Jeremiah 52:15

15 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the king's special guards, took captive some of the poorest people, those who were left in Jerusalem, those who had surrendered to the king of Babylon, and the skilled craftsmen who were left in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 52:15 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 52:15

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive
[certain] of the poor of the people
That is, of the city, as distinct from the poor of the land of Judea he left, afterwards observed: and the residue of the people that remained in the city;
that died not by the sword or famine, and fled not with Zedekiah: or "even the residue of the people"; and so are the same with the poor people in the former clause; though Kimchi explains it thus,

``some of the poor of the people he carried captive, and some of them he left:''

and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon;
that fell off from the Jews, and surrendered to the king of Babylon during the siege; or that voluntarily came in, and put themselves into the hands of the captain of the guard: and the rest of the multitude;
of the people, both in city and country.

Jeremiah 52:15 In-Context

13 Nebuzaradan set fire to the Temple of the Lord, the palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every important building was burned.

14 The whole Babylonian army, led by the commander of the king's special guards, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.

15 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the king's special guards, took captive some of the poorest people, those who were left in Jerusalem, those who had surrendered to the king of Babylon, and the skilled craftsmen who were left in Jerusalem.

16 But Nebuzaradan left behind some of the poorest people of the land to take care of the vineyards and fields.

17 The Babylonians broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the bronze stands, and the large bronze bowl, called the Sea, which were in the Temple of the Lord. Then they carried all the bronze pieces to Babylon.