2 Kings 25
OGCCHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE DYING DAYS OF JUDAH
2 Kings 23:28 to 2 Kings 25:30
The twenty-three years following the death of Josiah were the dying time of the kingdom of Judah. These were tragic days when petty politicians repeated foolish mistakes which drug the nation down to oblivion. In spite of the heroic preaching of Jeremiah, the nation sunk ever deeper into apostasy and rebellion. The final scenes unfold like those in a Shakespearian tragedy: (1) the death and burial of Josiah (2 Kings 23:28-30); (2) the reign and removal of Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31-35); (3) the reign and rebellion of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:36 to 2 Kings 24:7); (4) the reign and deportation of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:8-17); (5) the revolt and punishment of Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:18 to 2 Kings 25:7); and (6) the aftermath of the fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:8-30).
REVIEW OF CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I. FACTS TO MASTER
A. Names of Importance:
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Necho
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Mattaniah
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Ishmael
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Josiah
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Zedekiah
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Johanan
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Jehoahaz
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Jeremiah 17. Jaazaniah
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Eliakim
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Nebuzaradan
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Evil- Merodach
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Jehoiakim
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Seraiah
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Nebuchadnezzar
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Zephaniah 7. Jehoiachin
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Gedaliah
B. Places of Importance:
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Euphrates
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Babylon
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Megiddo
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Plains of Jericho
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Riblah
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Mizpah
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Egypt
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Brook of Egypt
C. Important Dates and Numbers 1.605 B.C.
-
582 B.C.
-
597 B.C.
-
10,000
-
587 B.C.
-
three years
II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Why did Pharaoh Necho march north through Palestine in 609 B.C.? Why did Josiah attempt to withstand Necho at Megiddo?
When Josiah was killed, why did the people of the land bypass the heir apparent (Eliakim) and make Jehoahaz king?
List the events in the Book of Jeremiah which transpired during the reign of Jehoiakim. (See Jeremiah volume, in Bible Study Textbook Series, pp. 73-74.)
Evaluate the character of Jehoiakim.
How did Jehoiakim meet his death? What happened to his corpse?
What problem exists as to the age of Jehoiachin when he assumed the throne? How is the problem solved?
What archaeological finds shed light on the reign and captivity of Jehoiachin?
How many different Chaldean campaigns against Judah can be documented? On which of these were Jews carried away to Babylon?
How long did the final siege of Jerusalem last? What additional information about the siege can be gleaned from sources outside the Book of Kings?
What tragic fate befell Zedekiah? What lessons are underscored by his fate?
Why was Gedaliah selected to govern Judah after the fall of Jerusalem? Evaluate his administration.
Why was the remnant of Jews so determined to emigrate to Egypt after the assassination of Gedaliah? What advice did Jeremiah give them? What warning?
Why did the author of Kings choose to close his book with the account of the release of Jehoiachin?
DEPORTATIONS TO BABYLON
Date
References
Numbers
Notes
605
Daniel 1:1 2 Chronicles 36:6-7
Daniel and his three friends taken
597
2 Kings 24:13-16 Jeremiah 52:28 Ezekiel 1:2 2 Chronicles 36:10 a
10,000 3,023
Ezekiel taken
587
832
Zedekiah blinded, taken captive
582
745
2 Kings 25:1-7
V. THE REVOLT OF ZEDEKIAH AND PUNISHMENT OF ZEDEKIAH 24:18-25:7
TRANSLATION
(18) Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. (19) And he did evil in the eyes of the LORD according to all which Jehoiakim had done. (20) For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and in Judah that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon until He cast them out from His presence. (1) And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem; and he camped against it, and built siege towers round about. (2) And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. (3) On the ninth day of the (fourth) month the famine was strong in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. (4) And the city was broken into and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the walls which were beside the garden of the king; (now the Chaldeans were against the city round about) and he went by the way of the Arabah. (5) And the Chaldean army pursued after the king, and they caught up with him in the plains of Jordan; and all his army were scattered from him. (6) So they seized the king and they brought him unto the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they pronounced judgment upon him. (7) And the sons of Zedekiah they slew before his eyes; then the eyes of Zedekiah were blinded, and they bound him in bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.
