Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 2 Kings · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV.
Verſ. 2. ANd the city was beſieged unto the eleventh yeare of king Zedekiah, &c.] The city was ſurrounded on the tenth day of the tenth monethmonth, in the ninth yeare of Zedekiahs reigne, verſe 1. and was taken by ſtorm on the ninth day of the fourth monethmonth of the eleventh yeare, the ſiege therefore continued a full yeare and an half: when Nebuchadnezzar firſt came againſt the city, Jeremiah had propheſied that the city ſhould be taken and burnt, and Zedekiah carried away captive though not ſlain, as Jehoiakim was; for which he was by the inſtigation of the princes clapped up in priſon; ſee Jer. 32, 1, 5.34.1, 7. Jer. 17.38. &c. Indeed a while the Chaldeans left the ſiege, for Pharaoh Hophre a king of Egypt entring the borders of Judah with his army to ſuccour Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar and his Chaldeans fearing the diſadvantage of being ſet upon by the Egyptian army, whileſt they lay before Jeruſalem, where the Jews might alſo aſſail them from within the city, they reſolved rather to raiſe the ſiege for a time. At this time the Jews begun to entertain great hopes again, and (as it is probably thought) having in their former extremity ſet free their bondmen (as the law required) by the advice of Zedekiah, when the Chaldeans were gone, they repented them of their charity, and reduced them again into their former ſlavery; ſee Jerem. 34.8, 9, &c. but Zedekiah knowing that if the Egyptians prevailed not, they ſhould ſoon be ſurrounded again with the Chaldean army; he ſent to Jeremiah the prophet to pray for him. and received this meſſage from him by his ſervants; that the Chaldeans ſhould return again, and take the city, and burn it with fire; and being caſt for this by the enraged princes into the dungeon, under a pretence at firſt of his attempting to fly unto the Chaldeans; he often earneſtly perſwaded Zedekiah to yield himſelf to the Chaldeans, and ſo to ſave both himſelf and the city. See Jerem. 37. and Jerem. 38. but he not hearkening to him, what the Prophet had ſaid came exactly to paſſe, for the Egyptians not daring to encounter with Nebuchadnezzar, did ſoon return again into Egypt, and abandon their enterprize, and on the other ſide the Chaldeans did as ſpeedily return to the ſiege of Jeruſalem, and never after that left it till they had taken it.
Verſ. 3. The famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.] Inſomuch, that as Ezekiel had prophecyed, who begun to propheſie in the fifth yeare of Zedekiahs reigne, Ezekiel 1.2. parents did eat their own children, and children their parents, Ezekiel 5.10. Therefore the fathers ſhall eat the ſonnes in the middeſt of thee, and the ſonnes ſhall eat the fathers, &c. Lament. 4.10. The hands of the pitifull women have ſodden their own children, they were their meat in the deſtruction of the daughter of my people.
Verſ. 4. And the city was broken up, &c.] And ſo the middle gate was immediately taken, Jerem. 39.3. And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and ſate in the middle gate, &c. and then as it followes, all the men of warre fled by night, by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the kings garden; for there was it ſeems a ſecret gate in ſome place near to the kings garden, cloſed upon each ſide with a falſe wall, provided on purpoſe for a means of eſcape in ſuch a time of danger, and through this therefore the ſouldiers with the king, Jerem. 39.4. fled now out of the city, being helped in their flight, either by the darkneſſe of the night, or by the advantage of a cave or vault under ground, into which the ſecret gate led them, and through which they might ſteal away, the beſiegers not ſeeing them; and thus it came to paſſe as Ezekiel had foretold, Ezek. 12.12. And the prince that is among them ſhall bear upon his ſhoulder in the twilight, and ſhall go forth; they ſhall dig thorough the wall to carry out thereby; he ſhall cover his face that he ſee not the ground with his eyes.
Verſ. 5. And the army of the Chaldees purſued after the king, &c.] Having by ſome means received ſome information of his flight.
Verſ, 6. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah, &c.] Though therefore it be ſaid verſ. 1. that Nebuchadnezzar came againſt Jeruſalem; yet it ſeems he himſelf ſtayed at Riblah, or at leaſt, thither he was retired in the time of the ſiege, that ſo he might there take care of his own countrey, and might ſupply his army at Jeruſalem with men and proviſion, as need required.
Verſ. 7. And they ſlew the ſonnes of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, &c.] And then was that prophecy of Ezekiel fulfilled, Ezek. 12.13. My net will I ſpread upon him, and he ſhall be taken in my ſnare, and I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans, yet ſhall he not ſee it, though he ſhall die there.
