2 Chronicles 36:20

20 He took all the survivors to Babylonia, where they served him and his descendants as slaves until the rise of the Persian Empire.

2 Chronicles 36:20 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 36:20

And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away
captive
The king of Babylon, or his general by his orders, excepting some poor persons left to till the land, see ( Jeremiah 52:15 Jeremiah 52:16 ) ,

where they were servants to him and his sons;
his son Evilmerodach, and his grandson Belshazzar, (See Gill on Jeremiah 27:7):

until the reign of the kingdom of Persia;
until that monarchy began, as it did upon the taking of Babylon by Cyrus king of Persia. This is the first place we meet with this name of Persia in Scripture. The Arabic writers differ about the origin of it; some derive it from Pars the son of Arsham (Arphaxad), the son of Shem; others from Pars the son of Amur, the son of Japheth; and others say Pars was the son of Elam, the son of Shem, the son of Noah F1; but Bochart F2, seems to be most correct in the derivation of the word, who observes, from Xenophon F3, horses were very rare in this country; and very few could ride them before the times of Cyrus, who taught his foot soldiers to ride horses; and hence it became common, so that none of the best men of the land cared to be seen on foot; yea, he made a law, that it should be reckoned infamous if any of those he had taught the art of riding were seen to go on foot, though ever so little a way; from this sudden change made in his time the people were called Persians, and the country Persia; in the Arabic language, "pharas" signifying a horse, and "pharis" a horseman; and the same writer observes, that hence it is that no mention is made of this country, in the name of Persia, by Isaiah and Jeremiah; but by Ezekiel and Daniel, who were contemporary with Cyrus; and in this book and the following historical ones, which were wrote after the Babylonish captivity, as their history shows; and that this book was, is clear from the preceding clause, as well as from the three last verses.


FOOTNOTES:

F1 Hyde, Hist. Relig. Vet. Pers. c. 35. p. 418, 419.
F2 Phaleg. l. 4. c. 10. col. 224.
F3 Cyropaedia, l. 1. c. 11. & l. 4. c. 17, 18.

2 Chronicles 36:20 In-Context

18 The king of Babylonia looted the Temple, the Temple treasury, and the wealth of the king and his officials, and took everything back to Babylon.
19 He burned down the Temple and the city, with all its palaces and its wealth, and broke down the city wall.
20 He took all the survivors to Babylonia, where they served him and his descendants as slaves until the rise of the Persian Empire.
21 And so what the Lord had foretold through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "The land will lie desolate for seventy years, to make up for the Sabbath rest that has not been observed."
22 In the first year that Cyrus of Persia was emperor, the Lord made what he had said through the prophet Jeremiah come true. He prompted Cyrus to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his empire:
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.