Jeremiah 52 Study Notes: The Fall of Jerusalem
Jerusalem falls to Babylon after a long siege and famine, and Zedekiah is caught near Jericho, sentenced at Riblah, blinded, and taken captive. Nebuzaradan burns the temple and city, carries off its bronze, and takes leaders to Riblah to die, but later a new Babylonian king frees and honors King Jehoiachin.
General
What did Babylon’s new king Evil-merodach do for Jehoiachin when he began to reign (52:31-32)?
Answer: He pardoned him, freed him, and honored him above the other kings
Many years into Jehoiachin’s exile, when Evil-merodach began to reign, he pardoned Jehoiachin, Judah’s captive king, and let him out of prison. He treated him graciously and gave him a seat of honor above every other king who shared his place in Babylon (52:31-32). Jehoiachin put away the clothes he had worn in prison and dined with the king, with a daily allowance as long as he lived (52:33-34). The book ends on this quiet note of kindness. The LORD had promised to watch over the exiles in Babylon for their good (24:5-6), and He had promised David that his house would endure (2 Samuel 7:16). Many readers have seen Jehoiachin’s release as a small sign that God had not forgotten David’s line, and that His mercies had not run out even in exile (Lamentations 3:22-23).
- Jeremiah 52:31-32 (BSB)“On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the first year of the reign of Evil-merodach king of Babylon, he pardoned Jehoiachin king of Judah and released him 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.”Evil-merodach pardons Jehoiachin, releases him from prison, speaks kindly to him, and honors him above the other kings in Babylon.
- Jeremiah 52:33-34 (BSB)“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 of Babylon provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life, until the day of his death.”Jehoiachin leaves his prison clothes behind and dines with the king, provided for as long as he lives.
- Jeremiah 24:5-6 (BSB)““This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will keep My eyes on them for good and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.”The LORD had said He would watch over the exiles taken to Babylon for their good.
- 2 Samuel 7:16 (BSB)“Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.””God had promised David that his house and kingdom would endure before Him forever.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”Even in the ruin of Jerusalem, God’s mercies do not fail and His faithfulness is great.
Theological
What favor did Evil-merodach show Jehoiachin at the start of his reign (52:31-32)?
Answer: He pardoned him, freed him, and honored him above the other kings
At the start of his reign Evil-merodach pardoned Jehoiachin, freed him from prison, spoke kindly to him, and gave him a seat above the other kings living in Babylon alongside him (52:31-32); Jehoiachin exchanged his prison garments for a lifelong place dining with the king and a daily allowance (52:33-34). The book closes not with Jerusalem’s ashes but with a living son of David treated with honor. The LORD had pledged to set His eyes on the exiles for good (24:5-6) and had promised David an enduring house (2 Samuel 7:16). Many readers have seen this release as a modest token that God had not abandoned the Davidic line, consistent with the unfailing mercies confessed in Lamentations 3:22-23.
- Jeremiah 52:31-32 (BSB)“On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the first year of the reign of Evil-merodach king of Babylon, he pardoned Jehoiachin king of Judah and released him 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.”Evil-merodach pardons Jehoiachin, releases him from prison, speaks kindly to him, and honors him above the other kings in Babylon.
- Jeremiah 52:33-34 (BSB)“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 of Babylon provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life, until the day of his death.”Jehoiachin leaves his prison clothes behind and dines with the king, provided for as long as he lives.
- Jeremiah 24:5-6 (BSB)““This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will keep My eyes on them for good and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.”The LORD had said He would watch over the exiles taken to Babylon for their good.
- 2 Samuel 7:16 (BSB)“Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.””God had promised David that his house and kingdom would endure before Him forever.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”Even in the ruin of Jerusalem, God’s mercies do not fail and His faithfulness is great.
General
True or False: After his release, Jehoiachin was sent back to Jerusalem, where he ruled until his death.
Answer: False
This is false. Jehoiachin stayed in Babylon. He ate at the Babylonian king’s table, and the king supplied him with a daily allowance as long as he lived (52:33-34). The LORD had addressed Coniah, Jehoiakim’s son, also called Jehoiachin, saying He would pull him off like a signet ring (22:24), and that he would die in a foreign land and never come back to the home he longed for (22:26-27). The LORD had also told the exiles to settle down in Babylon, building houses and planting gardens (29:4-5), because the return would come only after Babylon’s seventy years were complete (29:10).
