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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Second Kings, Chapter XXV].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC12024.HTM">Previous</A>]
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP">
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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</TD></TR></TABLE>
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>S E C O N D K I N G S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XXV.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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Ever since David's time Jerusalem had been a celebrated place,
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beautiful for situation and the joy of the whole earth: while the book
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of psalms lasts that name will sound great. In the New Testament we
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read much of it, when it was, as here, ripening again for its ruin. In
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the close of the Bible we read of a new Jerusalem. Every thing
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therefore that concerns Jerusalem is worthy our regard. In this chapter
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we have,
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I. The utter destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, the city
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besieged and taken
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:1-4">ver. 1-4</A>),
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the houses burnt
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:8,9">ver. 8, 9</A>),
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and wall broken down
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:10">ver. 10</A>),
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and the inhabitants carried away into captivity,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:11,12">ver. 11, 12</A>.
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The glory of Jerusalem was,
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1. That it was the royal city, where were set "the thrones of the house
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of David;" but that glory has now departed, for the prince is made a
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most miserable prisoner, the seed royal is destroyed
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:5-7">ver. 5-7</A>),
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and the principal officers are put to death,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:18-21">ver. 18-21</A>.
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2. That it was the holy city, where was the testimony of Israel; but
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that glory has departed, for Solomon's temple is burnt to the ground
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:9">ver. 9</A>)
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and the sacred vessels that remained are carried away to Babylon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:13-17">ver. 13-17</A>.
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Thus has Jerusalem become as a widow,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=La+1:1">Lam. i. 1</A>.
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Ichabod--Where is the glory?
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II. The distraction and dispersion of the remnant that was left in
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Judah under Gedaliah,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:22-26">ver. 22-26</A>.
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III. The countenance which, after thirty-seven years' imprisonment, was
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given to Jehoiachin the captive king of Judah,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:27-30">ver. 27-30</A>.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Jerusalem Besieged.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 590.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the
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tenth month, in the tenth <I>day</I> of the month, <I>that</I>
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Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host,
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against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts
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against it round about.
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2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king
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Zedekiah.
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3 And on the ninth <I>day</I> of the <I>fourth</I> month the famine
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prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of
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the land.
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4 And the city was broken up, and all the men of war <I>fled</I> by
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night by the way of the gate between two walls, which <I>is</I> by the
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king's garden: (now the Chaldees <I>were</I> against the city round
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about:) and <I>the king</I> went the way toward the plain.
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5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and
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overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were
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scattered from him.
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6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of
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Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.
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7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put
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out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass,
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and carried him to Babylon.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We left king Zedekiah in rebellion against the king of Babylon
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+24:20"><I>ch.</I> xxiv. 20</A>),
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contriving and endeavouring to shake off his yoke, when he was no way
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able to do it, nor took the right method by making God his friend
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first. Now here we have an account of the fatal consequences of that
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attempt.</P>
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<P>
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I. The king of Babylon's army laid siege to Jerusalem,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
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What should hinder them when the country was already in their
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possession?
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+24:2"><I>ch.</I> xxiv. 2</A>.
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They <I>built forts against the city round about,</I> whence, by such
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arts of war as they then had, they battered it, sent into it
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instruments of death, and kept out of it the necessary supports of
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life. Formerly Jerusalem had been compassed with the favour of God as
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with a shield, but now their defence had departed from them and their
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enemies surrounded them on every side. Those that by sin have provoked
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God to leave them will find that <I>innumerable evils will compass them
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about.</I> Two years this siege lasted; at first the army retired, for
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fear of the king of Egypt
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+37:11">Jer. xxxvii. 11</A>),
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but, finding him not so powerful as they thought, they soon returned,
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with a resolution not to quit the city till they had made themselves
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masters of it.</P>
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<P>
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II. During this siege the famine prevailed
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>),
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so that for a long time they <I>ate their bread by weight and with
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care,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+4:16">Ezek. iv. 16</A>.
