Jeremiah 52:4-16

4 1And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.
5 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, while the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah.
8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And all his army was scattered from him.
9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.
10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at 2Riblah.
11 3He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison 4till the day of his death.

The Temple Burned

12 5In the fifth month, on 6the tenth day of the month--that was 7the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon--Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who 8served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
13 And he burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.
14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.
15 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were left in the city and 9the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans.
16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

Jeremiah 52:4-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 52

This chapter contains the history of the besieging, taking, and destroying of Jerusalem; the moving cause of it, the wicked reign of Zedekiah, Jer 52:1-3; the instruments of it, the king of Babylon and his army, which besieged and took it, Jer 52:4-7; into whose hands the king of Judah, his sons, and the princes of Judah, fell; and were very barbarously and cruelly used by them, Jer 52:8-11. Then follows an account of the burning of the temple, the king's palace, and the houses in Jerusalem, and the breaking down of the walls of it, Jer 52:12-14; and of those that were carried captive, and of those that were left in the land by Nebuzaradan, Jer 52:15,16; and of the several vessels and valuable things in the temple, of gold, silver, and brass, it was plundered of, and carried to Babylon, Jer 52:17-23; and of the murder of several persons of dignity and character, Jer 52:24-27; and of the number of those that were carried captive at three different times, Jer 52:28-30; and the chapter is concluded with the exaltation of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and of the good treatment he met with from the king of Babylon to the day of his death, Jer 52:31-34.

Cross References 9

  • 1. For ver. 4-16, see Jeremiah 39:1-10
  • 2. ver. 26, 27
  • 3. [Ezekiel 12:13]
  • 4. [Ezekiel 12:13]
  • 5. Jeremiah 1:3
  • 6. [2 Kings 25:8]
  • 7. [ver. 29]
  • 8. Jeremiah 40:10
  • 9. See Jeremiah 37:13
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.