Jeremiah — Chapter 52

Loading ESV text...

1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.

2And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.

3For 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.

4So 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.

5And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.

6By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.

7Then 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,

8but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him.

9The 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.

10There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the officials of Judah.

11Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.

12On 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.

13He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.

14And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.

15Then 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.

16But Nebuzaradan captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.

17Moreover, 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.

18They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service.

19The captain of the guard also took away the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, pans, and drink offering bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.

20As 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.

21Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall and twelve cubits in circumference; each was hollow, four fingers thick.

22The bronze capital atop one pillar was five cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar.

23Each capital had ninety-six pomegranates on the sides, and a total of a hundred pomegranates were above the surrounding network.

24The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.

25Of 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.

26Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

27There 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.

28These are the people Nebuchadnezzar carried away: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

29in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem;

30in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried away 745 Jews. So in all, 4,600 people were taken away.

31On 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.

32And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

33So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life.

34And the king of Babylon provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life, until the day of his death.

1Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

3For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

4And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.

5So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

6And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

7Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.

8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

9Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.

10And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

11Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

12Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,

13And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:

14And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

15Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

16But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.

17Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

18The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.

19And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in silver, took the captain of the guard away.

20The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brasen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

21And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.

22And a chapiter of brass was upon it; and the height of one chapiter was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these.

23And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about.

24And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:

25He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king’s person, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.

26So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

27And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

28This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty:

29In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:

30In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

31And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,

32And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,

33And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.

34And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

1Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother`s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

3For through the anger of Jehovah did it come to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

4And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.

5So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

6In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

7Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king`s garden; (now the Chaldeans were against the city round about;) and they went toward the Arabah.

8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

9Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment upon him.

10And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

11And he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

12Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem:

13and he burned the house of Jehovah, and the king`s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned he with fire.

14And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

15Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the poorest of the people, and the residue of the people that were left in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.

16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

17And the pillars of brass that were in the house of Jehovah, and the bases and the brazen sea that were in the house of Jehovah, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

18The pots also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.

19And the cups, and the firepans, and the basins, and the pots, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the bowls-that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver,- the captain of the guard took away.

20The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve brazen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made for the house of Jehovah-the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

21And as for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a line of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.

22And a capital of brass was upon it; and the height of the one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capital round about, all of brass: and the second pillar also had like unto these, and pomegranates.

23And there were ninety and six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network round about.

24And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:

25and out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war; and seven men of them that saw the king`s face, that were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.

26And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

27And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.

28This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty;

29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons;

30in the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

31And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison;

32and he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,

33and changed his prison garments. And [Jehoiachin] did eat bread before him continually all the days of his life:

34and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.

2He did what displeased the Lord just as Jehoiakim had done.

3What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger when he drove them out of his sight. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

4King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah.

5The city remained under siege until Zedekiah’s eleventh year.

6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the residents had no food.

7They broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king’s garden. (The Babylonians had the city surrounded.) Then they headed for the rift valley.

8But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him.

9They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the territory of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him there.

10The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah.

11He had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains. Then the king of Babylon had him led off to Babylon, and he was imprisoned there until the day he died.

12On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem.

13He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house.

14The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.

15Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor, the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.

16But he left behind some of the poor and gave them fields and vineyards.

17The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the Lord, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” They took all the bronze to Babylon.

18They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.

19The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.

20The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called “The Sea,” the 12 bronze bulls under “The Sea,” and the movable stands) was too heavy to be weighed.

21Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high, about 18 feet in circumference, three inches thick, and hollow.

22The bronze top of one pillar was about 7½ feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it.

23There were 96 pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were 100 pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it.

24The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.

25From the city he took an official who was in charge of the soldiers, seven of the king’s advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens for military service, and 60 citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city.

26Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

27The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of Hamath.So Judah was taken into exile away from its land.

28Here is the official record of the number of people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

29in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem;

30in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all, 4,600 people went into exile.

31In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, King Evil Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison.

32He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

33Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life.

34He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life until the day he died.

1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign. He reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

3For through Yahweh’s anger this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

4In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.