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Thus they were punished for their gluttony and excess, their <I>fulness
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of bread</I> and <I>feeding themselves without fear.</I> At length
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<I>there was no bread for the people of the land,</I> that is, the
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common people, the soldiers, whereby they were weakened and rendered
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unfit for service. Now they ate their own children for want of food.
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See this foretold by one prophet
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+5:10">Ezek. v. 10</A>)
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and bewailed by another,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=La+4:3-12">Lam. iv. 3</A>,
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&c. Jeremiah earnestly persuaded the king to surrender
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+38:17">Jer. xxxviii. 17</A>),
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but his heart was hardened to his destruction.</P>
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<P>
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III. At length the city was taken by storm: it was <I>broken up,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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The besiegers made a breach in the wall, at which they forced their way
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into it. The besieged, unable any longer to defend it, endeavoured to
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quit it, and make the best of their way; and many, no doubt, were put
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to the sword, the victorious army being much exasperated by their
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obstinacy.</P>
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<P>
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IV. The king, his family, and all his great men, made their escape in
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the night, by some secret passages which the besiegers either had not
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discovered or did not keep their eye upon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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But those as much deceive themselves who think to escape God's
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judgments as those who think to brave them; the feet of him that flees
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from them will as surely fail as the hands of him that fights against
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them. When God judges he will overcome. Intelligence was given to the
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Chaldeans of the king's flight, and which way he had gone, so that they
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soon overtook him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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His guards were scattered from him, every man shifting for his own
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safety. Had he put himself under God's protection, that would not have
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failed him now. He presently fell into the enemies' hands, and here we
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are told what they did with him.
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1. He was brought to the king of Babylon, and tried by a council of war
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for rebelling against him who set him up, and to whom he had sworn
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fidelity. God and man had a quarrel with him for this; see
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+17:16-21">Ezek. xvii. 16</A>,
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&c. The king of Babylon now
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lay at Riblah (which lay between Judea and Babylon), that he might be
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ready to give orders both to his court at home and his army abroad.
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2. His <I>sons were slain before his eyes,</I> though children, that
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this doleful spectacle, the last his eyes were to behold, might leave
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an impression of grief and horror upon his spirit as long as he lived.
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In slaying his sons, they showed their indignation at his falsehood,
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and in effect declared that neither he nor any of his were fit to be
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trusted, and therefore that they were not fit to live.
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3. His eyes were put out, by which he was deprived of that common
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comfort of human life which is given even to <I>those that are in
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misery, and to the bitter in soul,</I> the light of the sun, by which
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he was also disabled for any service. He dreaded being mocked, and
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therefore would not be persuaded to yield
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+37:19">Jer. xxxviii. 19</A>),
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but that which he feared came upon him with a witness, and no doubt
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added much to his misery; for, as those that are deaf suspect that
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every body talks of them, so those that are blind suspect that every
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body laughs at them. By this two prophecies that seemed to contradict
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one another were both fulfilled. Jeremiah prophesied that Zedekiah
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should be brought to Babylon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+32:5,34:3">Jer. xxxii. 5; xxxiv. 3</A>.
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Ezekiel prophesied that he should not see Babylon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+12:13">Ezek. xii. 13</A>.
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He was brought thither, but, his eyes being put out, he did not see it.
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Thus he ended his days, before he ended his life.
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4. He was <I>bound in fetters of brass</I> and so <I>carried to
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Babylon.</I> He that was blind needed not be bound (his blindness
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fettered him), but, for his greater disgrace, they led him bound; only,
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whereas common malefactors are laid in irons
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+105:18,107:10">Ps. cv. 18; cvii. 10</A>),
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he, being a prince, was bound with fetters of brass; but that the metal
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was somewhat nobler and lighter was little comfort, while still he was
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in fetters. Let it not seem strange if those that have been held in the
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cords of iniquity come to be thus <I>held in the cords of
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affliction,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+36:8">Job xxxvi. 8</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki25_21"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Temple Destroyed.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 588.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh <I>day</I> of the month,
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which <I>is</I> the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of
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Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the
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king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
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9 And he burnt the house of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and the king's house, and
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all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great <I>man's</I> house burnt
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he with fire.