Nineteenth King of Judah ZEDEKIAH BEN JOSIAH 597-587 B.C. (Righteousness of Yahweh)
2 Kings 24:17 to 2 Kings 25:21; 2 Chronicles 36:11-21
Contemporary Prophets Jeremiah; Ezekiel; Daniel
Mother: Hamutal
Appraisal: Bad
As I live, says the Lord God, Surely in the country of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath be despised, and whose covenant he broke, in Babylon be shall die. Ezekiel 17:16
COMMENTS
Zedekiah reigned from 597-587 B.C.[683] He was the full brother of Jehoahaz who had been deported to Egypt by Pharaoh Necho in 609 B.C. (cf. 2 Kings 23:31). He was the half brother of Jehoiakim (cf. 2 Kings 23:36). His father-in-law, Jeremiah of Libnah, is not the prophet who was of Anathoth (2 Kings 24:18). Zedekiah allowed the people of Judah to continue their pollutions and abominations (2 Chronicles 36:14). He ignored the prophetic warning to submit willingly to Babylon and sought instead by political maneuverings to extricate himself from the grip of Nebuchadnezzar. For these reasons it is said that he did evil in the eyes of the Lord as did Jehoiakim his half brother (2 Kings 24:19). It was because of God’s righteous anger that He permitted this perverse and faithless monarch to sit on the throne of David. The Almighty permitted Zedekiah’s stupid and stubborn rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar to proceed unimpeded until finally the cup of Judah’s iniquity was full to overflowing. Judah was cast out from the presence of the Lord, i.e., Judah lost the protecting power of God and thus was left defenseless against national enemies. Yet in spite of the precarious predicament of his people, Zedekiah broke his solemn vassal oath to Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled against his overlord (2 Kings 24:20).
[683] Thiele argues for the date 586 B.C. for the termination of Zedekiah’s reign and the fall of Jerusalem.
The reign of Zedekiah was in many respects the most tragic in the history of the people of God. The territory of Judah was diminished, and many of the cities of the land were severely damaged. The population had been drastically reduced through deportation, the upper classes being completely depleted. Zedekiah himself seems to have been at the mercy of his princes. The royal court was bent on rebellion. Jeremiah the prophet thundered forth against the folly of resistance against Babylon,[684] but still the political leaders clung to their suicidal course. A brief insurrection in Babylon sparked renewed hope in the western part of the empire. When a new Pharaoh, Psamtik II, came to power in 594 B.C. the little states of Syria-Palestine began to make plans for a concerted effort against Babylon. Ambassadors from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon met in Jerusalem to plan the rebellion (Jeremiah 27:3 ff.). The plan must have been uncovered, for that very year Zedekiah was summoned to Babylon to reaffirm his allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 51:59 ff.). Zedekiah’s first major effort to break with Babylon was nipped in the bud.
[684] Unlike the Assyrians, the Babylonians did not include worship of their gods as a condition of servitude, and thus there was no theological reason why Judah should not render homage to the Chaldeans. Cf. Finley, BBC, p. 500.
A still more boastful and aggressive Pharaoh took the throne of Egypt in 588 B.C. Pharaoh ApriesHophra, as he is known in the Bibleactively encouraged a western coalition against Babylon. But the revolt does not seem to have been widespread in Syria-Palestine. So far as is known, only Tyre and Ammon seem to have committed themselves. Zedekiah, however, sent ambassadors to Egypt (Ezekiel 17:15), and entered wholeheartedly into the rebellion.
The author of Kings is very precise in dating the events of the last days of Judah. Only in chapter 25 does he give the year, month and day of any event, and this he does three times. Extreme exactness with respect to a date indicates the extreme importance of the event dated. Chronologists have computed that the Babylonian army arrived at Jerusalem on January 15, 588 B.C. They blockaded the city and began to systematically eliminate the outlying strong points. The fortified towns of Lachish and Azekah were among the last to fall to the Chaldeans[685] (Jeremiah 34:7). With the fall of these two villages, Zedekiah’s communication lines to Egypt were cut. The siege of Jerusalem now began in earnest. Siege towers (KJV forts) were constructed (2 Kings 24:1). These towers were movable ones, made of planks, which were pushed up to the walls of the city. Such towers enabled the assailants to attack their adversaries with better advantage, being now on a level with the top of the walls. Sometimes these towers contained battering rams.
[685] In 1935 eighteen ostraca which date to this very time were discovered in the ruins of the ancient fortress city of Lachish. In the main these ostraca are military communiques between a field commander by the name of Hoshayahu and his superior in Lachish whose name was Yaosh. For a discussion of the significance of these letters, see Smith, JL, pp. 22-24.
