Jeremiah 39:6

6 At Riblah the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah's sons and all the important officers of Judah as Zedekiah watched.

Jeremiah 39:6 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 39:6

Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah
before his eyes
Not with his own hands, but gave orders to do it: these must be very young, at least some of them; since Zedekiah at this time was but thirty two years of age. This must be a dreadful spectacle for him to behold; and the consideration must be cutting, that it was owing to his own obstinacy in not taking the advice of the Prophet Jeremiah to surrender to the Chaldeans, whereby he and his family would have been saved, ( Jeremiah 38:17 ) ; also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah;
who did not come over to the Chaldean army and surrender themselves; such who advised the king to stand out to the last, and who fled, and were taken with him; as many of them as fell into the hands of the king of Babylon. Jarchi says those were the sanhedrim, who loosed Zedekiah from his oath to Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah 39:6 In-Context

4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they ran away. They left Jerusalem at night and went out from the king's garden. They went through the gate that was between the two walls and then headed toward the Jordan Valley.

5 But the Babylonian army chased them and caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was at the town of Riblah in the land of Hamath. There Nebuchadnezzar passed his sentence on Zedekiah.

6 At Riblah the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah's sons and all the important officers of Judah as Zedekiah watched.

7 Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes. He put bronze chains on Zedekiah and took him to Babylon.

8 The Babylonians set fire to the palace and to the houses of the people, and they broke down the walls around Jerusalem.