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10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that <I>were with</I> the
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captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round
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about.
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11 Now the rest of the people <I>that were</I> left in the city, and
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the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the
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remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the
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guard carry away.
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12 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land
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<I>to be</I> vinedressers and husbandmen.
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13 And the pillars of brass that <I>were</I> in the house of the
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L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and the bases, and the brasen sea that <I>was</I> in the house
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of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the
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brass of them to Babylon.
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14 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the
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spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered,
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took they away.
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15 And the firepans, and the bowls, <I>and</I> such things as <I>were</I>
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of gold, <I>in</I> gold, and of silver, <I>in</I> silver, the captain of
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the guard took away.
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16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had
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made for the house of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; the brass of all these vessels
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was without weight.
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17 The height of the one pillar <I>was</I> eighteen cubits, and the
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chapiter upon it <I>was</I> brass: and the height of the chapiter
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three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the
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chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the
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second pillar with wreathen work.
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18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest,
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and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the
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door:
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19 And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the
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men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's
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presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe
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of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and
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threescore men of the people of the land <I>that were</I> found in the
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city:
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20 And Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard took these, and brought
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them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:
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21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah
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in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their
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land.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Though we have reason to think that the army of the Chaldeans were much
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enraged against the city for holding out with so much stubbornness, yet
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they did not therefore put all to fire and sword as soon as they had
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taken the city (which is too commonly done in such cases), but about a
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month after (compare
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:8,2Ki+25:3"><I>v.</I> 8 with <I>v.</I> 3</A>)
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Nebuzar-adan was sent with orders to complete the destruction of
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Jerusalem. This space God gave them to repent, after all the foregoing
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|
days of his patience, but in vain; their hearts (for aught that
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|
appears) were still hardened, and therefore execution is awarded to the
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utmost.
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1. The city and temple are burnt,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
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It does not appear that the king of Babylon designed to send any
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colonies to people Jerusalem and therefore he ordered it to be laid in
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|
ashes, as a nest of rebels. At the burning of the king's house and
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|
<I>the houses of the great men</I> one cannot so much wonder (the
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inhabitants had, by their sins, made them combustible), but that the
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<I>house of the Lord</I> should perish in these flames, that that holy
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and beautiful house should be burnt with fire
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+64:11">Isa. lxiv. 11</A>),
|
|
|
|
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 heart of
|
|
God perpetually upon it
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+9:3">1 Kings ix. 3</A>)--
|
|
|
|
might not that have been snatched as a brand out of this burning? No,
|
|
it must not be fire-proof against God's judgments. This stately
|
|
structure must be turned into ashes, and it is probable the ark in it,
|
|
for the enemies, having heard how dearly the Philistines paid for the
|
|
abusing of it, durst not seize that, nor did any of its friends take
|
|
care to preserve it, for then we should have heard of it again in the
|
|
second temple. One of the apocryphal writers does indeed tell us that
|
|
the prophet Jeremiah got it out of the temple, and conveyed it to a
|
|
cave in Mount Nebo on the other side Jordan, and hid it there
|
|
|
|
(2 Macc. ii. 4, 5),
|
|
|
|
but that could not be, for Jeremiah was a close prisoner at that time.
|
|
By the burning of the temple God would show how little cares for the
|
|
external pomp of his worship when the life and power of religion are
|
|
neglected. The people trusted to the temple, as if that would protect
|
|
them in their sins
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+7:4">Jer. vii. 4</A>),
|
|
|
|
but God, by this, let them know that when they had profaned it they
|
|
would find it but a refuge of lies. This temple had stood about 420,
|
|
some say 430 years. The people having forfeited the promises made
|
|
concerning it, those promises must be understood of the gospel-temple,
|
|
which is God's rest for ever. It is observable that the second temple
|
|
was burnt by the Romans the same month, and the same day of the month,
|
|
that the first temple was burnt by the Chaldeans, which, Josephus says,
|
|
was the tenth of August.