The author of Kings omits all details of the siege of Jerusalem and passes immediately to the final catastrophe (2 Kings 24:2). Jeremiah and Ezekiel add significant information at this point. In the summer of 588 B.C. an Egyptian army marched northward toward Jerusalem with the intention of relieving the pressure on Zedekiah. Nebuchadnezzar was forced temporarily to lift the siege of the city in order to deal with the Egyptian threat (Jeremiah 37:5; Ezekiel 17:17). Apparently with little effort, Nebuchadnezzar was able to send the Egyptians scurrying back home. He then resumed the siege of Jerusalem. The defenders of the city began to suffer from famine (Jeremiah 21:7; Jeremiah 21:9; Lamentations 2:12; Lamentations 2:20). All the bread in the city was consumed by July of 588 B.C.[686] (2 Kings 24:3). Famine was followed by pestilence (Jeremiah 21:6-7), and after a time the city was reduced to the last extremity (Lamentations 4:10).
[686] From the information given here and in Jeremiah 52, it cannot be determined whether the bread was exhausted in the fourth month of Zedekiah’s tenth year (July, 587) or fourth month of his eleventh year (July 587 B.C.).
On July 29, 587 B.C. after a siege of eighteen months, the Babylonians were able to make a breach in the walls of Jerusalem, probably on the north side of the city. Zedekiah and the men of war who were left fled from Jerusalem on the south side by means of a gate which opened into the Tyropoeon valley, between the two great walls that guarded the town on either side of it. The escape route took Zedekiah and his men by the king’s gardens which were located near the Pool of Siloam. Under cover of darkness, the desperate Jews slipped past the Babylonian outposts and made their way in the direction of the Arab ah, the plains region near Jordan. The way toward the Arabah is the ordinary road from Jerusalem to Jericho. It would appear that Zedekiah was attempting to reach one of the friendly lands beyond the river.
When the escape of Zedekiah and his soldiers was discovered, the Babylonians set out in hot pursuit. Doubtlessly, the commander at Jerusalem was incensed to learn that the king had successfully abandoned the city. A company of soldiers was dispatched immediately to pursue the fugitives. When the Babylonians came within sight, the troops of Zedekiah deserted him (2 Kings 24:5). The king was taken captive without any resistance and was transported north to Riblah where Nebuchadnezzar had made his headquarters. There the rebel stood trial before the Babylonian princes (2 Kings 24:6). The judgment against Zedekiah probably corresponded to the self-maledictions which he had pronounced at the time he swore allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar. He was forced to witness the execution of his young sons.[687] This turned out to be the last sight Zedekiah had on earth, for the Babylonians blinded him, probably by means of a red-hot iron rod.[688] The Babylonians then put Zedekiah in fetters of bronze and carried him away to Babylon (2 Kings 24:7) where he remained in prison until the day of his death (Jeremiah 52:11).
[687] As Zedekiah was no more than thirty-two years old (cf. 2 Kings 24:18), his sons must have been minors.
[688] Zedekiah’s loss of eyesight reconciled the two apparently conflicting propheciesthat he would be carried captive to Babylon (Jeremiah 22:5), and that he would never see Babylon (Ezekiel 12:13).
2 Kings 25:8-17
VI. THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE DEPORTATION OF THE JEWS 25:8-17
**TRANSLATION
(8) And in the fifth month, the seventh day of the month, it being the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard the servant of the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem. (9) And he burned the house of the LORD and the house of the king and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great house he burned with fire. (10) And all the army of the Chaldeans which was with the captain of the guard broke down the wall of Jerusalem round about. (11) And the rest of the people who remained in the city, both the deserters who had gone over to the king of Babylon and the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan carried away. (12) But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land to cultivate vineyards and till the soil. (13) And the bronze pillars which were in the house of the LORD and the bases and the bronze sea which was in the house of the LORD the Chaldeans smashed, and they carried the bronze of them to Babylon. (14) And the ash pans and the shovels and the knives and the incense cups and all the vessels of bronze with which they ministered they took. (15) And the small dishes and the bowls, those which were of gold in gold, and those which were of silver in silver, the captain of the guard took. (16) The two pillars, the one sea, the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these vessels was without weight. (17) Eighteen cubits high was the one pillar and the capital upon it was bronze; and the height of the capital was three cubits, and the wreathen work and pomegranates upon the captial round about all of bronze; and like unto this was the second pillar with wreathen work.
