2 Raja-raja 24:2

24:2 The Lord sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, as he had warned he would do through his servants the prophets. ¹ 

2 Raja-raja 24:10-17

24:10 At that time the generals ²  of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to Jerusalem and besieged the city. ³  24:11 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his generals were besieging it. 24:12 King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his officials, and his eunuchs surrendered ⁴  to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, ⁵  took Jehoiachin ⁶  prisoner. 24:13 Nebuchadnezzar ⁷  took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the Lord had warned. 24:14 He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and all the soldiers (10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the people of the land. 24:15 He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land. ⁸  24:16 The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors. ⁹  24:17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s ¹⁰  uncle, king in Jehoiachin’s place. He renamed him Zedekiah.

2 Raja-raja 25:1

25:1 So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside ¹¹  it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign. ¹² 

2 Raja-raja 25:8-30

Nebuchadnezzar Destroys Jerusalem

25:8 On the seventh ¹³  day of the fifth month, ¹⁴  in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard ¹⁵  who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. ¹⁶  25:9 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. ¹⁷  25:10 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 25:11 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, deported 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. ¹⁸  25:12 But he ¹⁹  left behind some of the poor of the land and gave them fields and vineyards.

25:13 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the Lord’s temple, as well as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called the “The Sea.” ²⁰  They took the bronze to Babylon. 25:14 They also took the pots, shovels, ²¹  trimming shears, ²²  pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. ²³  25:15 The captain of the royal guard took the golden and silver censers ²⁴  and basins. 25:16 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple – including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” ²⁵  and the movable stands – was too heavy to be weighed. 25:17 Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet ²⁶  high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feet ²⁷  high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its latticework was like it.

25:18 The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah, the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers. 25:19 From the city he took a eunuch who was in charge of the soldiers, five ²⁸  of the king’s advisers ²⁹  who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens ³⁰  for military service, and sixty citizens from the people of the land who were discovered in the city. 25:20 Nebuzaradan, captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 25:21 The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed ³¹  at Riblah in the territory ³²  of Hamath. So Judah was deported from its land.

Gedaliah Appointed Governor

25:22 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over the people whom he allowed to remain in the land of Judah. ³³  25:23 All of the officers of the Judahite army ³⁴  and their troops heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to govern. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite. 25:24 Gedaliah took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. ³⁵  He said, “You don’t need to be afraid to submit to the Babylonian officials. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.” 25:25 But in the seventh month ³⁶  Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, ³⁷  came with ten of his men and murdered Gedaliah, ³⁸  as well as the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. 25:26 Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, as well as the army officers, left for ³⁹  Egypt, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians might do.

Jehoiachin in Babylon

25:27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-seventh ⁴⁰  day of the twelfth month, ⁴¹  King Evil-Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned ⁴²  King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him ⁴³  from prison. 25:28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than ⁴⁴  the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 25:29 Jehoiachin ⁴⁵  took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. 25:30 He was given daily provisions by the king for the rest of his life until the day he died. ⁴⁶ 

2 Raja-raja 25:2

25:2 The city remained under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.

2 Raja-raja 1:6-10

1:6 They replied, ⁴⁷  “A man came up to meet us. He told us, “Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. ⁴⁸  Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’” 1:7 The king ⁴⁹  asked them, “Describe the appearance ⁵⁰  of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” 1:8 They replied, ⁵¹  “He was a hairy man ⁵²  and had a leather belt ⁵³  tied around his waist.” The king ⁵⁴  said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”

1:9 The king ⁵⁵  sent a captain and his fifty soldiers ⁵⁶  to retrieve Elijah. ⁵⁷  The captain ⁵⁸  went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. ⁵⁹  He told him, “Prophet, ⁶⁰  the king says, ‘Come down!’” 1:10 Elijah replied to the captain, ⁶¹  “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down ⁶²  from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.

