Jeremiah 52 text
Highlights
- Recap of the fall of Jerusalem
Summary
- Zedekiah became king when he was 21, and reigned 11 years
- He followed Jehoiakim in annoying Yahweh
- He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who was not please about this
- In Z's 9th year, 10th month, 10th day he besieged Jerusalem, surrounding it completely
- By the 11th year, 4th month, 9th day, the famine was so severe that no food remained
- On this day a breach was made in the walls
- The army (with Z) responded by fleeing at night through a gate
- Z and army were caught and defeated on the plains of Jericho
- Z was taken to Nebuchadnezzar, who put his eyes out after killing his sons and officials in front of him
- N took Z to Babylon, where he imprisoned him for the rest of his life
- On the 5th month, 10th day, N entered Jerusalem; he burned the temple, the palace, and all other houses; the walls were broken down
- The remnant of people were captured and carried off; only some of the poorest were left, to tend the land
- The temple adornments of Solomon were broken up and taken to Babylon
- The chief priest, his second, other officers, and notable citizens, were taken to N at Riblah, who executed them in front of Z
- 3 mass deportations are enumerated
- The already-imprisoned-in-Babylon Jehoiachin was released from prison after 37 years of his exile, by the new king of Babylon, Evil-merodach, who treated him well, and gave him an allowance
Questions and Observations
1) So Zedekiah was born 618 BC, and was 32 when Jerusalem fell.
2) Nebuchadnezzar began to reign 605 BC. His 19th year ties up with the fall of Jerusalem - 587 BC.
3) The 3 deportations are given in times of his regnal dates:
- [li]7th year (599 BC) - 3023 people[/li][li]18th year (588 BC) - 832 people[/li][li]23rd year (583 BC) - 745 people[/li]
These calculations don't tie up exactly with the generally understood dates, but they aren't far off. The sequence of events is outlined well
here:
- In the years following Babylon's overthrow of Assyria, political allegiances for the smaller states caught between Assyria and Babylon on the Eastern side and Egypt on the Western side were difficult and complicated; Judah jumped first one way then the other in efforts to stay afloat, as did Israel, and I don't doubt that the other rival kingdoms around them were also compelled to do the same.
- In 605 BC Babylon defeated Egypt in battle at Carchemish, led by Nebuchadnezzar shortly before he became king. Following this Jehoiakim of Judah began paying Babylon tribute.
- In 601 BC Egypt defeated Babylon, and Judah revolted against Babylon,
- In 598 BC Babylon besieged Jerusalem, during which Jehoiakim died, and it fell in 597 BC, after which the first deportation occurred, Jehoiakim's son and successor Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) taken. Jehoiakim's brother Zedekiah was installed as king.
- In the events described here, Zedekiah revolted against Babylon, with the dire results described, with the second deportation occurring in 587 BC.
- The third deportation appears not to be well narrated (at least yet to us in this pass through - but also in general) - this is taken as occurring in 582 BC.
4) Jehoiachin was exiled in the second deportation - 597 BC. So the 37th year of his captivity would be 562 BC. This ties up with Babylonian records, which tell us that
Amel-Marduk ("Evil-merodach" here) began his reign in Oct 562 BC. He was born in either 605 or 615 BC, so may well have been alive to see the fall of Babylon.