Nebuchadnezzar besieges

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ND it came to pass in the ninth || in the city, and there was no bread A. M. 3416. year of his reign, in the tenth for the people of the land.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXV. Verse 1. Nebuchadnezzar came, and all his host, against Jerusalem-To chastise Zedekiah for his rebellion and perjury: for, contrary to the solemn oath he had taken, he had been contriving and endeavouring to revolt from the king of Babylon, and shake off his yoke. They built forts against it round about-To keep all supplies of men and provisions from entering into the city, and that from thence, by such arts of war as they then had, they might batter the walls, shoot arrows, and throw darts or stones into it. Formerly Jerusalem was compassed with the favour of God as with a shield, but now their defence is departed from them, and their enemies surround them on every side. The siege lasted two years. At first the besieging army retired for fear of the king of Egypt, who came to help Zedekiah; and then Jeremiah endeavoured to get out of the city, to go into the land of Benjamin, but was hindered, seized, and imprisoned, Jer. xvii. 11. The Chaldeans, finding that Pharaoh was not so powerful as they at first supposed, soon returned, as Jeremiah had foretold they would, with a resolution not to quit the siege till they had made themselves masters of the place.

5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.

© Jeremiah xxxix. 2; lii. 7, &c.-d Jeremiah xxxix. 4-7; lii. 7; Ezek. xii. 12.

by storm, the besiegers having made a breach in the wall, at which they forced their way into it. All the men of war fled-Being unable any longer to defend the city, they endeavoured to quit it, which many of them found means to do by the way of the gate between the two walls-That is, between the inward and outward walls of the city, or between the wall and the outworks, by a private way, having the advantage of the darkness of the night, and possibly of some vault under the ground. Many however, no doubt, were put to the sword, the victorious army being much exasperated by their obstinacy. To account, in some degree, for the besieged making their escape, Josephus observes, that as the city was taken about midnight, the enemies' captains, with the rest of the soldiers, went directly into the temple, which Zedekiah perceiving, took his wives, children, commanders, and friends, and they all slipped away together, by a narrow passage, toward the wilderness, But what this narrow passage was, is still a question. The Jews think there was a subterraneous passage from the palace to the plains of Jericho, and that the king and his courtiers might endeavour to make their escape that way. And we learn from Dion, that in the last siege of Jerusalem Verse 3. The famine prevailed in the city-So by the Romans, the Jews had covered ways, which that for a long time they ate their bread, as Ezekiel lay under the walls of the city, to a considerable disforetold they should do, (chap. iv. 16,) by weight tance into the country, out of which they were and with care, and drunk their water by measure wont to sally, and fall upon the Romans that were and with astonishment, perceiving the quantity of straggling from the camp: but since neither Joseit lessening fast every day, and having no hope of a phus nor the sacred historian takes notice of any fresh supply. Thus they were punished for their such subterraneous passage at this siege, it is most gluttony and excess, their fulness of bread, and feed-likely that the Chaldeans having made a breach in ing themselves without fear. At length there was the wall, many of the besieged escaped through it, no bread for the people of the land-For the com- proceeding privately between the wall and the outmon people, who, upon the approach of the Baby- works, by a passage which the Chaldeans did not lonian army, had flocked from all parts of the coun- suspect. The king went toward the plain—Of Jetry, to secure themselves and their families, but only richo, as it follows. for the great men. Now they eat their own children for want of food, as had been foretold by one prophet, (Ezek. v. 10,) and is bewailed by another, Lam. iv. 3, &c. Jeremiah, in this extremity, earnestly persuaded the king to surrender, but his heart

was hardened to his destruction.

Verse 4. The city was broken up-It was taken

Verse 5. The army of the Chaldees pursued after the king-Intelligence was soon given of his flight, and which way he was gone, so that they soon overtook him. And all his army-His guards; were scattered from him-Every man shifting for his safety. Had he made his peace with God, and put himself under his protection, he would not have

Zedekiah and his sons are slain,

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3 captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:

A. M. 3416. 6 So they took the king, and brought || year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king A. M. 3416. i him up to the king of Babylon to of Babylon,) came Nebuzar-adan, Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and 2 put fout the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

failed him now. It seems to have been the design of the king, and of those with him, to escape into Egypt through Arabia Deserta.