Yeremia 39:1-14

39:1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. The siege began in the tenth month of the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah. ⁶³  39:2 It lasted until the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year. ⁶⁴  On that day they broke through the city walls. 39:3 Then Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim, who was a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer, who was a high official, ⁶⁵  and all the other officers of the king of Babylon came and set up quarters ⁶⁶  in the Middle Gate. ⁶⁷  39:4 When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they tried to escape. They departed from the city during the night. They took a path through the king’s garden and passed out through the gate between the two walls. ⁶⁸  Then they headed for the Jordan Valley. ⁶⁹  39:5 But the Babylonian ⁷⁰  army chased after them. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho ⁷¹  and captured him. ⁷²  They took him to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Riblah ⁷³  in the territory of Hamath and Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him there. 39:6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king of Babylon also had all the nobles of Judah put to death. 39:7 Then he had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains ⁷⁴  to be led off to Babylon. 39:8 The Babylonians ⁷⁵  burned down the royal palace, the temple of the Lord, and the people’s homes, ⁷⁶  and they tore down the wall of Jerusalem. ⁷⁷  39:9 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, ⁷⁸  took captive the rest of the people who were left in the city. He carried them off to Babylon along with the people who had deserted to him. ⁷⁹  39:10 But he ⁸⁰  left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing. He gave them fields and vineyards at that time.

39:11 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had issued orders concerning Jeremiah. He had passed them on through Nebuzaradan, the captain of his royal guard, ⁸¹  39:12 “Find Jeremiah ⁸²  and look out for him. ⁸³  Do not do anything to harm him, ⁸⁴  but do with him whatever he tells you.” 39:13 So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, Nebushazban, who was a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer, who was a high official, ⁸⁵  and all the other officers of the king of Babylon 39:14 sent and had Jeremiah brought from the courtyard of the guardhouse. They turned him over to Gedaliah, ⁸⁶  the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan, to take him home with him. ⁸⁷  But Jeremiah stayed among the people. ⁸⁸ 

Daniel 1:1-2

Daniel Finds Favor in Babylon

1:1 In the third ⁸⁹  year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar ⁹⁰  of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem ⁹¹  and laid it under siege. ⁹²  1:2 Now the Lord ⁹³  delivered ⁹⁴  King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, ⁹⁵  along with some of the vessels ⁹⁶  of the temple of God. ⁹⁷  He brought them to the land of Babylonia ⁹⁸  to the temple of his god ⁹⁹  and put ¹⁰⁰  the vessels in the treasury of his god.

[24:2]  ¹ tn Heb “he sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by the hand of his servants the prophets.”

[24:10]  ² tn Heb “servants.”

[24:10]  ³ tn Heb “went up [to] Jerusalem and the city entered into siege.”

[24:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “came out.”

[24:12]  ⁵ sn That is, the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, 597 b.c.

[24:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehoiachin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Nebuchadnezzar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he deported Jehoiachin to Babylon; the mother of the king and the wives of the king and his eunuchs and the mighty of the land he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”

[24:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “the entire [group], mighty men, doers of war.”

[24:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “his.”

[25:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “against.”

[25:1]  ¹² sn This would have been Jan 15, 588 b.c. The reckoning is based on the calendar that begins the year in the spring (Nisan = March/April).

[25:8]  ¹³ tn The parallel account in Jer 52:12 has “tenth.”

[25:8]  ¹⁴ sn The seventh day of the month would have been August 14, 586 b.c. in modern reckoning.

[25:8]  ¹⁵ tn For the meaning of this phrase see BDB 371 s.v. טַבָּח 2, and compare the usage in Gen 39:1.

[25:8]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and every large house he burned down with fire.”

[25:11]  ¹⁸ tc The MT has “the multitude.” But הֶהָמוֹן (hehamon) should probably be emended to הֶאָמוֹן (he’amon).

[25:12]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding and contemporary English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.

[25:13]  ²⁰ sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.

[25:14]  ²¹ sn These shovels were used to clean the altar.

