1 And it came to passe in the ninth yeere of his reigne, in the tenth moneth, in the tenth day of the moneth, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, hee, and all his hoste, against Ierusalem, and pitched against it, and they built fortes against it, round about.
2 And the citie was besieged vnto the eleuenth yeere of king Zedekiah.
3 And on the ninth day of the fourth moneth, the famine preuailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
4 ¶ And the citie was broken vp, and all the men of warre fled by night, by the way of the gate, betweene two walles, which is by the kings garden, (now the Caldees were against the citie round about) and the King went the way toward the plaine.
5 And the army of the Caldees pursued after the King, and ouertooke him in the plaines of Iericho: and all his armie were scattered from him.
6 So they tooke the King, and brought him vp to the King of Babylon, to Riblah, and they gaue iudgement vpon him.
7 And they slew the sonnes of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brasse, and carried him to Babylon.
8 ¶ And in the fifth moneth, on the seuenth day of the moneth (which is the nineteenth yeere of King Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon) came Nebuzaradan captaine of the guard, a seruant of the king of Babylon, vnto Ierusalem:
9 And hee burnt the house of the Lord, and the kings house, and all the houses of Ierusalem, and euery great mans house burnt he with fire.
10 And all the army of the Caldees that were with the captaine of the guard, brake downe the walles of Ierusalem round about.
11 Now the rest of the people that were left in the citie, and the fugitiues that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captaine of the guard cary away.
12 But the captaine of the guard left of the poore of the land, to be Uine-dressers, and husbandmen.
13 And the pillars of brasse that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the Lord, did the Caldees breake in pieces, and caried the brasse of them to Babylon.
14 And the pots, and the shouels, and the snuffers, and the spoones, and all the vessels of brasse wherewith they ministred, tooke they away.
15 And the fire-pans, and the bowles, & such things as were of golde, in golde, and of siluer, in siluer, the captaine of the guard tooke away.
16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the brasse of al these vessels was without weight.
17 The height of the one pillar was eighteene cubits, and the chapiter vpon it was brasse: and the height of the chapiter three cubites; and the wreathen worke, and pomegranates vpon the chapiter round about, all of brasse: and like vnto these had the second pillar with wreathen worke.
18 ¶ And the captaine of the guard, tooke Seraiah the chiefe Priest, and Zephaniah the second Priest, and the three keepers of the doore.
19 And out of the citie hee tooke an Officer, that was set ouer the men of warre, and fiue men of them that were in the kings presence, which were found in the citie, and the principall Scribe of the hoste, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the citie.
20 And Nebuzaradan captaine of the guard tooke these, and brought them to the king of Babylon, to Riblah.
21 And the King of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath: so Iudah was caried away out of their land.
22 ¶ And as for the people that remained in the land of Iudah, whom Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon had left, euen ouer them he made Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam, the sonne of Shaphan, ruler.
23 And when all the captaines of the armies, they, and their men, heard that the King of Babylon had made Gedaliah gouernour, there came to Gedaliah to Mispah, euen Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah, and Iohanan the sonne of Careah, and Seraiah the sonne of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Iaazaniah the sonne of a Maachathite, they, and their men.
24 And Gedaliah sware to them and to their men, and said vnto them, Feare not to be the seruants of the Caldees: dwell in the land, and serue the King of Babylon; and it shall bee well with you.
25 But it came to passe in the seuenth moneth, that Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah, the sonne of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Iewes, and the Caldees that were with him at Mizpah.
26 And all the people both small and great, and the captaines of the armies arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Caldees.
27 ¶ And it came to passe in the seuen and thirtieth yeere of the captiuitie of Iehoiachin king of Iudah, in the twelfth moneth, on the seuen and twentieth day of the moneth, that Euilmerodach king of Babylon, in the yeere that he began to reigne, did lift vp the head of Iehoiachin king of Iudah out of prison.
28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne aboue the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,
29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eate bread continually before him all the dayes of his life.
30 And his allowance was a continuall allowance giuen him of the king, a dayly rate for euery day, all the dayes of his life.
Jerusalem besieged, Zedekiah taken. (1-7) The temple burnt, The people carried into captivity. (8-21) The rest of the Jews flee into Egypt, Evil-merodach relieves the captivity of Jehoiachin. (22-30)1-7 Jerusalem was so fortified, that it could not be taken till famine rendered the besieged unable to resist. In the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah, we find more of this event; here it suffices to say, that the impiety and misery of the besieged were very great. At length the city was taken by storm. The king, his family, and his great men escaped in the night, by secret passages. But those deceive themselves who think to escape God's judgments, as much as those who think to brave them. By what befell Zedekiah, two prophecies, which seemed to contradict each other, were both fulfilled. Jeremiah prophesied that Zedekiah should be brought to Babylon, #Jer 32:5; 34:3|; Ezekiel, that he should not see Babylon, #Eze 12:13|. He was brought thither, but his eyes being put out, he did not see it.
8-21 The city and temple were burnt, and, it is probable, the ark in it. By this, God showed how little he cares for the outward pomp of his worship, when the life and power of religion are neglected. The walls of Jerusalem were thrown down, and the people carried captive to Babylon. The vessels of the temple were carried away. When the things signified were sinned away, what should the signs stand there for? It was righteous with God to deprive those of the benefit of his worship, who had preferred false worships before it; those that would have many altars, now shall have none. As the Lord spared not the angels that sinned, as he doomed the whole race of fallen men to the grave, and all unbelievers to hell, and as he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, we need not wonder at any miseries he may bring upon guilty nations, churches, or persons.
22-30 The king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah to be the governor and protector of the Jews left their land. But the things of their peace were so hidden from their eyes, that they knew not when they were well off. Ishmael basely slew him and all his friends, and, against the counsel of Jeremiah, the rest went to Egypt. Thus was a full end made of them by their own folly and disobedience; see Jeremiah chap. 40 to 45. Jehoiachin was released out of prison, where he had been kept 37 years. Let none say that they shall never see good again, because they have long seen little but evil: the most miserable know not what turn Providence may yet give to their affairs, nor what comforts they are reserved for, according to the days wherein they have been afflicted. Even in this world the Saviour brings a release from bondage to the distressed sinner who seeks him, bestowing foretastes of the pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore. Sin alone can hurt us; Jesus alone can do good to sinners.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.