Verse 6. And brought him to the king of Babylon, to Riblah-Where Nebuchadnezzar stayed, that he might both supply the besiegers with men and military provisions, as their occasions required, and have an eye to Chaldea, to prevent or suppress any commotions which might happen there in his absence. They gave judgment upon him—The king's officers appointed thereunto examined his cause, and passed the following sentence against him.

9 * And he burnt the house of the LORD, 1and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.

10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were

have reason to think the Chaldeans were much enraged against the city, for holding out with so much stubbornness; yet they did not, therefore, put all to fire and sword as soon as they had taken the city, which is too commonly done in such cases; but about a month after (compare verse 8 with verse 3) Nebuzar-adan was sent with orders to complete the destruction of it. This space God gave them for repentance after all the foregoing days of his patience; but in vain; their hearts were still hardened, and therefore execution was awarded to the utter

most.

Verse 9. And he burnt the house of the Lord-The king of Babylon, it appears, did not design to send any colonies to people Judea, and therefore ordered Jerusalem to be laid in ashes, as a nest of rebels. "At the burning of the king's house," says Henry, "and the houses of the great men, one cannot much wonder, the inhabitants had by their sins kindled the fire of God's wrath against them; but that the house of the Lord should perish in these flames, that that holy and beautiful house should be burned with fire, (Isa. lxiv. 11,) is very strange; that house which David prepared for, and which Solomon built, at such a vast expense; that house which had the eye and the heart of God perpetually upon it, (1 Kings ix. 3,) might not that have been snatched as a brand out of the burning? No, that will not be fireproof against God's judgments; this stately structure must be laid in ashes, and it is probable the ark in it; for the enemies, probably having heard how dear the Philistines paid for the abusing it, durst not

Verse 7. They slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes-Though they were but children, that this spectacle, the last he was to behold, might leave a deep and durable impression of grief and horror upon his spirit. And in slaying his sons they in effect declared that the kingdom was no more, and that neither he nor any of his breed were fit to be trusted: therefore not fit to live. And put out his eyes, and carried him to Babylon-Thus two pro- || phecies were fulfilled, which seemed contrary the one to the other. Jeremiah foretold, That he should be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and should speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes should behold his eyes, and that he should go to Babylon, chap. xxxii. 4, and xxxiv. 3; and Ezekiel prophesied. That he should never see Babylon, though he should die there, chap. xii. 13. This seeming contradiction, Zedekiah the false prophet could not reconcile, and therefore concluded that both prophecies were false, and, if we may credit Josephus, Zedekiah the king stumbled at this diffi-seize it; nor did any of its friends take care to preculty. Both, however, were literally accomplished. The reflection which Josephus makes on this event, is worthy of the reader's attention: "This may serve to convince even the ignorant, of the power and wisdom of God; and of the constancy of his counsels through all the various ways of his operations. It may likewise show us that God's foreknowledge of things is certain; and his providence regular in the ordering of events; and besides, it holds forth a most exemplary instance of the danger of our giving way to the motions of sin and infidelity, which deprive us of the means of discerning God's judgments, even though ready to fall upon us."-Antiq., lib. 10., cap. 11.

Verse 8. And in the fifth month, &c.-Though we

serve it; for then we should have heard of it again in the second temple." The temple was burned four hundred years after the time that it was built, says Sir John Marsham; four hundred and twenty-four years three months and eight days, says Archbishop Usher; four hundred thirty years, says Abarbinel and other learned Jews; but Josephus computes the matter still higher; for he tells us that the temple was burned four hundred and seventy years six months and ten days after the building of it; one thousand and sixty years six months and ten days from the time of the Israelites coming out of the land of Egypt; one thousand nine hundred and fifty years six months and ten days from the deluge; three thousand five hundred and thirty years six

Gedaliah is made governor.