- Jeremiah 52:33-34 (BSB)“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 of Babylon provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life, until the day of his death.”Jehoiachin dines with Babylon’s king and receives a daily allowance until he dies.
- Jeremiah 22:24 (BSB)““As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off.”The LORD speaks to Coniah son of Jehoiakim, Judah’s king, the same king called Jehoiachin elsewhere in the book.
- Jeremiah 22:26-27 (BSB)“I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another land, where neither of you were born—and there you both will die. You will never return to the land for which you long.””The LORD had said that Coniah, also called Jehoiachin, would die in a foreign land and never return home.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”The exiles would return only after the seventy years of Babylon’s rule had run their course.
- Jeremiah 29:4-5 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.”The LORD had told the exiles to settle in the land of their captivity, making homes and growing food.
Theological
True or False: Following his pardon, Jehoiachin was restored to the throne in Jerusalem and reigned there until he died.
Answer: False
This is false. Jehoiachin’s honor was granted in Babylon: he dined at the Babylonian king’s table and received a daily provision until his death (52:33-34). This fulfills the LORD’s word that Coniah son of Jehoiakim (22:24), that is Jehoiachin, would die in a foreign land and never return home (22:26-27). It also fits the LORD’s instruction to the exiles to settle in Babylon (29:4-5), since the promised return was tied to the completion of Babylon’s seventy years (29:10).
- Jeremiah 52:33-34 (BSB)“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 of Babylon provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life, until the day of his death.”Jehoiachin dines with Babylon’s king and receives a daily allowance until he dies.
- Jeremiah 22:24 (BSB)““As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off.”The LORD speaks to Coniah son of Jehoiakim, Judah’s king, the same king called Jehoiachin elsewhere in the book.
- Jeremiah 22:26-27 (BSB)“I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another land, where neither of you were born—and there you both will die. You will never return to the land for which you long.””The LORD had said that Coniah, also called Jehoiachin, would die in a foreign land and never return home.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”The exiles would return only after the seventy years of Babylon’s rule had run their course.
- Jeremiah 29:4-5 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.”The LORD had told the exiles to settle in the land of their captivity, making homes and growing food.
General
What happened to Seraiah, who was chief priest, and the other leaders whom Nebuzaradan took from the city (52:24-27)?
Answer: They were taken to Riblah, where Babylon’s king had them executed
Nebuzaradan took Seraiah, who was chief priest, along with Zephaniah, the next priest in rank, the three doorkeepers, and other officials and men still in Jerusalem (52:24-25). He led them to Riblah before Babylon’s king, who had every one of them executed there. With that, Judah was carried off from its homeland (52:26-27). The LORD had warned that He would hand Zedekiah’s officials and people over to Nebuchadnezzar, who would show them no pity (21:7; 34:21). Even the priests who served at the temple were not protected by it, just as the LORD had warned those who trusted that the temple itself would keep them safe (7:4).
- Jeremiah 52:24-25 (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 seven trusted royal advisers. 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 takes the chief priest, the second priest, the doorkeepers, and other leaders from the city.
- Jeremiah 52:26-27 (BSB)“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.”The leaders are brought to Riblah and put to death, 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 warned that Nebuchadnezzar would put Zedekiah’s officials and people to the sword without pity.
- Jeremiah 34:21 (BSB)“And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.”The LORD said He would hand Zedekiah’s officials over to the forces of Babylon’s king.
- Jeremiah 7:4 (BSB)“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”The people had trusted that the temple itself would keep them safe, a hope the LORD called deceptive.
Theological
What was the fate of Seraiah, who served as chief priest, and the other leaders removed from Jerusalem by Nebuzaradan (52:24-27)?
