In the third
year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah
At the close of it, and at the beginning of the fourth, which was
the first of Nebuchadnezzar, ( Jeremiah
25:1 ) . Jerusalem seems to have been taken twice in his
time, and two captivities in it: the first was in the third or
fourth year of his reign; when humbling himself, he was restored
to his kingdom, though he became a tributary to the king of
Babylon; Daniel and his companions, who were carried captive with
him, were retained as hostages; but after three years he
rebelled, but it was not until his eleventh year that
Nebuchadnezzar came against him again, took him, and bound him,
in order to carry him to Babylon, but he died by the way; see (
2 Kings
24:1 2 Kings 24:2
) ( 2 Chronicles
36:5 2 Chronicles
36:6 ) , some, as Jarchi and Saadiah Gaon, make this to be
the third year of his rebellion, and the last of his reign; they
suppose that he was conquered by the king of Babylon, and became
subject to him in the fifth year of his reign; that he served him
three years, and rebelled against him three years: at the end of
which came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem,
and besieged it;
with his army, and took it; and the same way it is accounted for
in the Jewish chronicle F16 according to Bishop Usher
F17, this was in the year of the world
3398 A.M., and before Christ 607 or 606; according to Mr. Bedford
F18, 605.