2 Kings 25 Commentary

“And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.”

Walls, by a subterraneous passage, to the plains of Jericho; (Rabbins) or by the horse gate, which was the most private, and, it seems, had been walled up, Ezechiel xii. 12. (Menochius)

“So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. gave: Heb. spake judgment with him”

Rablatha, the Antioch of Syria, (St. Jerome) which was styled also Epiphania, (Tirinus) or more probably Apamea, where Nabuchodonosor was, when Jerusalem was taken. — Upon him, by the advice of his council, Jeremias xxxix. 3, 13. Syriac, “they made him answer the charges brought against him,” (Calmet) of ingratitude and rebellion, as he had been appointed by the king of Babylon, and had sworn to be faithful to him. (Menochius) — This repeated infidelity made Nabuchodonosor resolve to remove the people from their own country. (Calmet) — He sentenced the last of the kings of Juda to see his children slain, (Haydock) to have his eyes put out, and to remain in prison till his death, Jeremias lii. 11., &c. (Calmet) — Hebrew, he “spake judgments with him.” Thus was accomplished the prediction of Jeremias, (xxxiv. 3.) “thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak to thee.” (Watson) — The same prophet had said the same (Jeremias xxxii. 4.) before he was thrown into prison. The sight of an angry judge is no small punishment. (Haydock)

“And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. put: Heb. made blind”

Eyes; after they had been excruciated by the sight of his slaughtered children. He thus might be convinced, that there was no reason to despise the predictions of Jeremias and of Ezechiel, (xii. 13.) as contradictory, because the latter informed him that he should not see Babylon; though the other said that he should die there. — Babylon, where he was honourably buried, by order of Nabuchodonosor. (Josephus, [Antiquities?] x. 11.) — Seder (Olam xxviii.) records that his attendants sung, at his funeral, “Alas! king Sedecias is dead, having drunk the dregs of all ages;” as he suffered also for the crimes of his predecessors. (Genebrard) (Tirinus) — This is not indeed specified in Scripture: (Haydock) but it is highly probable that Nabuchodonosor would thus “revere royalty, even in its ruins,” if Daniel and the other Jews in power, had not been careful to shew this mark of respect to their deceased monarch, conformably to the prediction of Jeremias; (xxxiv. 3.) who foretold that he should die, not by a violent death, the usual fate of captive kings, but in peace, or on his bed, though in a prison. (Watson, let. 6.)

“And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: captain: or, chief marshal”

Seventh. Jeremias (lii. 12.) mentions the tenth; on which day Nabuzardan probably arrived, or begun to put his orders in execution. Yet the Jews keep the ninth as an annual fast, Zacharias vii. 3., and viii. 19. The temple was destroyed on Saturday, 27th August, the year of the world 3416, (Usher) after it had stood 424 years, 3 months, and 8 days. (Calmet) — Army. Hebrew, “of those who slay;” which may be fitly understood “of soldiers,” as well as “of cooks,” (Septuagint) “butchers.” (Pagnin, &c.) (Menochius)

“And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.”

Great. This word is supplied from Jeremias lii. 13., and Hebrew, “great man’s house.” (Protestants) But Jeremias xxxix. 8., we read, they burnt the houses of the people, (Haydock) even the meanest, destroyed the walls, and took the people to Babylon, only leaving some countrymen to cultivate the land. Jeremias was set at liberty by Nabuzardan, (ibid. xi.[Jeremias xxxix. 9.?]) and chose to continue with this remnant of the people, for their comfort and direction. (Haydock) — They applied to him to know whether they should retire into Egypt; and after ten days, he gave them God’s injunction to the contrary: but they despised it, Jeremias xlii. 7., and xliii. 1. The prophet, and his secretary, Baruch, followed them into Egypt. Thus was the country abandoned, and the monarchy at an end, after it had subsisted 468 years from the commencement of David’s reign. (Calmet) — Yet some little power remained in the family of David, even at Babylon; (ver. 27.) and the Jewish affairs were re-established, after the captivity, though not in such splendour as formerly, nor always under princes of the same royal family. (Haydock)

“And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.”

