gripped the city so tightly that nothing was left to eat (25:2-3). These sufferings matched the warnings God had given in His covenant with Israel (the binding agreement He made with them at Sinai): enemies would besiege their cities until the walls fell (Deuteronomy 28:52), and the LORD would cut off their bread (Leviticus 26:26). The LORD had also said through Jeremiah that the city would be given to Babylon’s king (Jeremiah 21:10).
- 2 Kings 25:1-3 (BSB)“So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it. And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year. By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.”Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s ninth year, and the siege lasts until famine grips the city.
- Deuteronomy 28:52 (BSB)“They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.”The covenant warnings described enemies besieging Israel’s cities until their walls fell.
- Leviticus 26:26 (BSB)“When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.”The LORD had warned that He would cut off the supply of bread so that the people would not be satisfied.
- Jeremiah 21:10 (BSB)“For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it with fire.’”The LORD had said Jerusalem would be handed to Babylon’s king and burned.
Theological
By the time the siege of 2 Kings 25:1-3 ended, what was the state of Jerusalem?
Answer: Hunger had grown so harsh that the people had nothing to eat
Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s ninth year, enclosing it with siege works (25:1), and the blockade held until Zedekiah’s eleventh year, when famine had left the population with nothing to eat (25:2-3). The scene enacts the covenant curses: siege until the fortified walls fell (Deuteronomy 28:52) and the cutting off of bread (Leviticus 26:26). The LORD had declared through Jeremiah that He had set His face against the city and would hand it over to Babylon’s king (Jeremiah 21:10).
- 2 Kings 25:1-3 (BSB)“So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it. And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year. By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.”Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s ninth year, and the siege lasts until famine grips the city.
- Deuteronomy 28:52 (BSB)“They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.”The covenant warnings described enemies besieging Israel’s cities until their walls fell.
- Leviticus 26:26 (BSB)“When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.”The LORD had warned that He would cut off the supply of bread so that the people would not be satisfied.
- Jeremiah 21:10 (BSB)“For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it with fire.’”The LORD had said Jerusalem would be handed to Babylon’s king and burned.
General
What did Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, do when he came into Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:8-10)?
Answer: He set fire to the temple, the palace and the houses of the city
Nebuzaradan, the commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, came to Jerusalem and set fire to the LORD’s house (the temple Solomon had built), the king’s palace and every important building in the city, and the Babylonian army pulled down the city walls (25:8-10). The LORD had already declared that He would reject Jerusalem, the city He had chosen, and the temple where He had said His Name would be (23:27). When Solomon dedicated the temple, God had warned that if His people turned to other gods, He would cast off this temple and it would become a ruin (1 Kings 9:6-9). The burning of the temple was not a defeat of the LORD by Babylon’s gods but His own judgment: the poet of Lamentations confesses that the Lord Himself rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary (Lamentations 2:7).
- 2 Kings 25:8-10 (BSB)“On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.”Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, burns Jerusalem’s temple, palace and houses, and the army tears down the walls.
- 2 Kings 23:27 (BSB)“For the LORD had said, “I will remove Judah from My sight, just as I removed Israel. I will reject this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the temple of which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’””The LORD had said He would reject Jerusalem and the temple where He had put His Name.
- 1 Kings 9:6-9 (BSB)“But if indeed you or your sons turn away from following Me and do not keep the commandments and statutes I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples. And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, the LORD has brought all this disaster upon them.’””At the temple’s dedication the LORD warned that if Israel served other gods, He would cast off this temple.
- Lamentations 2:7 (BSB)“The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.”The poet confesses that the Lord Himself rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary.
Theological
According to 2 Kings 25:8-10, what did Nebuzaradan do in Jerusalem?