[25:14]  ²² sn These were used to trim the wicks.

[25:14]  ²³ tn Heb “with which they served [or, ‘fulfilled their duty’].”

[25:15]  ²⁴ sn These held the embers used for the incense offerings.

[25:16]  ²⁵ tc The MT lacks “the twelve bronze bulls under ‘the Sea,’” but these words have probably been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton. The scribe’s eye may have jumped from the וְהָ (vÿha-) on וְהַבָּקָר (vÿhabbaqar), “and the bulls,” to the וְהָ on וְהַמְּכֹנוֹת (vÿhammÿkhonot), “and the movable stands,” causing him to leave out the intervening words. See the parallel passage in Jer 52:20.

[25:17]  ²⁶ tn Heb “eighteen cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long.

[25:17]  ²⁷ tn Heb “three cubits.” The parallel passage in Jer 52:22 has “five.”

[25:19]  ²⁸ tn The parallel passage in Jer 52:25 has “seven.”

[25:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “five seers of the king’s face.”

[25:19]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the people of the land.”

[25:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “struck them down and killed them.”

[25:21]  ³² tn Heb “land.”

[25:22]  ³³ tn Heb “And the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left, he appointed over them Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan.”

[25:23]  ³⁴ tn Heb “of the army.” The word “Judahite” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[25:24]  ³⁵ tn The words “so as to give them…some assurance of safety” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[25:25]  ³⁶ sn It is not altogether clear whether this is in the same year that Jerusalem fell or not. The wall was breached in the fourth month (= early July; Jer 39:2) and Nebuzaradan came and burned the palace, the temple, and many of the houses and tore down the wall in the fifth month (= early August; Jer 52:12). That would have left time between the fifth month and the seventh month (October) to gather in the harvest of grapes, dates and figs, and olives (Jer 40:12). However, many commentators feel that too much activity takes place in too short a time for this to have been in the same year and posit that it happened the following year or even five years later when a further deportation took place, possibly in retaliation for the murder of Gedaliah and the Babylonian garrison at Mizpah (Jer 52:30). The assassination of Gedaliah had momentous consequences and was commemorated in one of the post exilic fast days lamenting the fall of Jerusalem (Zech 8:19).

[25:25]  ³⁷ tn Heb “[was] from the seed of the kingdom.”

[25:25]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and they struck down Gedaliah and he died.”

[25:26]  ³⁹ tn Heb “arose and went to.”

[25:27]  ⁴⁰ sn The parallel account in Jer 52:31 has “twenty-fifth.”

[25:27]  ⁴¹ sn The twenty-seventh day would be March 22, 561 b.c. in modern reckoning.

[25:27]  ⁴² tn Heb “lifted up the head of.”

[25:27]  ⁴³ tn The words “released him” are supplied in the translation on the basis of Jer 52:31.

[25:28]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “made his throne above the throne of.”

[25:29]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiachin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:30]  ⁴⁶ tc The words “until the day he died” do not appear in the MT, but they are included in the parallel passage in Jer 52:34. Probably they have been accidentally omitted by homoioteleuton. A scribe’s eye jumped from the final vav (ו) on בְּיוֹמוֹ (bÿyomo), “in his day,” to the final vav (ו) on מוֹתוֹ (moto), “his death,” leaving out the intervening words.

[1:6]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “said to him.”

[1:6]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are sending to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question. In v. 3 the messengers are addressed (in the phrase “you are on your way” the second person plural pronoun is used in Hebrew), but here the king is addressed (in the phrase “you are sending” the second person singular pronoun is used).

[1:7]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “What was the manner…?”

[1:8]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “said to him.”

[1:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “an owner of hair.” This idiomatic expression indicates that Elijah was very hairy. For other examples where the idiom “owner of” is used to describe a characteristic of someone, see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל. For example, an “owner of dreams” is one who frequently has dreams (Gen 37:19) and an “owner of anger” is a hot-tempered individual (Prov 22:24).