Answer: They were taken to Riblah, where Babylon’s king had them executed
Nebuzaradan removed Seraiah, who served as chief priest, as well as Zephaniah, the next in rank, the doorkeepers, and a group of civil and military officials and others (52:24-25), and led them to Riblah, where Babylon’s king executed them; with that, Judah’s exile from its land was complete (52:26-27). The execution of Judah’s leadership fulfills the LORD’s word that Zedekiah’s officials would be given to Nebuchadnezzar without pity (21:7; 34:21). The temple’s own priests fell with the city, exposing the emptiness of the slogan the LORD had condemned, that the presence of the temple guaranteed safety (7:4).
- Jeremiah 52:24-25 (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 seven trusted royal advisers. 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 takes the chief priest, the second priest, the doorkeepers, and other leaders from the city.
- Jeremiah 52:26-27 (BSB)“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.”The leaders are brought to Riblah and put to death, 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 warned that Nebuchadnezzar would put Zedekiah’s officials and people to the sword without pity.
- Jeremiah 34:21 (BSB)“And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.”The LORD said He would hand Zedekiah’s officials over to the forces of Babylon’s king.
- Jeremiah 7:4 (BSB)“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”The people had trusted that the temple itself would keep them safe, a hope the LORD called deceptive.
General
Who came into Jerusalem and set fire to the LORD’s temple, the king’s palace, and the city’s houses (52:12-13)?
Answer: Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard who served Babylon’s king
Nebuzaradan, commander of the royal guard and an officer serving Babylon’s king, came into Jerusalem. He set fire to the LORD’s temple, the king’s palace, and every house and important building in the city, and the Chaldean army tore down the city walls (52:12-14). Nebuchadnezzar himself was at Riblah, where the captives were brought to him (52:9, 26). The temple’s destruction fulfilled the LORD’s warnings. He had said He would do to the temple what He had done to Shiloh, an earlier place of worship that He had judged for His people’s wickedness (7:12-14), and that Babylon’s king would burn the city (21:10; 34:22). The building the people trusted could not save them once they had turned from the LORD.
- Jeremiah 52:12-13 (BSB)“On the tenth 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.”Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, enters Jerusalem and burns the temple, the palace, and the city’s houses.
- Jeremiah 52:14 (BSB)“And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.”The Chaldean army breaks down Jerusalem’s walls.
- Jeremiah 7:12-14 (BSB)“But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and because I have spoken to you again and again but you would not listen, and I have called to you but you would not answer, therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.”The LORD had warned that He would do to the temple what He had done to Shiloh because of His people’s wickedness.
- 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 said the king of Babylon would destroy the city with fire.
- Jeremiah 34:22 (BSB)“Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.””The LORD said He would bring the Babylonians back to capture and burn the city.
Theological
Which official entered Jerusalem and burned the temple, the palace, and the city’s houses (52:12-13)?
Answer: Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard who served Babylon’s king
The burning of Jerusalem was carried out by Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard in the service of Babylon’s king, who set fire to the temple, the palace, and every significant building, while the army demolished the walls (52:12-14). The king of Babylon was at Riblah, where the captives were brought to him (52:9, 26). The destruction of the temple is the LORD’s announced judgment come to pass: the house that bore His name would share the fate of Shiloh (7:12-14), and the city would be given to Babylon’s king to be burned (21:10; 34:22). The sanctuary in which Judah placed false confidence did not shield a people in covenant rebellion.
- Jeremiah 52:12-13 (BSB)“On the tenth 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.”Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, enters Jerusalem and burns the temple, the palace, and the city’s houses.
- Jeremiah 52:14 (BSB)“And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.”The Chaldean army breaks down Jerusalem’s walls.
- Jeremiah 7:12-14 (BSB)“But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and because I have spoken to you again and again but you would not listen, and I have called to you but you would not answer, therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.”The LORD had warned that He would do to the temple what He had done to Shiloh because of His people’s wickedness.
- 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 said the king of Babylon would destroy the city with fire.
- Jeremiah 34:22 (BSB)“Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.””The LORD said He would bring the Babylonians back to capture and burn the city.
General
According to 52:15-16, whom did Nebuzaradan allow to stay in Judah, and for what purpose?