COMMENTS**
Following the capitulation of Jerusalem, the Babylonian soldiers awaited further instructions concerning the fate of the city. A month after the successful breaching of the walls, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, arrived from Riblah with the orders of Nebuchadnezzar. The text of Kings and Jeremiah seem to be at variance as to the date that Nebuzaradan arrived at Jerusalem. According to the former account he arrived on the seventh day of the month, while in the latter it is said to have been the tenth day of the month (Jeremiah 52:12). The simplest solution is that Nebuzaradan arrived at Jerusalem on the seventh day and for some unexplained reason did not enter Jerusalem until the tenth day of the month.[689] The author adds the important chronological note that Jerusalem fell in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.[690]
[689] In the Hebrew the word Jerusalem has no preposition attached to it in 2 Kings 25:8 but has the preposition Beth in Jeremiah 52:12.
[690] Cf. Jeremiah 52:12. The nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, counting by the non-accession year method, would have begun in the spring of 587 B.C.
Nebuzaradan’s orders were to destroy Jerusalem and prepare its inhabitants for deportation to Babylon. The entire city was burned, including the palace of the king, houses of the nobles, and the Temple itself (2 Kings 25:9). The Babylonians had no regard for the sacred precincts of conquered peoples. To prevent the city from ever again becoming a haven for rebels, the massive walls of Jerusalem were broken down (2 Kings 25:10).[691]
[691] Some commentators think that several massive portions of the wall may have been destroyed but not the entirety. However, the text gives the impression that the entire wall was destroyed.
The people who remained behind in Jerusalem when Zedekiah and the soldiers fled, and those who had deserted to the Babylonians during the course of the siege were ordered to prepare for deportation (2 Kings 25:11). Only the very poorest of the citizens were allowed to remain in the land (2 Kings 25:12). The Babylonians did not wish the area to lie waste, since it could then have paid no tribute.
Before setting fire to the Temple, the Babylonians had plundered that edifice of all its treasures. The giant pillars of bronzeJachin and Boazcast by Hiram under the directions of Solomon (1 Kings 7:15-22) were broken up to facilitate transportation to Babylon. The same applies to the ornate bases which Solomon had constructed for the portable lavers (cf. 1 Kings 7:27-37) as well as the mammoth laver called the sea of bronze (2 Kings 25:13). Bronze was of great value in this period, being used for vessels, arms and other implements. All of the smaller items of bronze which were used in the sacrificial ritual were also carried off by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25:14), along with what few vessels of gold and silver that still remained from the previous spoliations of the Temple in 605 and 597 B.C. (2 Kings 25:15).
Babylonian scribes usually noted the weight of all captured precious metals very carefully. But so much bronze was carried away by the conquerors that it was thought to be an impossible task to weigh it all (2 Kings 25:16). An enormous amount of bronze came from the two massive pillars, each of which was eighteen cubits (twenty-seven feet) tall and surmounted by a capital three cubits (4 1/2 feet)[692] tall, which was in turn decorated with a bronze wreathen work or network (2 Kings 25:17). An even more elaborate description of these pillars is given in Jeremiah 52:21.
[692] According to 1 Kings 7:16 and Jeremiah 52:22 the capitals were five cubits high. Perhaps the smaller figure represents the actual height of the capital above the pillar while the larger figure represents the total height of the capital including the part thereof that lapped over the top of the pillar.
2 Kings 25:18-21
VII. THE AFTERMATH OF THE FALL OF JERUSALEM 25:18-30
Chapter 25 closes with a series of notices which are somewhat in the nature of an appendix. The author speaks here of (1) the execution of certain Jewish leaders (2 Kings 25:18-21); (2) the appointment and assassination of Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:22-26); and (3) the release of King Jehoiachin (2 Kings 25:27-30).
A. THE EXECUTION OF JEWISH LEADERS 25:18-21
**TRANSLATION
(18) And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest and three of the keepers of the threshold; (19) and from the city he took an officer who was appointed over the men of war, and five men from those who had served in the presence of the king which were found in the city, and the scribe of the captain of the host, the one who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land which were found in the city; (20) and Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them unto the king of Babylon to Riblah. (21) And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went captive from upon their land.