[1:8]  ⁵³ tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).

[1:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “officer of fifty and his fifty.”

[1:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “to him.”

[1:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the captain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁵⁹ sn The prophet Elijah’s position on the top of the hill symbolizes his superiority to the king and his messengers.

[1:9]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 10, 11, 12, 13).

[1:10]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “answered and said to the officer of fifty.”

[1:10]  ⁶² tn Wordplay contributes to the irony here. The king tells Elijah to “come down” (Hebrew יָרַד, yarad), but Elijah calls fire down (יָרַד) on the arrogant king’s officer.

[39:1]  ⁶³ sn 2 Kgs 25:1 and Jer 52:4 give the more precise date of the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year which would have been Jan 15, 588 b.c. The reckoning is based on the calendar that begins the year in the spring (Nisan = March/April).

[39:2]  ⁶⁴ sn According to modern reckoning that would have been July 18, 586 b.c. The siege thus lasted almost a full eighteen months.

[39:3]  ⁶⁵ tn English versions and commentaries differ on the number of officials named here and the exact spelling of their names. For a good discussion of the options see F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations (NAC), 341, n. 71. Most commentaries follow the general lead of J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 243) as the present translation has done here. However, the second name is not emended on the basis of v. 13 as Bright does, nor is the second Nergal-Sharezer regarded as the same man as the first and the information on the two combined as he does. The first Nergal-Sharezer is generally identified on the basis of Babylonian records as the man who usurped the throne from Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Awel-Marduk or Evil-Merodach as he is known in the OT (Jer 52:31; 2 Kgs 25:27). The present translation renders the two technical Babylonian terms “Rab-Saris” (only in Jer 39:3, 13; 2 Kgs 18:17) and “Rab-Mag” (only in Jer 39:3, 13) as “chief officer” and “high official” without knowing precisely what offices they held. This has been done to give the modern reader some feeling of their high position without specifying exactly what their precise positions were (i.e., the generic has been used for the [unknown] specific).

[39:3]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “sat.” The precise meaning of this phrase is not altogether clear, but J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 243) is undoubtedly correct in assuming that it had to do with setting up a provisional military government over the city.

[39:3]  ⁶⁷ tn The Hebrew style here is typically full or redundant, giving a general subject first and then listing the specifics. The Hebrew text reads: “Then all the officers of the king of Babylon came and sat in the Middle Gate, Nergal-Sharezer…and all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon.” In the translation the general subject has been eliminated and the list of the “real” subjects used instead; this eliminates the dashes or commas typical of some modern English versions.

[39:3]  sn The identification of the location of the Middle Gate is uncertain since it is mentioned nowhere else in the OT.

[39:4]  ⁶⁸ sn The king’s garden is mentioned again in Neh 3:15 in conjunction with the pool of Siloam and the stairs that go down from the city of David. This would have been in the southern part of the city near the Tyropean Valley which agrees with the reference to the “two walls” which were probably the walls on the eastern and western hills.

[39:4]  ⁶⁹ sn Heb “toward the Arabah.” The Arabah was the rift valley north and south of the Dead Sea. Here the intention was undoubtedly to escape across the Jordan to Moab or Ammon. It appears from 40:14; 41:15 that the Ammonites were known to harbor fugitives from the Babylonians.

[39:5]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “The Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.

[39:5]  ⁷¹ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[39:5]  ⁷² sn 2 Kgs 25:5 and Jer 52:8 mention that the soldiers all scattered from him. That is why the text focuses on Zedekiah here.

[39:5]  ⁷³ sn Riblah was a strategic town on the Orontes River in Syria. It was at a crossing of the major roads between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Pharaoh Necho had earlier received Jehoahaz there and put him in chains (2 Kgs 23:33) prior to taking him captive to Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar had set up his base camp for conducting his campaigns against the Palestinian states there and was now sitting in judgment on prisoners brought to him.