Answer: A number of very poor people, to take care of the vines and farmland
Nebuzaradan deported a number of the very poor, the people still left in Jerusalem, those who had gone over to the enemy, and the remaining skilled workers (52:15). But he let a number of the very poor stay behind to work the vines and farmland (52:16). The earlier account in Jeremiah says the same: Nebuzaradan let the poor who owned nothing stay and handed them land to farm (39:10), and later Gedaliah was put in charge of these poorest people (40:7). The chapter sums up the outcome plainly: Judah was removed from its homeland into captivity (52:27). Moses had warned long before that if the people turned from the LORD, He would send them and their king to a foreign nation (Deuteronomy 28:36).
- Jeremiah 52:15-16 (BSB)“Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the craftsmen. But Nebuzaradan captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.”Nebuzaradan takes many into exile but leaves a number of the very poor to work the land.
- Jeremiah 52:27 (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 account sums up that Judah was carried away from its homeland.
- Jeremiah 39:10 (BSB)“But Nebuzaradan left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who had no property, and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.”The earlier account in Jeremiah also says Nebuzaradan left the poor in the land and handed them land to farm.
- Jeremiah 40:7 (BSB)“When all the commanders and men of the armies in the field heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and children who were the poorest of the land and had not been exiled to Babylon,”Gedaliah was later put in charge of these poorest people who had been left behind.
- Deuteronomy 28:36 (BSB)“The LORD will bring you and the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone.”Moses had warned that the LORD would send the people and their king to a foreign nation if they turned from Him.
Theological
Whom did Nebuzaradan leave in Judah according to 52:15-16, and why?
Answer: A number of very poor people, to take care of the vines and farmland
The deportation took a portion of the poor, the remaining city population, the defectors, and the remaining skilled workers (52:15), while a portion of the very poor were left to work the vines and farmland (52:16). The same arrangement appears in 39:10, and these poor were later placed under Gedaliah (40:7). The section concludes that Judah went into exile from its homeland (52:27), the covenant curse Moses had announced for persistent unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 28:36). Even in judgment a remnant remained on the land, though stripped of its leaders and skilled workers.
- Jeremiah 52:15-16 (BSB)“Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the craftsmen. But Nebuzaradan captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.”Nebuzaradan takes many into exile but leaves a number of the very poor to work the land.
- Jeremiah 52:27 (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 account sums up that Judah was carried away from its homeland.
- Jeremiah 39:10 (BSB)“But Nebuzaradan left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who had no property, and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.”The earlier account in Jeremiah also says Nebuzaradan left the poor in the land and handed them land to farm.
- Jeremiah 40:7 (BSB)“When all the commanders and men of the armies in the field heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and children who were the poorest of the land and had not been exiled to Babylon,”Gedaliah was later put in charge of these poorest people who had been left behind.
- Deuteronomy 28:36 (BSB)“The LORD will bring you and the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone.”Moses had warned that the LORD would send the people and their king to a foreign nation if they turned from Him.
General
What had happened inside Jerusalem by the time the city wall was broken through (52:6-7)?
Answer: Food had run out, so that the common people had nothing left to eat
Nebuchadnezzar marched on the city with all his forces, camped around it, and walled it in with siege works, and the blockade lasted until Zedekiah’s eleventh year (52:4-5). By the time the wall was breached, hunger inside Jerusalem had grown so desperate that the people had nothing to eat (52:6). Food had been running short for some time; Ebed-melech had already told the king that there was no bread left in the city (38:9). Jeremiah had acknowledged in prayer that sword, famine, and plague were giving the city into the Chaldeans’ hands, just as the LORD had said (32:24). Lamentations remembers children begging for bread that no one could give them (Lamentations 4:4).
- Jeremiah 52:4-5 (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.”Nebuchadnezzar’s whole army surrounds Jerusalem with a siege wall, and the siege drags on into Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
- Jeremiah 52:6 (BSB)“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.”By the time the city falls, hunger is extreme and nothing is left to eat.
- Jeremiah 38:9 (BSB)““My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.””Even before the end, Ebed-melech told the king that bread had run out in the city.
- Jeremiah 32:24 (BSB)“See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword and famine and plague, the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened, as You now see!”Jeremiah’s prayer recognized that sword, famine, and plague were handing the city to the Chaldeans, just as the LORD had said.