Verſ. 8. And in the fifth monethmonth, on the ſeventh day of the monethmonth, &c.] Zedekiah being brought to Riblah to Nebuchadnezzar, in the fourth monethmonth, and there uſed as aboveſaid, on the ſeventh day of the fifth monethmonth, Nebuzar-adan was ſent away by the king, with a commiſſion to ruine the city, and carry away the people; who arriving at Jeruſalem the tenth day of the monethmonth, did accordingly effect what the king had commanded, Jer. 52.12. Now in the fifth monethmonth, in the tenth day of the monethmonth, (which was in the nineteenth yeare of Nebuchadnezzars reigne) came Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard, which ſerved the king of Babylon to Jeruſalem; and hence▪ is, that ſeeming contradiction between theſe two places; whereas here it is ſaid, that it was in the nineteenth yeare of Nebuchadnezzar when theſe things were done; yet Jer. 52.29. it is ſaid, that theſe Jews were carried away to Babylon in the eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzars reigne; this is onelyonly becauſe theſe things were done in the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzars reigne, for with both theſe years of his reigne did the eleventh of Zedekiahs concurre.
Verſ. 9. And he burnt the houſe of the Lord.] To wit, about foure hundred and fifty years after it was firſt built by Solomon.
Verſ. 11. Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, did Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard carry away, &c.] To wit, eight hundred thirty two perſons, Jer. 52.29. In the eighteenth yeare of Nebuchad-rezzar, he carried away captive from Jeruſalem eight hundred thirty and two perſons.
Verſ. 12. But the captain of the guard left of the poore of the land, to be vine-dreſſers, and husbandmen.] Yet about foure or five years after this, even theſe alſo as it ſeems were carried away, to wit, in the three and twentieth yeare of Nebuchad-rezzer, Jerem. 52.30. In the three and twentieth yeare of Nebuchad-rezzer, Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard carried away of the Jews ſeven hundred fourty and five perſons; all the perſons were foure thouſand and ſix hundred; that ſo the land might enjoy her Sabbath: 2. Chron. 36.20, 21. And them that eſcaped the ſword, carried he away to Babylon, where they were ſervants to him and his ſonnes, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, untill the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths, &c:
Verſ. 13. And the pillars of braſſe that were in the houſe of the Lord, and the baſes, and the braſen ſea, &c.] Indeed that theſe things ſhould be carried into Babylon Jeremiah had beforehand propheſied, Jer. 27.21, 22. Thus ſaith the Lord concerning the veſſels that remain in the houſe of the Lord, and in the houſe of the king of Judah and Jeruſalem, They ſhall be carried to Babylon, &c.
Verſ. 17. And the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, &c.] See the note 1. Kings 7.15.
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief prieſt, and Zephaniah the ſecond prieſt, &c.] Seraiah was the grandchild of Hilkiah, who was high prieſt in Hezekiahs time, and father of Jehozadak, who was carried into Babylon, 1. Chron. 6.14. and Zephaniah called here the ſecond prieſt, (concerning which title ſee the note, Numb. 3, 32.) was it ſeems in great eſteem with the king, and therefore uſually ſent by him to Jeremiah, Jer. 21.1. and 37.3. now becauſe the prieſts were alwayes bitter enemies to Jeremiah, Jer. 26.7, 8. hence we may conceive that both he, and all the reſt here mentioned, were picked out by Nebuzar-adan, not for captivity, but for the ſword; becauſe Zedekiah had been much led by their counſels in reſiſting the king of Babylon, contrary to what Jeremiah had commanded them.
Verſ. 19. And out of the city he took an officer that was ſet over the men of warre, and five men of them that were in the kings preſence, &c.] Jeremiah ſaith ſeven, Jer. 52.25. he took alſo an Eunuch which had the charge of the men of warre, and ſeven men of them that were near the kings perſon; adding two more to theſe here mentioned, which were not perhaps of ſo great note, as theſe five were.
And threeſcore men of the people of the land, that were found in the city.] That is, of the common people, ſuch as it ſeems were of the richer ſort, and had moſt oppoſed the king of Babylon.
Verſ. 22. Over them he made Gedaliah the ſonne of Ahikam, the ſonne of Shaphan, ruler.] Both the favour which Nebuzar-adan ſhewed to this Gedaliah by Nebuchadnezzars appointment, Jer. 40.5. and Jeremiahs making choice to live with him, when Nebuzar-adan had taken him out of priſon, as Nebuchadnezzar had given him order to do; and had given him liberty to go with him into Babylon, or to ſtay where he pleaſed in his own countrey, Jer. 39.11, 12. and 40.1—6, I ſay both theſe make it probable, that he was one of them that had followed the advice which the Prophet gave both to Zedekiah and the reſt; to wit, to yield themſelves to the Babylonian, Jerem. 21.8, 9, 10. Thus ſaith the Lord, I will ſet before thee the way of life, and the way of death, he that abideth in this citie ſhall die by the ſword, famine, and peſtilence, but he that goeth out and falleth to the Chaldeans that beſiege you, he ſhall live, &c. and that therefore he was now made provinciall governour of Judea by Nebuchadnezzers command, to rule over them that were carried away captive.