[39:7]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “fetters of bronze.” The more generic “chains” is used in the translation because “fetters” is a word unfamiliar to most modern readers.

[39:8]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “Chaldean.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.

[39:8]  ⁷⁶ tc The reading here is based on an emendation following the parallels in Jer 52:13 and 2 Kgs 25:9. The Hebrew text here does not have “the temple of the Lord” and reads merely “house of the people.” The text here is probably corrupt. It reads וְאֶת־בֵּית הָעָם (vÿ’et-bet ha’am, “and the house of the people”), which many explain as a collective use of בַּיִת (bayit). However, no parallels are cited by any of the commentaries, grammars, or lexicons for such a use. It is more likely that the words יְהוָה וְאֶת־בָּתֵּי (yÿhvah vÿ’et-bate) have fallen out of the text due to similar beginnings. The words וְאֶת־בֵּית יהוה (vÿ’et-bet yhwh) are found in the parallel texts cited in the marginal note. The Greek version is no help here because vv. 4-13 are omitted, probably due to the similarities in ending of vv. 3, 13 (i.e., homoioteleuton of מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל, melekh bavel).

[39:8]  ⁷⁷ sn According to the parallels in 2 Kgs 25:8-9; Jer 52:12-13 this occurred almost a month after the wall was breached and Zedekiah’s failed escape. It took place under the direction of Nebuzaradan, the captain of the king’s special guard who is mentioned in the next verse.

[39:9]  ⁷⁸ tn For the meaning of this phrase see BDB 371 s.v. טַבָּח 2 and compare the usage in Gen 39:1.

[39:9]  ⁷⁹ tc The translation is based on an emendation of the text which leaves out “the rest of the people who were left” as a double writing of the same phrase at the beginning of the verse. Some commentators emend the phrase “the rest of the people who were left” (הַנִּשְׁאָרִים וְאֶת יֶתֶר הָעָם, hannish’arim vÿ’et yeter ha’am) to read “the rest of the craftsmen who were left” (וְאֶת יֶתֶר הָאָמוֹן הַנִּשְׁאָרִים, vÿ’et yeter ha’amon hannish’arim) on the basis of the parallel in Jer 52:15 (which does not have הַנִּשְׁאָרִים, hannish’arim). However, it is easier to explain the phrase as a dittography of the phrase at the beginning (which is exactly the same except הָעִיר [ha’ir] follows it). The text is redundant because it refers twice to the same group of people. The Hebrew text reads: “And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to him and the rest of the people Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon.” The text has also been divided up to create two shorter sentences to better conform with contemporary English style.

[39:10]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding and contemporary English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.

[39:11]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon commanded concerning Jeremiah by the hand of Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying.” Since Nebuchadnezzar is at Riblah (v. 6) and Nebuzaradan and the other officers named in the next verse are at Jerusalem, the vav consecutive imperfect should again be translated as a pluperfect (see 38:2 and the translator’s notes there for explanation). For the meaning of “through” or “through the agency of” for the phrase בְּיַד (bÿyad) see BDB 391 s.v. יָד 5.d. The sentence has been broken up to better conform with contemporary English style.

[39:12]  ⁸² tn Heb “Get [or fetch] him.” The referent is supplied for clarity.

[39:12]  ⁸³ tn Or “take care of him”; Heb “set your eyes on him.” For the meaning of this idiom see BDB 963 s.v. שִׂים 2.c and compare 24:6 where the phrase “for good” is added.

[39:12]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “Don’t do anything evil [= harmful] to him.”

[39:13]  ⁸⁵ tn See the translator’s notes on 39:3, 9 for the names and titles here.

[39:14]  ⁸⁶ sn Gedaliah. This is the first reference to this individual whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed governor over the people who were left to live in Judah (cf. 40:5; 2 Kgs 25:22). His father was the man who spoke up for Jeremiah when he was accused of being a false prophet by some of the priests and prophets (26:24). His grandfather was the royal secretary under Josiah who brought the discovery of the book of the law to Josiah’s attention, read it to him, and was involved in helping Josiah institute his reforms (2 Kgs 22:8-10).