- Lamentations 4:4 (BSB)“The nursing infant’s tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any.”The lament over Jerusalem remembers little children begging for bread that no one could give.
Theological
What condition prevailed within Jerusalem when its wall was breached (52:6-7)?
Answer: Food had run out, so that the common people had nothing left to eat
Nebuchadnezzar’s full army encircled the city with siege works, and the siege continued into Zedekiah’s eleventh year (52:4-5). At its end the hunger had become extreme, with nothing at all left to eat (52:6). The scarcity had been building for some time (38:9), and Jeremiah had confessed that sword, famine, and plague were delivering the city to the Chaldeans in exact accord with the LORD’s word (32:24). Lamentations 4:4 records the cost in the suffering of children. The famine was not random hardship but one of the covenant judgments Jeremiah had repeatedly announced.
- Jeremiah 52:4-5 (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.”Nebuchadnezzar’s whole army surrounds Jerusalem with a siege wall, and the siege drags on into Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
- Jeremiah 52:6 (BSB)“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.”By the time the city falls, hunger is extreme and nothing is left to eat.
- Jeremiah 38:9 (BSB)““My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.””Even before the end, Ebed-melech told the king that bread had run out in the city.
- Jeremiah 32:24 (BSB)“See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword and famine and plague, the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened, as You now see!”Jeremiah’s prayer recognized that sword, famine, and plague were handing the city to the Chaldeans, just as the LORD had said.
- Lamentations 4:4 (BSB)“The nursing infant’s tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any.”The lament over Jerusalem remembers little children begging for bread that no one could give.
General
What became of the temple’s great bronze pillars, the bronze Sea, and the bronze stands (52:17)?
Answer: They broke them into pieces and hauled all the bronze off to Babylon
The Chaldeans smashed the bronze pillars, the stands, and the large bronze basin called the Sea, and they hauled every bit of that bronze off to Babylon (52:17). They also took the smaller bronze utensils and the articles of gold and silver (52:18-19). The bronze from the furnishings Solomon had provided was too much to weigh (52:20). Jeremiah had foretold exactly this. While false prophets promised that the temple articles would soon come back (27:16), the LORD said the pillars, the basin, the stands, and the remaining articles would go to Babylon and stay there until He chose to bring them back (27:19-22). Years later King Cyrus did bring out the articles of the LORD’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken (Ezra 1:7).
- Jeremiah 52:17 (BSB)“Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.”The Chaldeans smash the temple’s bronze furnishings and haul the metal away.
- Jeremiah 52:20 (BSB)“As for the two pillars, the Sea, the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands that King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure.”The bronze from the pillars, the Sea, its bulls, and the stands that Solomon made could not be weighed.
- 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.’””Jeremiah had foretold that these very articles would go to Babylon and stay there until the LORD brought them back.
- Jeremiah 27:16 (BSB)“Then I said to the priests and to all this people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Look, very soon now the articles from the house of the LORD will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie.”Jeremiah had warned that the prophets promising a quick return of the temple articles were lying.
- Ezra 1:7 (BSB)“King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods.”Later, King Cyrus returned the vessels of the LORD’s house that had been taken to Babylon.
Theological
How did the Chaldeans dispose of the bronze pillars, the Sea, and the stands of the temple (52:17)?
Answer: They broke them into pieces and hauled all the bronze off to Babylon
They broke them up and transported the metal to Babylon (52:17), along with the bronze utensils and the vessels of gold and silver (52:18-19); the bronze of Solomon’s furnishings was beyond weighing (52:20). This is the precise fulfillment of 27:19-22, where the LORD named the pillars, the great basin, and the stands as articles that would go to Babylon and remain until He attended to them and returned them, in direct contradiction of the prophets who promised a speedy return (27:16). Ezra 1:7 records a step toward that promised restoration when Cyrus returned the vessels of the LORD’s house.
- Jeremiah 52:17 (BSB)“Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.”The Chaldeans smash the temple’s bronze furnishings and haul the metal away.
- Jeremiah 52:20 (BSB)“As for the two pillars, the Sea, the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands that King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure.”The bronze from the pillars, the Sea, its bulls, and the stands that Solomon made could not be weighed.
