Jeremiah 52:24

24 The commander of the guard took many prisoners. They included the chief priest Seraiah and the priest Zephaniah who was under him. They also included the three men who guarded the temple doors.

Jeremiah 52:24 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 52:24

And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest,
&c.] That is, out of the temple, where he was ministering, or fled for safety; this is supposed to be the father of Ezra, ( 1 Chronicles 6:14 ) ( Ezra 7:1 ) ; and Zephaniah the second priest:
or deputy priest: the "sagan" of the priests, as the Targum calls him, who was deputed to minister for the high priest, in case anything happened which hindered him from officiating; such an one there always was in later times on the day of atonement, as appears from the Misna ^F6; this man is thought to be the same with Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, ( Jeremiah 21:1 ) ( 29:25 ) ; and the three keepers of the door;
that is, of the temple. The Targum calls them three "amarcalin"; who had, as Jarchi says, the keys of the court committed to them. The number seems better to agree with the "gizbarim" or treasurers; of whom, it is said, they never appoint less than three treasurers, and seven "amarcalin" ^F7.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 Yoma, c. 1. sect. 1.
F7 Misn. Shekalim, c. 5. sect. 2.

Jeremiah 52:24 In-Context

22 The bronze top of one pillar was seven and a half feet high. It was decorated with a set of bronze chains and pomegranates all around it. The other pillar was just like it. It also had pomegranates.

23 There were 96 pomegranates on the sides of each of the two tops. The total number of pomegranates above the bronze chains around each top was 100.

24 The commander of the guard took many prisoners. They included the chief priest Seraiah and the priest Zephaniah who was under him. They also included the three men who guarded the temple doors.

25 Some people were still left in the city. The commander took as a prisoner the officer who was in charge of the fighting men. He took the seven men who gave advice to the king. He also took the secretary who was the chief officer in charge of getting the people of the land to serve in the army. And he took 60 of the secretary's men who were still in the city.

26 The commander Nebuzaradan took all of them away. He brought them to the king of Babylonia at Riblah.