[39:14]  ⁸⁷ tn The meaning of the last phrase is uncertain. An alternate translation is “to take him home with him.” The text reads literally “to bring him into the house.” However, it is unclear whether “the house” refers to Jeremiah’s house or to Gedaliah’s. The fact that Nebuzaradan later offers Jeremiah the option of going back to Gedaliah (40:5) suggests that the house is here Gedaliah’s where Jeremiah would be looked out for in accord with Nebuchadnezzar’s command (v. 12).

[39:14]  ⁸⁸ tn Many translate this last clause as a conclusion or summary remark, “So Jeremiah stayed…” However, it is better to translate it as an adversative because it probably refers to the fact that rather than staying with Gedaliah in the governor’s residence Jeremiah stayed among the people. That is how he wound up being led off as a prisoner to Ramah. See further the study note on 40:1. According to IBHS 550 §33.2.1d the vav (ו) consecutive can have either of these values (see examples 11 and 12 for the adversative or contrastive nuance).

[1:1]  ⁸⁹ sn The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim would be ca. 605 B.C. At this time Daniel would have been a teenager. The reference to Jehoiakim’s third year poses a serious crux interpretum, since elsewhere these events are linked to his fourth year (Jer 25:1; cf. 2 Kgs 24:1; 2 Chr 36:5-8). Apparently Daniel is following an accession year chronology, whereby the first partial year of a king’s reign was reckoned as the accession year rather than as the first year of his reign. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is following a nonaccession year chronology, whereby the accession year is reckoned as the first year of the king’s reign. In that case, the conflict is only superficial. Most modern scholars, however, have concluded that Daniel is historically inaccurate here.

[1:1]  ⁹⁰ sn King Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon from ca. 605-562 B.C.

[1:1]  ⁹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:1]  ⁹² sn This attack culminated in the first of three major deportations of Jews to Babylon. The second one occurred in 597 B.C. and included among many other Jewish captives the prophet Ezekiel. The third deportation occurred in 586 B.C., at which time the temple and the city of Jerusalem were thoroughly destroyed.

[1:2]  ⁹³ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[1:2]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “gave.”

[1:2]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “hand,” which is often used idiomatically for one’s power and authority. See BDB 390 s.v. יָד 2.

[1:2]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “utensils”; or “articles.”

[1:2]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “house of God.”

[1:2]  ⁹⁸ sn The land of Babylonia (Heb “the land of Shinar”) is another name for Sumer and Akkad, where Babylon was located (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1, 9; Josh 7:21; Isa 11:11; Zech 5:11).

[1:2]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “gods” (NCV, NRSV, TEV; also later in this verse). The Hebrew term can be used as a numerical plural for many gods or as a plural of majesty for one particular god. Since Nebuchadnezzar was a polytheist, it is not clear if the reference here is to many gods or one particular deity. The plural of majesty, while normally used for Israel’s God, is occasionally used of foreign gods (cf. BDB 43 s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1, 2). See Judg 11:24 (of the Moabite god Chemosh); 1 Sam 5:7 (of the Philistine god Dagon); 1 Kgs 11:33 (of the Canaanite goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom); 2 Kgs 19:37 (of the Assyrian god Nisroch). Since gods normally had their own individual temples, Dan 1:2 probably refers to a particular deity, perhaps Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, or Marduk’s son Nabu, after whom Nebuchadnezzar was named. The name Nebuchadnezzar means “Nabu has protected the son who will inherit” (HALOT 660 s.v. נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר). For a discussion of how temples functioned in Babylonian religion see H. Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, 77-81.

[1:2]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “brought.” Though the Hebrew verb “brought” is repeated in this verse, the translation uses “brought…put” for stylistic variation.