2 Kings 24:16

16 and all the strong men, seven thousand; and craftsmen and goldsmiths, a thousand; yea, all (of the) strong men and warriors; and the king of Babylon led them (away as) prisoners into Babylon.

2 Kings 24:16 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 24:16

And all the men of might, even seven thousand
The particulars of the 10,000 carried captive are here given; 7000 of which were the principal men of the land:

and craftsmen and smiths one thousand;
which made 8000:

all that were strong, and apt for war;
of these consisted the other 2000; so Abarbinel reckons them; but, according to the Jewish chronologer ^F20, which Jarchi and other Jewish commentators follow, the 7000 were out of the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the tribes, and the 3000 out of the tribe of Judah, which are supposed to be those Jeremiah speaks of, ( Jeremiah 52:28 ) ,

even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon;
among these were Ezekiel the prophet, and Mordecai, the uncle of Esther.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 25.

2 Kings 24:16 In-Context

14 And he translated all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the strong men of the host, ten thousand, into captivity, and each craftsman, and goldsmith; and nothing was left, except the poor people/s of the land. (And he carried away all the people of Jerusalem, and all the leaders, and all the strong men of the army, ten thousand altogether, into captivity, and also each craftsman, and each goldsmith; and no one was left, except the poor people of the land.)

15 Also he translated Jehoiachin into Babylon, and the mother of the king, the wives of the king, and the chamberlains of the king; and he led the judges of the land into captivity from Jerusalem into Babylon; (And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and the king's chamberlains; and he led away the judges of the land from Jerusalem into captivity in Babylon;)

16 and all the strong men, seven thousand; and craftsmen and goldsmiths, a thousand; yea, all (of the) strong men and warriors; and the king of Babylon led them (away as) prisoners into Babylon.

17 And he ordained Mattaniah, the brother of his father, (that is, Jehoiachin's uncle,) (to reign) for him; and putted to him the name Zedekiah. (And he ordained Mattaniah, the brother of Jehoiachin's father, to be king in place of him; and he changed his name to Zedekiah.)

18 Zedekiah had one and twenty years of age, when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremy of Libnah. (Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, when he began to reign, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.)