Verſ, 23. And when all the captains of the armies, they, and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governour, &c.] To wit, amongſt others thoſe that fled out of the citie when Jeruſalem was taken verſ. 4.
And Jaazaniah the ſonne of a Maachathite.] Or Jezaniah, Jer. 40.8.
Verſ. 25. Iſhmael the ſonne of Nethaniah, the ſonne of Eliſhama, of the ſeed royall, came, and ten men with him, and ſmote Gedaliah, &c.] This Iſhmael (as it ſeems) during the ſiege of Jeruſalem, had kept himſelf out of the ſtorm, with Baalis king of the Ammonites, Jer. 40.14. and being of the kings ſeed, he now envied that the government ſhould be committed to Gedaliah; and ſtirred up alſo by the king of Ammon, he made a conſpiracy with ſome few more to ſlay Gedaliah, this Johanan mentioned above, verſ. 23. diſcovered to Gedaliah, and offered his help to ſlay Iſhmael, Jer. 40.13, 14. but Gedaliah being incredulous, Iſhmael had the better advantage to effect his purpoſe; for whileſt he was feaſting with him, he ſlew him, and thoſe that were with him, Jer. 41.1, 2, 3. Iſhmael the ſonne of Nethaniah of the ſeed royall, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah, and they did eat bread in Mizpah together: and Iſhmael aroſe, and ten men with him, and ſmote Gedaliah the governour, and all the Jews that were with him, &c. after this, foureſcore men coming from ſeverall places of the kingdome, in a moſt ſad and mournfull manner, becauſe of the deſolation that was fallen upon Jeruſalem, having certain offerings, and incenſe with them, which they purpoſed to offer to the Lord, in the place where the Temple had ſtood, the place which God had choſen, though now ruined by the Chaldeans; Iſhmael having notice of it went forth to meet them, and with counterfeit tears, making ſhew that he alſo bare a part with them in their ſorrow, he invited them to go with him to Gedaliah, (thereby to try how they ſtood affected to him) and ſo having gotten them into the city, he ſlew them all, ten of them onelyonly excepted; whom he ſpared becauſe they promiſed to diſcover unto him ſome treaſures hidden in the fields during the warres: he alſo addreſſed himſelf preſently to return to the Amonites, and carried with him as captives all the inhabitants of that place, and amongſt the reſt Zedekiahs daughters committed to the care of Gedaliah, by Nebuchadnezzer; but Johanan hearing of it with ſuch forces as he could get purſued him preſently, and overtaking him at Gibeon, the captives fell off him, and Iſhmael with eight men onelyonly eſcaped by flight: all which is largely related in the 40. and 41. chapter.
Verſ. 26. And all the people both ſmall and great, and the captains of the armies aroſe and came to Egypt, &c.] Fearing the Babylonian would take occaſion upon the murder of Gedaliah, and the Chaldeans that were with him utterly to deſtroy all the Jewes that remained in the land, Johanan and the other captains reſolved to fly with the people that were left into Egypt; firſt indeed they came to Jeremiah, and asked counſel of him, vowing to do as he ſhould direct them from the Lord, but when he anſwered them, that if they ſtayed in the land God would ſhew them mercy, but if they went down into Egypt, they ſhould all periſh there, they charged him with propheſying falſely in the name of the Lord, and deſpiſing the oracle of God, they went away to Egypt, and carried both Jeremiah and Baruch along with them, and inhabited near unto Taphnes; where when Jeremiah continued to reprove them for their idolatry, and to foretell the deſtruction of Egypt, and of the Jews, that ſought to ſhelter themſelves there (for this, with all before mentioned, is largely related by Ieremiah in the 41, 42, 43, and 44. chapters of his propheſie) he was at length there (as other hiſtories report) ſtoned to death by his own ungratefull countrey-men.
Verſ. 27. And it came to paſſe in the ſeven and thirtieth yeare of the captivity of Jehoiachin, &c.] Zedekiah died in priſon in Babylon, Jer. 52.11. Then 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: and had onelyonly the honour of being buried as a prince, and lamented at his buriall by his people, Jer. 34.5. But thou ſhalt die in peace, and with the buryings of thy fathers the former kings which were before thee: ſo ſhall they burn odours for thee, and they will lament thee, ſaying, Ah Lord; for I have pronounced the word, ſaith the Lord. But Jehoiachin becauſe he yielded himſelf at Jeremiahs counſel to Nebuchadnezzer, was at length by Evilmerodach the ſonne of Nebuchadnezzer, taken out of priſon, and uſed with all princely reſpect: indeed whereas here it is ſaid, this was done on the ſeven and twentieth day of the twelfth monethmonth, Jerem. 52.31. it is ſaid to have been done on the five and twentieth day; but the reaſon of this may be, becauſe order was given for his releaſe on the five and twentieth day, but it was not done till the ſeven and twentieth day, as is here ſaid.