COMMENTS**
To the account of the fall of Jerusalem is appended a listing of the prominent persons taken to Riblah and executed before Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuzaradan selected those who were highest in authority and therefore most responsible for the prolonged resistance of Jerusalem. First, the author mentions the religious leaders who met this untimely death. At the head of these officials was Seraiah the chief of priests. Seraiah came from a noble line of priests, being the grandson of the great priest Hilkiah who had assisted so ably in the reforms under good King Josiah. After Seraiah, Zephaniah the second priest is named. It is not entirely clear what the office of second priest entailed. According to 2 Kings 23:4 there were several second priests. This Zephaniah is probably the Zephaniah son of Maaseiah of whom so much is said in the Book of Jeremiah.[693] Three keepers of the threshold were also among those executed at Riblah. These must have been high-ranking clergy who supervised the four thousand Levites (1 Chronicles 23:5) whose duty it was to prevent any disturbance or desecration of the Temple (2 Kings 25:18).
[693] See Jeremiah 21:1; Jeremiah 29:25-29; Jeremiah 37:3.
In the second category of those executed at Riblah are certain officials of state. The first such official is not named but is designated as the officer that was set over the men of war. Some commentators have suggested that this gentleman was the general who commanded the city garrison; others propose that he was a civilian official equivalent to minister of defense or the like. Five men who saw the king’s face, i.e., who were part of the king’s personal entourage, were also executed.[694] The scribe of the captain of the host is next listed among the officials who were slain. His job had been to muster the people of the land. A scribe in Old Testament times was not merely a stenographer. Some of the highest officials of state are called scribes. This particular scribe was likely the head of the war department of Judah (2 Kings 25:19). All these prisoners were brought before King Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah (2 Kings 25:20) and were slain.[695] All the other important people of Judah were deported to Babylon (2 Kings 25:21).[696]
[694] Jeremiah 52:25 mentions seven such courtiers who were slain. Perhaps two such officials were slain either sometime before or sometime after the massacre being narrated in 2Kings 25. Jeremiah would then be giving the totals whereas Kings would be giving only partial figures of one specific execution.
[695] Whether or not this was the same day on which Zedekiah’s sons were slain and his eyes blinded cannot be determined. [696] For a discussion of the problems relating to the numbers of Jews carried away to Babylon, see Smith, JL, pp. 832-34.
2 Kings 25:22-26
B. THE APPOINTMENT AND ASSASSINATION OF GEDALIAH 25:22-26
**TRANSLATION
(22) As for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed over them Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. (23) When all the captains of the armies heard, they and the men, that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they came unto Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, (the sons of Ephai) the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of a Maachathite, they and their men. (24) And Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, and said to them, Do not fear because of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. (25) And it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama of the royal seed and ten men with him came and smote Gedaliah, so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him in Mizpah. (26) And all the people from the least to the greatest, and the captains of the armies arose, and went to Egypt; for they feared because of the Chaldeans.
COMMENTS**
After the fall of Jerusalem, Judah became a province of the Babylonian empire. The Holy City had been completely destroyed, reduced to a heap of ashes. But it was not the intention of Nebuchadnezzar to leave the whole land desolate. The Great King appointed Gedaliah, a member of a prominent Jewish family, as governor over the poor of the land whom he had left behind. Gedaliah was an ideal choice. He came from a God-fearing and influential family[697] which through the years had supported the contention of Jeremiah that Nebuchadnezzar had been appointed by God to be ruler of the world. Some conjectureand they are probably correctthat Gedaliah had followed the advice of Jeremiah and defected to the Chaldeans early in the siege of Jerusalem. Under the leadership of Gedaliah, Nebuchadnezzar intended to create in Judah a self-governing commonwealth under Babylonian sovereignty. The Great King hoped to maintain the loyalty of the new colony by granting to them as much freedom as possible, especially freedom of religion. Thus he hoped to create a state in western Asia upon which he could depend in any future showdown with Egypt (2 Kings 25:22).
[697] Gedaliah’s father, Ahikam, had once protected Jeremiah when he was on trial for his life (Jeremiah 26:24). His grandfather Shaphan had been secretary of state under the godly King Josiah (UK 2 Kings 22:8).
The wisdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s choice of Gedaliah became evident at once. Gedaliah immediately launched into a program of reconstruction. His first goal was to unite the various factions into which the remnant of the people was divided. Scattered throughout the land were small guerrilla bands which had somehow escaped capture and destruction by the Chaldean army. Once the main body of foreign troops withdrew, these guerrilla units either came voluntarily or were summoned to Mizpah. Among those named as meeting with Gedaliah at Mizpah are Ishmael who later turned traitor and murdered Gedaliah; Johanan the son of Kareah who later led the remnant to Egypt; Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth; the sons of Ephai[698] who hailed from the town of Netophah near Bethlehem; and Jaazaniah (called Jezaniah in Jeremiah 42:1) the son of Hoshaiah[699] who hailed from the Aramean region of Maachah which adjoined Bashan on the north (2 Kings 25:23).
[698] The words and the sons of Ephai have apparently dropped out of the text of Kings and are to be supplied from the parallel passage in Jeremiah 40:8.
[699] Jeremiah 42:1.
Gedaliah honestly and forthrightly presented his program to those captains, and urged them to use their influence to secure peace throughout the land. First, he assured these soldiers that they had no reason to fear serving the Chaldeans. It may be that Gedaliah used his influence to secure from Nebuchadnezzar amnesty for all those who participated in the war against Babylon. In the second place, Gedaliah called upon these leaders and their followers to dwell peacefully in the land and render service to the king of Babylon. If they continued to do this, he promised them a life of peace (2 Kings 25:24).
The tranquility of the tiny remnant in Palestine was soon shattered. Ishmael, a member of the royal family, began plotting behind the scenes to assassinate Gedaliah. Just what motivated Ishmael in this ruthless plot is not clear. It may be that he resented the fact that Gedaliah had been appointed governor rather than a member of the royal family. On the other hand, Ishmael may have despised and hated Gedaliah for collaborating with the Babylonians. Whatever the explanation for the dastardly deed which he committed, it is clear that Ishmael was being used as a political pawn of Baalis, the king of Ammon. Baalis must have coveted the territory of Judah for himself and decided that Gedaliah was standing in the way (cf. Jeremiah 40:14).
Gedaliah was warned of the treacherous plot against him but gave no heed to the report (Jeremiah 40:13-14). In the seventh month[700] Ishmael set his plan in motion. He and ten cutthroats proceeded to Mizpah. Suspecting nothing, Gedaliah entertained these men hospitably (Jeremiah 41:1). During the course of the banquet, Ishmael and his men rose up suddenly and slew the governor, the Jewish officials who served with him, and his Babylonian bodyguard (2 Kings 25:25). Josephus the Jewish historian adds the tradition that Gedaliah was intoxicated at the time he was murdered. Throughout the exile the Jews observed the third day of the seventh month as a fast day to commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah (cf. Zechariah 7:5; Zechariah 8:19).
[700] Unfortunately the narrator has failed to mention the year in which the assassination took place. Does he mean that Gedaliah was assassinated in the same year in which Jerusalem was captured and burned? If so, then Gedaliah’s governorship lasted only about three months. It is perhaps better (though certainly not necessary) to think here in terms of a governorship which lasted a few years. The Babylonians attempted to avenge the death of Governor Gedaliah in 582 B.C. (Jeremiah 52:30). If Gedaliah died in the seventh month of 587 B.C. it would be difficult to explain why it took the Babylonians six years to respond to the new rebellion in Judah.
The Book of Jeremiah expands at great length on the events associated with the death of Gedaliah. On the very next day Ishmael massacred seventy innocent pilgrims who were making their way to the ruins of the Jerusalem Temple to worship (Jeremiah 41:4-9). The women, children and older men who were left in Mizpah were taken captive by Ishmael before the murderer and his men hastily made their way toward Ammon. Fortunately Johanan and the other guerrilla captains heard of what had happened and intercepted Ishmael at Gibeon. The hostages were rescued, but Ishmael and his men escaped (Jeremiah 41:10-16). Fearful of Babylonian retaliations, the scared remnant departed immediately for Egypt. At their first camping spot near Bethlehem, Jeremiah pleaded with them to trust the Lord and remain in the land (Jeremiah 41:17 to Jeremiah 42:22). But the worldly captains accused Jeremiah of attempting to deceive them, and so they pushed on toward Egypt[701] (2 Kings 25:26).
[701] On the activities of the remnant in Egypt and Jeremiah’s prophecies against them, see Jeremiah 43:8 to Jeremiah 44:30.