- 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.’””Jeremiah had foretold that these very articles would go to Babylon and stay there until the LORD brought them back.
- Jeremiah 27:16 (BSB)“Then I said to the priests and to all this people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Look, very soon now the articles from the house of the LORD will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie.”Jeremiah had warned that the prophets promising a quick return of the temple articles were lying.
- Ezra 1:7 (BSB)“King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods.”Later, King Cyrus returned the vessels of the LORD’s house that had been taken to Babylon.
General
According to 52:2-3, what lay behind all that happened to Jerusalem and Judah?
Answer: The LORD’s anger at their evil, which ended in His sending them away
Zedekiah did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, following the pattern Jehoiakim had set before him (52:2). The next verse gives the reason for everything that follows: it happened because of the LORD’s anger, until He finally drove His people out of His presence. Zedekiah, for his part, revolted against Babylon’s ruler (52:3). Jeremiah had urged him to accept Babylon’s rule and live (27:12-13), but Zedekiah, his officials, and the people refused to listen to the LORD’s word (37:2). The LORD had long warned that because the people would not obey Him, He would bring Nebuchadnezzar against the land (25:8-9). The fall of Jerusalem was not an accident of politics but God’s just judgment, and Zedekiah was fully responsible for his own choices.
- Jeremiah 52:2-3 (BSB)“And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.”Zedekiah does evil as Jehoiakim had, and the LORD’s anger brings on all that follows; Zedekiah also rebels against Babylon.
- Jeremiah 27:12-13 (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! Why should you and your people die by sword and famine and plague, as the LORD has decreed against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon?”Jeremiah had urged Zedekiah to submit to Babylon’s king and live rather than die by sword, famine, and plague.
- Jeremiah 37:2 (BSB)“But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.”Zedekiah, his officials, and the people refused to listen to the LORD’s word through Jeremiah.
- Jeremiah 25:8-9 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.”Because the people would not obey, the LORD said He would bring Nebuchadnezzar against the land.
Theological
What explanation do 52:2-3 give for the catastrophe that overtook Jerusalem and Judah?
Answer: The LORD’s anger at their evil, which ended in His sending them away
The chapter opens with a theological verdict. Zedekiah did evil as Jehoiakim had (52:2), and all that came on Jerusalem and Judah happened through the LORD’s anger, until He expelled them from before Him; alongside this, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon’s king (52:3). The king’s revolt and the LORD’s judgment are not rival explanations: Zedekiah freely rejected the word that called him to submit and live (27:12-13; 37:2), and in that very rebellion the LORD carried out the judgment He had announced for covenant disobedience (25:8-9). God governs the course of history without being the author of Zedekiah’s sin.
- Jeremiah 52:2-3 (BSB)“And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.”Zedekiah does evil as Jehoiakim had, and the LORD’s anger brings on all that follows; Zedekiah also rebels against Babylon.
- Jeremiah 27:12-13 (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! Why should you and your people die by sword and famine and plague, as the LORD has decreed against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon?”Jeremiah had urged Zedekiah to submit to Babylon’s king and live rather than die by sword, famine, and plague.
- Jeremiah 37:2 (BSB)“But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.”Zedekiah, his officials, and the people refused to listen to the LORD’s word through Jeremiah.
- Jeremiah 25:8-9 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.”Because the people would not obey, the LORD said He would bring Nebuchadnezzar against the land.
General
When the Chaldeans caught up with Zedekiah on the plains near Jericho, what happened (52:8-9)?
Answer: His army scattered, and he was seized and taken to the king at Riblah
When the wall was broken through, the soldiers slipped out at night through a gate by the royal garden and headed out toward the Arabah (52:7). The Chaldean army chased Zedekiah and caught him near Jericho, where every soldier he had abandoned him (52:8). He was seized and taken to Riblah to face Babylon’s king, who passed sentence on him (52:9). Jeremiah had told Zedekiah plainly that if he surrendered he would live, but if he refused, the city would burn and he would not escape (38:17-18). The LORD had also said Zedekiah would be captured and would see Babylon’s king face to face (34:3), and that He would hand Zedekiah and his officials over to Nebuchadnezzar (21:7).