II. KINGS.

He is slain by Ishmael. A. M. 3416. took these, and brought them to the || the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the A. M. 3416. king of Babylon to Riblah : son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

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21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. • So Judah was carried away out of their land. || 22 And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.

23 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth

Leviticus xxvi. 33; Deuteron. xxviii. 36, 64; Chap. xxiii. 27. d Jeremiah xl. 5.

fit, they being not vulgar persons like those whom he had ordered to be carried captive or left in the land. The king of Babylon smote them-Ordered them all to be put to death, when in reason they might have hoped that surely the bitterness of death was past. He probably looked upon them as persons that had been active in opposing him; but divine justice, we may suppose, viewed them as ring-leaders in that idolatry and impiety which were punished by these desolations. So Judah was carried away out of their land-This completed their calamity, about eight hundred and sixty years after they were put in possession of Canaan by Joshua.

Verse 22. Over them he made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, ruler-A righteous and good man, and a friend to the Prophet Jeremiah, Jer. xxvi. 24. Ahikam, his father, was a person in such credit in all the latter reigns, that he had been able to screen Jeremiah from the resentment of the king and the fury of the people; so that it is very probable the prophet, in gratitude to the father, obtained this favour for the son, from Nebuzar-adan. Or, as some think, Gedaliah, by the advice of Jeremiah, had gone over to the Chaldeans, and had approved himself so well, that on that account the king of Babylon judged it proper to intrust him with the government. Gedaliah's good conduct, together with the obligations which Jeremiah was under to his father, was probably the motive which induced the prophet to live with him in Judea rather than go to Babylon,|| when the Chaldean general put it to his option, not without some considerable encouragement to invite him to the latter, Jer. xxxix. 11.

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24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

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25 But fit came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed 10 royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah. 26 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and Jer. xli. 1, 2.- 10 Heb. of the kingdom Jeremiah xliii. 4, 7.

e Jeremiah xl. 7, 9.

time; Ishmael, Johanan, &c., they and their menTo put themselves under his protection. Gedaliah, though he had not the pomp and power of a sovereign prince, yet might have been a greater blessing to them than many of their kings had been, especially having such a privy counsellor as Jeremiah, who was now with them, and interested himself in their affairs, Jer. xl. 5, 6.

Verse 24. Gedaliah sware to them-Assured them by his promise and oath, that if they would be patient and peaceable under the government of the king of Babylon, and would conduct themselves properly, they should be kept from the evils which they feared. This he might safely swear, because he had not only Nebuchadnezzar's promise, and interest too, but also God's promise, delivered by Jeremiah. And it might seem that a fair prospect was now again opening for them. But, alas! this hopeful settlement was soon dashed to pieces, not by the Chaldeans, but by themselves. The things of their peace were so hid from their eyes that they neither knew when they were well, nor would believe when they were told so even by God himself.

and

Verse 25. Ishmael, of the seed royal, cameMoved with envy at Gedaliah's advancement, and the happy settlement of the people under him; ten men with him-That is, ten captains or officers, and under each of them many soldiers. And smote Gedaliah, and the Jews and Chaldees, &c.-Resolved to ruin him and them. Nebuchadnezzar would not, could not, have been a more mischievous enemy to their peace than this degenerate branch of the house of David was! We have a fuller account of this affair in the fortieth and forty-first chapters of Verse 23. When all the captains of the armies- Jeremiah, where we read that Gedaliah was admonWho escaped when Zedekiah was taken; heard that ished of this intended conspiracy against him; but, the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor-like other good men, who are commonly void of One of themselves, and that things were put into a suspicion, because they have no design to hurt good posture: there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah- others, he did not believe what was told him. A place in the land of Benjamin, famous in Samuel's Verse 26. And all the people arose, and came to

A. M. 3442. came to Egypt: for they were afraid || the year that he began to reign, did A. M. 3442.
of the Chaldees.
lift up the head of Jehoiachin king
of Judah out of prison;