2 Kings 25:27-30
C. THE RELEASE OF KING JEHOIACHIN 25:27-30
**TRANSLATION
(27) And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon in his accession year lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah from the prison. (28) And he spoke kindly with him, and he put his throne above the kings which were with him in Babylon. (29) And he changed his prison garments, and did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. (30) And his allowance was a continual allowance given him by the king day by day all the days of his life.
COMMENTS**
The Book of Kings closes with an account of the release of King Jehoiachin who had been taken to Babylon in 597 B.C. Until the end of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Judah was kept in prison. But when the Great King died in 562 B.C. his son Evil-Merodach[702] (stupid one of Marduk) lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, i.e., restored him to royal favor, and ordered him released from prison. According to the precise chronological information recorded here, this encouraging development occurred on the twenty-seventh day[703] of the twelfth month in the thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin’s captivity (2 Kings 25:27). It may be that Daniel and the other highly esteemed Jews at the Babylonian court used their influence to secure the release of the imprisoned king. This might also account for the favor bestowed upon Jehoiachin when his throne was placed above the thrones of the other captive kings in Babylon. The presence of these kings each on a throne of honor was thought to enhance the dignity of Evil-Merodach (2 Kings 25:28). The Babylonian king supplied suitable garments to the released monarch and invited him to dine daily at his royal table. Jehoiachin enjoyed this dignity until the day of his death (2 Kings 25:29). In addition, Jehoiachin received a daily allowance[704] of all that he needed for himself and his family, besides the food which he enjoyed at the royal table (2 Kings 25:30). The release and subsequent elevation of Jehoiachin no doubt bolstered the morale of the Jewish captives and made them ever more confident that one day God would fulfill His promise to put an end to their banishment and restore them to their native land.
[702] Evil-Merodach is a parody on the actual name of this king which was Amel-Marduk (man of Marduk).
[703] Jeremiah 52:31 reads twenty-fifth day. Perhaps Jeremiah refers to the day the official decree was signed which laid the legal foundation for the release; the other account, the actual day that King Jehoiachin left the prison.
[704] Contemporary economic documents discovered in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace contain lists of the daily rations of food given to the royal prisoners from various lands. Jehoiachin and his five sons are mentioned in these texts. In comparison to the quantity of rations given to other prisoners, Jehoiachin and his sons faired very well indeed.
THE CHRONOLOGY OF JUDAH [705]
[705] Based on information contained in Finegan, HBC.
609-587 B.C.
YEAR
MONTH/DAY
REFERENCE
EVENT
609
June ?
2 Kings 23:29-30 2 Chronicles 35:20-24
Josiah killed at Megiddo
609
June-August ?
Reign of Jehoahaz
609
August ?
Jehoiakim became king. His first official year began in October 609.
605
May/June
Jeremiah 25:1; Jeremiah 46:2 DOTT, p. 79
Battle of Carchcmish -fourth year of Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar smashed army of Pharaoh Necho.
605
August 15
DOTT, p. 79
Nabopolassar died in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar returned home to be crowned king. He ascended the throne on September 7.
604
May/June
DOTT, p.,79 Daniel 1:1; 2 Kings 24:1
Jehoiakim submitted to Nebuchadnezzar. The first deportation to Babylon.
At this point Jehoiakim seems to have adopted the Babylonian method of counting regnal years from the spring. Presumably Jehoiakirn’s fifth year was extended to the following spring, i.e., the spring of 603 B.C. The key to the chronology of Judah during this period is Jeremiah 25:1 which equates Jehoiakim year 4 with Nebuchadnezzar’s accession year.
YEAR
MONTH/DAY
REFERENCE
EVENT
601
ANET, p. 564 2 Kings 24:1
Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians; Jehoiakim rebelled after serving Nebuchadnezzar three years604-601 B.C.
598
Dec. 9
2 Chronicles 36:6 2 Kings 24:6
Jehoiakim died.
598-597
Dec. 9-March 16
Jehoiachin reigned three months and ten days.
598
After Dec. 18
DOTT, p. 80
Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem.
597
March 16
DOTT, p. 80
Jerusalem surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiachin taken captive.
597
March 16- April 13
The accession year of Zedekiah.
597
April 13
The first day of Nisan when Zedekiah began his first official year of reign.
588
Jan. 15
2 Kings 25:1 Jeremiah 39:1 Ezekiel 24:1
Beginning of the final siege of Jerusalem.
587
July 29
Babylonians make a breach in the walls of Jerusalem.
587
August 25
2 Kings 25:8 Jer. 53:12
Jerusalem burned.