On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his army came and besieged Jerusalem like a wall around it for nearly two years. This brought about a famine in the city, which by the ninth day of the fourth month had become so severe that there was no food for the people (v1-3). The siege was to prevent business and trade to starve the people. The Babylonians were at the point of victory over Jerusalem. They then broke through the walls of Jerusalem, but all the men of war fled by way of the gate between two walls by the king’s garden (v4). The Chaldeans were still around the city and the king left by way of the plain, but they overtook the king in the plains of Jericho, but his army was scattered. The Chaldeans took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and judgment was pronounced on him. They put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with fetters, and killed his sons in front of him. They then took Zedekiah into Babylon (v4-7).
Jeremiah and other prophets had foretold judgment on him, and Zedekiah may have thought that he had escaped it, but he hadn’t for he was captured. One writer says that it was ironic that he was captured in the plains of Jericho, the very place where Israel entered the Promised Land, their first victory when the walls of Jericho fell down, it became the place of their last defeat.
It is said that the Babylonians were not as cruel as the Assyrians, but they were still experts in cruelty. They allowed Zedekiah to see his own sons murdered in his sight before putting out his eyes. Ezekiel had prophesied about Zedekiah (12:13) “I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there.”
In the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar on the seventh day of the fifth month, Nebuzaradan, captain of the Babylonian guard, his title in Hebrew was ‘chief executioner, came to Jerusalem and burned all the houses of the great, including the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and his army broke down the walls of Jerusalem (v8-10). The temple of the LORD was therefore destroyed in the the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, just over four hundred and twenty-four years since Solomon laid its foundations. He also carried away all the remaining people except the poor of the land who he left as vine dressers and farmers.
With broken down walls Jerusalem was left without physical security and would stay that way until Nehemiah returned with his people to rebuild it. The Chaldeans broke in pieces the bronze pillar, the carts and the bronze sea which were in the LORD’s house and carried the bronze to Babylon. They also took all the utensils with which the priests ministered, things of solid gold and silver. The bronze taken was without measure (v11-17). Of the two pillars which Solomon had made, both were eighteen cubits high (approximately twenty-seven feet) with a three-cubit bronze capital on top (approximately four feet six inches). Apparently only Jeremiah and Gedaliah were left behind of the prominent men (see v22 and Jeremiah 39). Jerusalem was left desolate and Jeremiah 52:17-23 lists the items that were taken.
The captain of the guard took Seraiah, the chief priest, Zephaniah, the second priest, and three doorkeepers. He also took five close associates of the king, a city officer who had charge of the men of war, the chief recruiting officer of the army, and sixty men found in the city (v18-21). Nebuzaradan brought them to the king of Babylon, and the king put them to death at Riblah in Hamath. The LORD gave his people the land, but because of their idolatry and sin they lost it. They had wanted to be like other nations, they were a special people, God’s own people, but they lost everything and were carried away into captivity, where many of them died. What a come down, all because of their disobedience and sin – 860 years now gone, carried away into seeming oblivion.
Gedaliah was made governor of Judah. He was the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. It seems that he was a good man. When all the captains of the armies heard about Gedaliah came with their men and Gedaliah made an oath to them, “Do not not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” (v22-24)
It was hard to believe that God was using the Babylonians to do His will to bring judgment on Judah. Habakkuk was bothered by this – how could God use an even more wicked nation? (see Habakkuk 1:5-2:8)
Before long, however, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama of the royal family, one of the captains of the army, came with ten men and killed Gedaliah, the Jews as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. They all went to Egypt because they were afraid of the Babylonians (v25,26) and what they might do to them because they killed Gedaliah.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, a new king of Babylon arose with the intriguing name of Evil-Merodach. In his first year he released Jehoiachin from prison. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than the other kings in Babylon. He changed from his prison garments and ate bread at the king’s table all his life and he was given a regular ration, a portion for each day (v27-30). It seemed that the blessing of God was still on His people even though their circumstances were seemingly dire.
