2 Raja-raja 25:8-20

Nebuchadnezzar Destroys Jerusalem

25:8 On the seventh ¹  day of the fifth month, ²  in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard ³  who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. ⁴  25:9 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. ⁵  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. ⁶  25:12 But he ⁷  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.” ⁸  They took the bronze to Babylon. 25:14 They also took the pots, shovels, ⁹  trimming shears, ¹⁰  pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. ¹¹  25:15 The captain of the royal guard took the golden and silver censers ¹²  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,” ¹³  and the movable stands – was too heavy to be weighed. 25:17 Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet ¹⁴  high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feet ¹⁵  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 ¹⁶  of the king’s advisers ¹⁷  who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens ¹⁸  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.

[25:8]  ¹ tn The parallel account in Jer 52:12 has “tenth.”

[25:8]  ² sn The seventh day of the month would have been August 14, 586 b.c. in modern reckoning.

[25:8]  ³ tn For the meaning of this phrase see BDB 371 s.v. טַבָּח 2, and compare the usage in Gen 39:1.

[25:8]  ⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “and every large house he burned down with fire.”

[25:11]  ⁶ tc The MT has “the multitude.” But הֶהָמוֹן (hehamon) should probably be emended to הֶאָמוֹן (he’amon).

[25:12]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.

[25:14]  ⁹ sn These shovels were used to clean the altar.

[25:14]  ¹⁰ sn These were used to trim the wicks.

[25:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “with which they served [or, ‘fulfilled their duty’].”

[25:15]  ¹² sn These held the embers used for the incense offerings.

[25:16]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “three cubits.” The parallel passage in Jer 52:22 has “five.”

[25:19]  ¹⁶ tn The parallel passage in Jer 52:25 has “seven.”

[25:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “five seers of the king’s face.”

[25:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the people of the land.”