- Jeremiah 52:7-8 (BSB)“Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled the city 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 Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him.”When the city is breached, the soldiers flee by night, and the Chaldeans overtake Zedekiah, whose army scatters.
- Jeremiah 52:9 (BSB)“The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah.”Zedekiah is taken to Riblah, where Babylon’s king passes sentence on him.
- 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 told Zedekiah that surrender meant life, but refusal meant the city would burn and he would not escape.
- 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 said Zedekiah would certainly be caught and would meet Babylon’s king in person.
- 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 warned that He would hand over Zedekiah and his officials to Nebuchadnezzar.
Theological
What followed when the Chaldeans overtook Zedekiah on the plains near Jericho (52:8-9)?
Answer: His army scattered, and he was seized and taken to the king at Riblah
The breach of the wall led to a night escape by a gate near the royal garden toward the Arabah (52:7), but the Chaldeans pursued and overtook the king near Jericho, and his army deserted him (52:8). He was taken to Riblah for sentencing before Babylon’s king (52:9). Every element matches the word Zedekiah had rejected: surrender would have meant life, refusal meant capture and a burned city (38:17-18); he would not escape but would face Babylon’s king (34:3); the LORD Himself would hand him and his officials over to Nebuchadnezzar (21:7). The flight could not outrun the LORD’s decree.
- Jeremiah 52:7-8 (BSB)“Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled the city 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 Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him.”When the city is breached, the soldiers flee by night, and the Chaldeans overtake Zedekiah, whose army scatters.
- Jeremiah 52:9 (BSB)“The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah.”Zedekiah is taken to Riblah, where Babylon’s king passes sentence on him.
- 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 told Zedekiah that surrender meant life, but refusal meant the city would burn and he would not escape.
- 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 said Zedekiah would certainly be caught and would meet Babylon’s king in person.
- 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 warned that He would hand over Zedekiah and his officials to Nebuchadnezzar.
General
True or False: After sentencing Zedekiah at Riblah, Babylon’s king let him go back to Jerusalem to rule as his servant.
Answer: False
This is false. Babylon’s king passed sentence on Zedekiah at Riblah (52:9). His sons were put to death in front of him and Judah’s officials were also killed; then he was blinded, bound in bronze chains, and led away to Babylon and kept in prison until the day he died (52:10-11). This fulfilled what the LORD had said: Zedekiah would be handed over to Babylon’s king and carried off to Babylon (32:4-5; 34:3). Compare Ezekiel 12:13, where the LORD says the prince would be brought to Babylon without seeing that land, and would die there.
- Jeremiah 52:9 (BSB)“The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah.”Babylon’s king passes sentence on Zedekiah at Riblah.
- Jeremiah 32:4-5 (BSB)“Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye. He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’””The LORD had said Zedekiah would be handed to Babylon’s king and taken to Babylon.
- 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.”Zedekiah was told he would not escape, would face the king of Babylon, and would 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.”Compare Ezekiel’s word that the prince would be brought to Babylon without seeing that land, and would die there.
Theological
True or False: Zedekiah was sent back to Jerusalem as a vassal king after his sentencing at Riblah.
Answer: False
This is false. The sentence at Riblah (52:9) was carried out in full: Zedekiah’s sons were executed before him, Judah’s officials were also killed, he was blinded and shackled in bronze, and he was taken to Babylon and kept as a prisoner until his death (52:10-11). The outcome fulfills the LORD’s word that Zedekiah would be delivered to Babylon’s king and brought to Babylon (32:4-5; 34:3). Compare also Ezekiel 12:13, where the prince is to be brought to Babylon without seeing that land, and to die there.
- Jeremiah 52:9 (BSB)“The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah.”Babylon’s king passes sentence on Zedekiah at Riblah.
- Jeremiah 32:4-5 (BSB)“Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye. He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’””The LORD had said Zedekiah would be handed to Babylon’s king and taken to Babylon.
- 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.”Zedekiah was told he would not escape, would face the king of Babylon, and would 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.”Compare Ezekiel’s word that the prince would be brought to Babylon without seeing that land, and would die there.