Answer: He set fire to the temple, the palace and the houses of the city
Nebuzaradan, commander of the royal guard, entered Jerusalem and burned the LORD’s house, the palace and every great house, while the Chaldean army demolished the walls (25:8-10). The narrator has already given the theological reason: the LORD had resolved to reject His chosen city and the temple He had set apart for His Name (23:27). The judgment fulfills the conditional warning at the temple’s dedication, that apostasy would bring the house itself under rejection and make it a ruin (1 Kings 9:6-9). The destruction was the LORD’s act of covenant judgment, not the triumph of foreign gods; Lamentations confesses that the Lord Himself spurned His altar and forsook His sanctuary (Lamentations 2:7).
- 2 Kings 25:8-10 (BSB)“On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.”Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, burns Jerusalem’s temple, palace and houses, and the army tears down the walls.
- 2 Kings 23:27 (BSB)“For the LORD had said, “I will remove Judah from My sight, just as I removed Israel. I will reject this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the temple of which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’””The LORD had said He would reject Jerusalem and the temple where He had put His Name.
- 1 Kings 9:6-9 (BSB)“But if indeed you or your sons turn away from following Me and do not keep the commandments and statutes I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples. And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, the LORD has brought all this disaster upon them.’””At the temple’s dedication the LORD warned that if Israel served other gods, He would cast off this temple.
- Lamentations 2:7 (BSB)“The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.”The poet confesses that the Lord Himself rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary.
General
When the city wall was broken through and Zedekiah fled, what happened to him (2 Kings 25:4-6)?
Answer: He was caught near Jericho, and his troops all abandoned him
When the wall was breached, Zedekiah and his soldiers slipped out at night through a gate by the royal garden, making for the Arabah. The Chaldean army chased him down near Jericho, his soldiers scattered and left him, and he was brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah to be judged (25:4-6). His sons were put to death, he was blinded, and he was taken in chains to Babylon (25:7). Jeremiah had told him he would not escape but would meet Babylon’s king in person and be taken to Babylon (Jeremiah 34:3), and had urged him to surrender (Jeremiah 38:17-18). Ezekiel had said that the prince in Jerusalem would be brought to Babylon yet would not see it (Ezekiel 12:13). What happened matched these warnings.
- 2 Kings 25:4-6 (BSB)“Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah, but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him. The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.”Zedekiah and his soldiers flee through a gate by night, but he is caught near Jericho and brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah.
- Jeremiah 34:3 (BSB)“And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.”The LORD had told Zedekiah he would not escape but would face Babylon’s king and go to Babylon.
- Ezekiel 12:13 (BSB)“But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.”Ezekiel had said the prince in Jerusalem would be brought to Babylon yet would not see it.
- Jeremiah 38:17-18 (BSB)“Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive. But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’””Jeremiah had urged Zedekiah to surrender, warning that otherwise he would not escape and the city would be burned.
Theological
What became of Zedekiah after he escaped by night from the breached city (2 Kings 25:4-6)?
Answer: He was caught near Jericho, and his troops all abandoned him
With the wall breached, Zedekiah fled by night with his fighting men through the gate by the royal garden, heading for the Arabah; the Chaldeans caught him on the Jericho plain; his army abandoned him, and he was brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah for sentencing (25:4-6). The sentence was severe: his sons were executed, he was blinded, and he was taken to Babylon in chains (25:7). The outcome answers to the prophetic word: Jeremiah had warned that he would not escape but would see Babylon’s king and go to Babylon (Jeremiah 34:3), had pleaded with him to surrender (Jeremiah 38:17-18), and Ezekiel had said the prince in Jerusalem would be brought to Babylon without seeing it (Ezekiel 12:13).
- 2 Kings 25:4-6 (BSB)“Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah, but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him. The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.”Zedekiah and his soldiers flee through a gate by night, but he is caught near Jericho and brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah.
- Jeremiah 34:3 (BSB)“And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.”The LORD had told Zedekiah he would not escape but would face Babylon’s king and go to Babylon.
- Ezekiel 12:13 (BSB)“But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.”Ezekiel had said the prince in Jerusalem would be brought to Babylon yet would not see it.
- Jeremiah 38:17-18 (BSB)“Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive. But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’””Jeremiah had urged Zedekiah to surrender, warning that otherwise he would not escape and the city would be burned.