Mazers. Hebrew yahim, “shovels.” (Protestants) Septuagint retain the original word, which St. Jerome translates differently. See 3 Kings vii. 50., (Menochius) and Exodus.

“And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door: door: Heb. threshold”

Saraias, father of Esdras, and of Josedeck, who succeeded in the Pontificate, 1 Esdras vii. 1., and 1 Paralipomenon vi. 14. (Tirinus) — Sophonias. He was perhaps chief of the fourth band of door-keepers, mentioned [in] 1 Paralipomenon ix. 17, 24., and vice-gerent of the High-priest, to supply his place, in case of any accident. We find no mention of such a priest in the law, but Eleazar possessed a similar power, Numbers iii. 32. (Calmet) — Keepers. These seem to have concealed themselves in the temple. (Menochius) — They were punished, as the counsellors of Sedecias, by being beheaded or crucified, Lamentations v. 12. (Tirinus)

“And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city: officer: or, eunuch were in: Heb. saw the king's face principal: or, scribe of the captain of the host”

Eunuch. Protestants, “officer.” (Haydock) — Five. Arabic and Jeremias lii. 25., read seven, as two were probably discovered afterwards, (Calmet) or had fled. (Du Hamel) — These were chief officers. — Sopher. Septuagint, “and the secretary of the general.” Syriac, “the secretary and chiefs of the armies.” (Calmet) — Protestants, “the principal scribe.” (Haydock) — It is not clear whether the general have this title of sopher, “scribe,” himself; or it rather designates his secretary, or scribe, Judges viii. 14. (Calmet) — Many date the 70 years captivity from the last year of Joachin. (Du Hamel)

“And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.”

Godolias. The Rabbins say that he had gone over to the Chaldeans: Jeremias (xxxviii. 2, 17.) had advised all to do so, and Godolias was of an easy complying disposition. (Grotius) — But God did not suffer him to collect the remnants of his unhappy people, (Calmet) at least for any long time, as he was slain by Ismael, (Jeremias xl. 12., and xli. 1.; Haydock) who probably envied his dignity. (Josephus) (Salien)

“And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.”

Chaldees. They went under the conduct of Johanan, in opposition to the declaration of Jeremias, xliii. 7., and xliv. 1. (Calmet)

“And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison ;”

Twentieth. Jeremias (lii. 31.) says the 25th, when Nabuchodonosor was buried, and (Du Hamel) the decree was made, though it was not put in execution till two days later. (Calmet) — Evilmerodach, whose proper name was Baltassar, (Daniel v. 1.; Tirinus) or the latter was his son. The Jews say that he had been confined in prison, with Joachin, because he had not administered the kingdom well, during the seven years’ illness of his father Nabuchodonosor. Berosus (apud Josephus, contra Apion 1., and Eusebius, pręp. ix. 40., who cites also Megasthenes) informs us that he reigned with insolence during two years, when he was treacherously murdered by his father-in-law, Neriglissor.

“And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; kindly: Heb. good things with him”

Kings, who had been made captives. Adonibezec had 70, Judges i. 7. Alexander kept Porus and Taxilus at his court, as Cyrus had done [to] Crœsus, whom he treated with great distinction. The prosperity of Joachin does not seem to have been of long continuance, as his benefactor did not reign above two (ver. 27.) or three years, Daniel. viii. 1.

“And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.”

His life, may be referred to Evilmerodach, unless Joachin was involved in his disgrace, and perished at the same time. Perhaps the king of Juda did not always eat at the table of Evilmerodach, but received his meat from it, as was customary. (Syriac, &c.) (Calmet) — He received all that was necessary to support his household, daily. (Grotius) — In Jeremias lii. 34., until the day of his death, seems to be an useless “tautology,” which is omitted here, and in “our oldest manuscript,” says Kennicott; who observes that whoever will compare these passages, “will find many variations, and some corruptions.” But most of them may be easily explained, ver. 3, 8, 27, &c. (Haydock)