36 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Jeremiah 52 This chapter contains the history of the besieging, taking, and destroying of Jerusalem; the moving cause of it, the wicked reign of Zedekiah, Jeremiah 52:1; the instruments of it, the king of Babylon and his army, which besieged and took it, Jeremiah 52:4; into whose hands the king of Judah, his sons, and the princes...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Zedekiah [was] one and twenty years old when he began to reign,.... Whose name was Mattaniah; and who was set on the throne by the king of Babylon, in the room of his brother's son Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 24:17; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; so that he was thirty two years of age when he was taken and carried captive into Babylon: and his...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
History is the best expositor of prophecy; and therefore, for the better understanding of the prophecies of this book which relate to the destruction of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah, we are here furnished with an account of that sad event. It is much he same with the history we had 2 Kings xxiv. and xxv., and many of the particulars we had...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he did [that which was] evil in the eyes of the Lord,.... Though we do not read of any idolatry he was guilty of; yet he was disobedient to the word of the Lord, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet of the Lord, that spoke in his name; and particularly he rebelled against the king of Babylon, and violated the oath he made to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah,.... Or, "besides the anger of the Lord [that] was in", or "against Jerusalem and Judah" (n); for their many sins and transgressions committed against him: till he had cast them out from his presence; out of the land of Judea; out of Jerusalem, and the temple, where were the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign,.... Of Zedekiah's reign: in the tenth month, in the tenth [day] of the month; the month Tebet, which answers to part of December and part of January; hence the fast of the tenth month, on account of the siege of Jerusalem, Zechariah 8:19; [that] Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. The siege continued about eighteen months; from the tenth day of the tenth month, in the ninth of Zedekiah's reign, to the ninth day of the fourth month, in the eleventh year of his reign; as follows:
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And in the fourth month, in the ninth [day] of the month,.... The month Tammuz (o), which answers to part of June and part of July; hence the fast of the fourth month, for the taking of the city, Zechariah 8:19; the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land; for the common people; though there might be some...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the city was broken up,.... Either its gates were broke open, some one or other of them; or a breach was made in the walls of it, through which the Chaldean army entered: and all the men of war fled; the soldiers, with their officers, not being able to stand before the army of the king of Babylon: and went forth out of the city by night; at...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king,.... Not finding him in his palace, and being informed of his flight, and which way he took: and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: [See comments on Jeremiah 39:5]; and all his army was scattered from him; when they saw the enemy pursuing them, and near unto them, they left him, as...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then they took the king,.... King Zedekiah, being left alone, excepting some few with him: and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; which is supposed to be Antioch in Syria: where he gave judgment upon him; or "spake with him judgments" (r): chided and reproached him for his perfidy and ingratitude; expostulated...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes,.... Or, however, ordered them to be slain; [See comments on Jeremiah 39:6]; he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah; who, together with the king's sons, were taken with him; or, however, were taken in Jerusalem, and brought to Riblah; which of them is not certain, very...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah,.... After he had seen his children and princes executed, which must be very terrible to him; [See comments on Jeremiah 39:7]; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon; in Jeremiah 39:7; it is said, he bound him, "to carry him" there; here it is affirmed he did carry him thither:...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now in the fifth month, in the tenth [day] of the month,.... Hence the fast of the fifth month, for the burning of the city, which was the month Ab, and answers to part of July and part of August, Zechariah 8:19; which [was] the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; that is, the nineteenth year of his reign; who reigned in all forty...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And burnt the house of the Lord,.... The temple built by Solomon, after it had stood four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten days, according to Josephus (z): but the Jews say it stood but four hundred ten years (a): and the king's house; the royal palace; probably that which was built by Solomon, 1 Kings 7:1; and all the houses of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all the army of the Chaldeans, that [were] with the captain of the guard,.... Which he brought with him from Riblah, or were left at Jerusalem by those that pursued after Zedekiah when the city was taken, which the captain of the guard now had the command of: broke down all the walls of Jerusalem round about: [See comments on Jeremiah 39:8].
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive [certain] of the poor of the people,.... That is, of the city, as distinct from the poor of the land of Judea he left, afterwards observed: and the residue of the people that remained in the city; that died not by the sword or famine, and fled not with Zedekiah: or "even the residue of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left [certain] of the poor of the land,.... Of the land of Judea, who lived in the country, and had not been concerned in defending the city against the Chaldeans: for vinedressers, and for husbandmen; to look after the vineyards and fields, and dress and manure them, that the king of Babylon might receive...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Also the pillars of brass that [were] in the house of the Lord,.... The two pillars in the temple, called Jachin and Boaz, which were made of cast brass, 1 Kings 7:15; and the bases; which were in number ten, and which were also made of cast brass, and were all of one measure and size; and on which the ten lavers of brass were set, five on the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The cauldrons also,.... Or "pots", as it is rendered, 2 Kings 25:14; which were made of bright brass, 1 Kings 7:45; these were used to boil the flesh of the sacrifices in: and the shovels; used to remove the ashes from off the altar of burnt offerings, and were of brass also: the Targum renders them "besoms", whose handles perhaps were of brass:...