JeremiahChapter 52

+ Secondary text Original text ← Previous Klagesangene →Contribute

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

He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.

Indeed, because of the LORD's anger this came upon Jerusalem and Judah, until he cast them out of his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with his whole army against Jerusalem. They laid siege to it and built siege works all around it.

So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

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

Then the city wall was breached, and all the soldiers fled. They left the city by night through the gate between the two walls near the king's garden, though the Chaldeans surrounded the city, and they went toward the Arabah.

But the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army scattered from him.

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

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

Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes, bound him in bronze shackles, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon and kept him in prison until the day of his death.

In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that is, the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned with fire.

And the whole Chaldean army that was with the captain of the guard tore down all the walls surrounding Jerusalem.

Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile some of the poorest of the people, along with the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.

But Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and the fields.

The Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars of the house of the LORD, along with the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.

They also took the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the dishes, and all the bronze vessels used in the temple service.

The captain of the guard took the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the dishes, and the libation vessels—everything made of gold and everything made of silver.

As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve bronze bulls under the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD—the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weighing.

Each pillar stood eighteen cubits high; its circumference was twelve cubits, it was four fingers thick, and hollow inside.

On top of it was a bronze capital five cubits high, with lattice work and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with its pomegranates.

There were ninety-six pomegranates on each side; in all, the pomegranates on the lattice work all around numbered one hundred.

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

From the city he took one court official who was in command of the soldiers, seven men of the king's personal attendants who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found inside the city.

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

And there at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was carried away from its land.

This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, 832 persons from Jerusalem;

in Nebuchadnezzar's twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile 745 Jews. In all, 4,600 persons.

In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year he became king, showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and released him from prison.

He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

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

And a regular allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, day by day, until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Lookup

Summary2

Chapter 52

Main Theme: The fall and destruction of Jerusalem as a result of God’s judgment on Judah’s sin and rebellion.

Content: King Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and rebelled against Babylon, which led to Nebuchadnezzar besieging Jerusalem. After a prolonged famine, the city fell; Zedekiah’s sons were killed before his eyes, he was blinded, and taken to Babylon. The temple and the city were burned, the walls were torn down, and the people were carried into exile—a total of 4,600 persons. The chapter concludes with Jehoiachin being released after 37 years in captivity by King Evil-Merodach and given an honorable place at the royal court.

Key Words/Images:

The Lord’s anger (v. 3): The destruction occurred because God’s wrath was upon Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them away from His presence.
Blinded and bound (v. 11): Zedekiah was blinded and put in bronze chains—a picture of the total humiliation of judgment.
The temple’s destruction (vv. 13, 17–23): The burning of the Lord’s house and the plundering of the temple articles mark the end of an era.
Jehoiachin’s restoration (vv. 31–34): Jehoiachin’s release offers a glimpse of hope amid judgment—the line of David continues.

Historical context

People

Zedekiah (צִדְקִיָּהוּ) was the last king of Judah. According to verse 1, he was twenty-one years old when he became king; his mother was Hamutal (חֲמוּטַל) from Libnah, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. He "did what was evil in the Lord’s sight" (v. 2) and rebelled against Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar (נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר), king of Babylon, led the siege of Jerusalem. At Riblah he judged Zedekiah, executed his sons and the leading men of Judah, and blinded the king.

Nebuzaradan (נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן) held the title "chief of the guard" (רַב־טַבָּחִים). He oversaw the practical execution of Jerusalem’s destruction, the plundering of the temple, and the deportations.

Seraiah (שְׂרָיָה) was the high priest (כֹּהֵן הָרֹאשׁ), and Zephaniah (צְפַנְיָה) was the second priest (כֹּהֵן הַמִּשְׁנֶה). Both were taken to Riblah and executed along with other leaders (vv. 24–27).

Jehoiachin (יְהוֹיָכִין), the former king who had been deported in 597 BC, is mentioned at the end of the chapter. In the thirty-seventh year of his exile, he was elevated by Evil-Merodach (אֱוִיל מְרֹדַךְ), the new king of Babylon (vv. 31–34).

Places

Riblah (רִבְלָתָה) in the land of Hamath was Nebuchadnezzar’s military headquarters. Here Zedekiah was judged, his sons were executed, and he himself was blinded (vv. 9–11). The priests and other leaders were also executed here (vv. 26–27).

The gate between the two walls (שַׁעַר בֵּין־הַחֹמֹתַיִם) near the king’s garden (v. 7) was the escape route used by Zedekiah and his men. They fled toward the Arabah plain (הָעֲרָבָה), but were overtaken in the plains of Jericho.

Babylon (בָּבֶל) is mentioned as the destination for the deported (v. 15), for the temple articles (v. 17), and as the place where Jehoiachin was held and later elevated (vv. 31–34).

Events and Customs

The siege of Jerusalem began in Zedekiah’s ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month (v. 4), and lasted until the eleventh year, in the fourth month (vv. 5–6). The Babylonians built siege ramps (דָּיֵק) around the city. The famine became so severe that "there was no bread for the people in the land" (v. 6).

The blinding of Zedekiah after he had first been forced to watch his sons being executed (vv. 10–11) was a deliberate strategy: the last thing he saw was the destruction of his dynastic line. He was then put in bronze chains and taken to Babylon.

The temple’s destruction occurred in the fifth month, on the tenth day, in Nebuchadnezzar’s nineteenth year (vv. 12–13). The house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the great houses were burned, and Jerusalem’s walls were torn down.

Key Terms

"Those who see the king’s face" (רֹאֵי פְנֵי־הַמֶּלֶךְ) in verse 25 was a technical term for high-ranking court officials with direct access to the king.

"The house of custody" (בֵּית־הַפְּקֻדֹּת, v. 11)—literally "the house of oversight"—was the place where Zedekiah was held until his death.

Chapter-Specific Findings

The deportation figures in verses 28–30 are unique to this chapter and provide precise numbers: 3,023 Judeans in the seventh year, 832 from Jerusalem in the eighteenth year, and 745 in the twenty-third year—totaling 4,600 people. These figures are lower than those in 2 Kings, possibly because only adult men were counted.

Ration texts from Babylon (circa 592 BC) mention rations for "Yaukin, king of the land of Judah" and his sons. This confirms the chapter’s concluding account of Jehoiachin’s stay in Babylon and his later elevation.

The temple inventory is described in detail in verses 17–23, including the two bronze pillars (eighteen cubits high), the bronze sea, and the twelve bronze oxen. King Solomon had made these, and the weight of the bronze was beyond measure.

People8

Solomon1 Evil-Merodach1 Nebuchadnezzar4 Jeremiah1 Zedekiah (son of Kenaanah, prophet under Ahab)1 Nebuzaradan5 Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim)1 Hamutal1

See all people →

Key words8

Jerusalem — The capital city of the kingdom of Judah, which was destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar II.
Nebuchadnezzar — King of Babylon, who conquered and destroyed Jerusalem and led the Jews into exile.
Exile — The condition of being forced to leave one's homeland and live in a foreign land, as the Jews experienced after the fall of Jerusalem.
Temple — The holy place in Jerusalem where the Jews performed their religious ceremonies and sacrifices. Destroyed by the Babylonians.
Zedekiah — The last king of Judah, who was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and taken to Babylon.
Babylon — An ancient city and empire in Mesopotamia, known for its power and cultural influence. The place where the Jews were led into exile.
Jehoiachin — Former king of Judah, who also was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and taken to Babylon.
Evil-Merodach — Son of Nebuchadnezzar and king of Babylon, who released Jehoiachin from captivity and treated him with respect.