5So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

6In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

7Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled, and went out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden. Now the Chaldeans were against the city all around. The men of war went toward the Arabah,

8but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

9Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he pronounced judgment on him.

10The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. He also killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

11He put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem.

13He burned Yahweh’s house, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, he burned with fire.

14All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around.

15Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the poorest of the people, and the residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.

16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.

17The Chaldeans broke the pillars of brass that were in Yahweh’s house, and the bases and the bronze sea that were in Yahweh’s house in pieces, and carried all of their brass to Babylon.

18They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered.

19The captain of the guard took away the cups, the fire pans, the basins, the pots, the lamp stands, the spoons, and the bowls; that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver.

20They took the two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made for Yahweh’s house. The brass of all these vessels was without weight.

21As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a line of twelve cubits encircled it; and its thickness was four fingers. It was hollow.

22A capital of brass was on it; and the height of the one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of brass: and the second pillar also had like these, and pomegranates.

23There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were one hundred on the network all around.

24The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:

25and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and seven men of those who saw the king’s face, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the middle of the city.

26Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

27The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.

28This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, three thousand twenty-three Jews;

29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty-two persons;

30in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty-five people: all the people were four thousand six hundred.

31In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and released him from prison.

32He spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon,

33and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life.

34For his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

This closing chapter is a historical appendix, largely paralleling the account in 2 Kings, recounting Zedekiah's rebellion against Babylon and the resulting siege and fall of Jerusalem (vv. 1-11). It describes the burning of the temple and city, the demolition of the walls, and the deportation of the population, along with a list of the numbers taken into exile over several successive years (vv. 12-30). The temple's bronze pillars, sea, and other furnishings are catalogued in detail before being carried off to Babylon (vv. 17-23). The chapter ends on an unexpected note of hope: years later, the Babylonian king Evil-Merodach releases the exiled King Jehoiachin from prison, restores him to a position of honor, and provides for him at the royal table for the rest of his life (vv. 31-34).

