Jerusalem is besieged, 1-3. Zedekiah taken, his sons slain, his eyes put out, 4-7. Nebuzar-adan defaces the city, carries the remnant into captivity, except a few poor laborers, 8-12; and plunders and carries away the treasures, 13-17. The nobles are slain at Riblah, 18-21. Gedaliah, who was over those who remained, is slain, and the rest flee into Egypt, 22-26. Evil-merodach advances Jehoiachin in his court, 27-30.
1 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came—he and all his army—against Jerusalem and encamped against it. And they built forts against it on all sides. 2 And the city was besieged to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4 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 Chaldeans were against the city on all sides). And the king went the way toward the plain. 5 And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 So they took the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burnt the house of the LORD, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and he burnt every great man's house with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem on all sides. 11 Now the rest of the people who were left in the city, and the fugitives who fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land to be vine-dressers and farmers.
13 And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried their brass to Babylon. 14 And the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, they took away. 15 And the fire-pans, the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the brass of all these vessels was without weight. 17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital upon it was brass. And the height of the capital was three cubits. And the net-work and pomegranates upon the capital around were all of brass. And the second pillar was like these with net-work.
18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door, 19 And out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war, five men of those who were in the king's presence who were found in the city, the principal scribe of the host who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 And Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard took 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 Judah was carried away out of their land.
22 And as for the people who remained in the land of Judah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler over them. 23 And when all the captains of the armies—they and their men—heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite—they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and to their men and said to them, "Do not fear to be the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon and it shall be well with you."
25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah so that he died, along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 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 Chaldeans.
27 And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 And he changed his prison garments. And he ate bread continually before him all the days of his life. 30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given to him by the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
Matthew Henry Commentary - 2nd Kings, Chapter 25[➚]