Authorship & Background

Author: Likely a later editor/compiler (not Jeremiah himself), as 44:30 appears to be his last prophecy. This chapter closely parallels 2 Kings 24:18-25:30.
Classification: Historical Appendix — Jerusalem's Fall and Jehoiachin's Release
Key Themes: Prophecy fulfilled (everything Jeremiah predicted came true), the temple destroyed, the Davidic monarchy ended (seemingly), yet Jehoiachin's release — a spark of hope for David's line
Historical Context: This chapter was likely added by an editor to provide the fulfillment record: everything Jeremiah prophesied actually happened. The detailed inventory of temple furnishings carried to Babylon (vv.17-23) emphasizes the magnitude of loss. The deportation numbers (vv.28-30: 4,600 total over three deportations) may count only adult males. The chapter's final note (vv.31-34) is the release of King Jehoiachin from prison by Evil-Merodach (Amel-Marduk) of Babylon in 562 BC — 37 years after his exile. This tiny note of royal favor preserves hope: David's line survives. The book ends not with destruction but with a king at a royal table — a whisper of messianic hope.
Zedekiah's Reign (vv.1-3): Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, and he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD. This chapter is an appendix. It comes from the same source as 2 Kings 24 and 25 and is largely identical to it, and it is here because the words of Jeremiah ended at 51:64 and somebody thought the reader should still be told how it came out.
The Siege (vv.4-5): The ninth year, tenth month, tenth day, Nebuchadrezzar came, and all his army, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about. So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. Eighteen months in two verses, which is the proportion a chronicle keeps and the reverse of the proportion the rest of this book keeps.
The Breach, the Flight and the Capture (vv.6-11): In the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. Then the flight by night through the gate between the two walls, the capture in the plains of Jericho, and the sentence at Riblah, they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
The Temple Burned (vv.12-14): In the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, came Nebuzar-adan, and burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the walls of Jerusalem round about were broken down. That date is the one the Jewish calendar still keeps as the ninth of Av, the fast for the destruction of both temples, and it is fixed by this verse and its parallel in Kings.
The Deportation (vv.15-16): The poor of the people, and the residue, and the fugitives, and the rest of the multitude, carried away captive. And then the same clause that starts chapter 40's whole story, but Nebuzar-adan left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen. The people at the bottom stay, and are given the vineyards.
The Vessels Catalogued (vv.17-23): The longest passage in the chapter is an inventory, and the disproportion is worth asking about. The pillars, the bases, the brasen sea, the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the bowls and the spoons, and then the two pillars measured to the cubit with the pomegranates counted, ninety and six on a side and a hundred on the network. A chronicle that gave eighteen months of siege two verses gives the temple furniture seven. The reason is at the other end of the exile: Ezra 1 records these objects being brought back and counted again. Somebody kept the list.
Executed at Riblah (vv.24-27): Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, three door keepers, the officer set over the men of war, and threescore men of the people of the land, taken to Riblah and killed there. This is the event Ezekiel 11:10 had described in advance in one clause, I will judge you in the border of Israel, and Riblah is on the northern border.
The Deportation Numbers (vv.28-30): Three deportations counted separately, three thousand and twenty and three in the seventh year, eight hundred thirty and two in the eighteenth, seven hundred forty and five in the twenty-third, all the persons were four thousand and six hundred. The figures are much lower than the totals in 2 Kings and are generally taken to count adult men only. A book of this length ends its history with an audit total.
Jehoiachin at the King's Table (vv.31-34): The book ends on a meal. In the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity, Evil-merodach king of Babylon brought Jehoiachin out of prison, and spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him, and changed his prison garments, and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. Babylonian administrative tablets excavated at the city record rations issued to Yaukin, king of the land of Yahud, which is this man under his own name, so the last scene in the book has independent documentation. It is not a restoration. Nothing is given back and nobody goes home. What it establishes is that the line Jeremiah had said would lose the throne was still alive, out of prison, and eating at the emperor's table, which for a book that ends in exile is as much of an ending as it is prepared to give.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.1, v.3, v.4): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.
  • Babylon (v.3, v.4, v.9): Capital of the Babylonian empire; place of Judah's exile (modern Iraq).
  • Jericho (v.8): City near the Jordan River; first city conquered in the Promised Land.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
  • Babylonnear Hillah, IraqOn the Euphrates about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Judah's exiles were marched roughly 900 miles to get here, the long way round the Arabian desert, which is why the journey took months and the return was a genuine undertaking rather than a short trip home. Wikipedia
  • JerichoJericho, West BankAn oasis at a perennial spring in the Jordan valley, 850 feet below sea level and among the oldest continuously settled sites anywhere. It guarded the ford and the climb up to the central hills, so anyone entering Canaan from the east had to deal with it first. Wikipedia
  • Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. Wikipedia
  • CanaanIsrael, West Bank, LebanonThe land bridge between Egypt and Mesopotamia, which is why armies crossed it for three thousand years. Within about 60 miles it goes from coastal plain to hill country to rift valley to desert plateau, so control of it was always local and piecemeal. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Jeremiah 52 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
2BeLikeChrist

Jeremiah 50-52 | Babylon Will Fall | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Jerusalem Fallen, Judah Exiled - Jeremiah 52
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Jeremiah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Rebellion That Finally Runs Out of Road (vv.1-3) — Zedekiah rebels against Babylon despite years of clear warning, and this time the consequences finally land. Is there a warning you've been ignoring for so long that you've started to assume it will never actually catch up with you?
  • Nothing Built by Human Hands Is Permanent (v.13) — Even Solomon's magnificent temple, the center of Israel's worship, is burned to the ground. Where might you be placing your ultimate security in a structure, institution, or achievement rather than in God Himself?
  • Hope Arriving After Decades of Darkness (v.31) — Jehoiachin is released from prison after thirty-seven years and given a seat at the king's table. Is there a long-held hope you've nearly given up on that you need to keep trusting God with, even on His timeline rather than yours?
  • The Book's Final Image Is Provision, Not Destruction (v.34) — After fifty-two chapters heavy with judgment, Jeremiah closes with a released king given a regular allowance of food for the rest of his life. What does it tell you about God's character that even the darkest book in Scripture ends with an image of sustaining care?