|
|
|
|
2. The walls of Jerusalem are demolished
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>),
|
|
|
|
as if the victorious army would be revenged on them for having kept
|
|
them out so long, or at least prevent the like opposition another time.
|
|
Sin unwalls a people and takes away their defence. These walls were
|
|
never repaired till Nehemiah's time.
|
|
|
|
3. The residue of the people are carried away captive to Babylon,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>.
|
|
|
|
Most of the inhabitants had perished by sword or famine, or had made
|
|
their escape when the king did (for it is said,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>,
|
|
|
|
<I>His army was scattered from him</I>), so that there were very few
|
|
left, who with the deserters, making in all but 832 persons (as
|
|
appears,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+52:29">Jer. lii. 29</A>),
|
|
|
|
were carried away into captivity; only <I>the poor of the land were
|
|
left behind</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>),
|
|
|
|
to till the ground and dress the vineyards for the Chaldeans. Sometimes
|
|
poverty is a protection; for those that have nothing have nothing to
|
|
lose. When the rich Jews, who had been oppressive to the poor, were
|
|
made strangers, nay, prisoners, in an enemy's country, the poor whom
|
|
they had despised and oppressed had liberty and peace in their own
|
|
country. Thus Providence sometimes remarkably humbles the proud and
|
|
favours those of low degree.
|
|
|
|
4. The brazen vessels, and other appurtenances of the temple, are
|
|
carried away, those of silver and gold being most of them gone before.
|
|
Those two famous columns of brass, <I>Jachin</I> and <I>Boaz,</I> which
|
|
signified the strength and stability of the house of God, were broken
|
|
to pieces and the brass of them was carried to Babylon,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.
|
|
|
|
When the things signified were sinned away what should the signs stand
|
|
there for? Ahaz had profanely <I>cut off the borders of the bases,</I>
|
|
and put <I>the brazen sea upon a pavement of stones</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+16:17">2 Kings xvi. 17</A>);
|
|
|
|
justly therefore are the brass themselves, and the brazen sea,
|
|
delivered into the enemy's hand. It is just with God to take away his
|
|
ordinances from those that profane and abuse them, that curtail and
|
|
depress them. Some things remained of gold and silver
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>)
|
|
|
|
which were now carried off; but most of this plunder was brass, such a
|
|
vast quantity of it that it is said to be <I>without weight,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>.
|
|
|
|
The carrying away of <I>the vessels wherewith they ministered</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>)
|
|
|
|
put an end to the ministration. It was a righteous thing with God to
|
|
deprive those of the benefit of his worship who had slighted it so long
|
|
and preferred false worships before it. Those that would have many
|
|
altars shall now have none.
|
|
|
|
5. Several of the great men are slain in cold blood--Seraiah the chief
|
|
priest (who was the father of Ezra as appears,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ezr+7:1">Ezra vii. 1</A>),
|
|
|
|
the second priest (who, when there was occasion, officiated for him),
|
|
and three door-keepers of the temple
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>),
|
|
|
|
the general of the army, five privy-counsellors (afterwards they made
|
|
them up seven,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+52:25">Jer. lii. 25</A>),
|
|
|
|
the secretary of war, or pay-master of the army, and sixty country
|
|
gentlemen who had concealed themselves in the city. These, being
|
|
persons of some rank, were brought to the king of Babylon
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:19,20"><I>v.</I> 19, 20</A>),
|
|
|
|
who ordered them to be all put to death
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>),
|
|
|
|
when, in reason, they might have hoped that surely the bitterness of
|
|
death was past. These the king of Babylon's revenge looked upon as most
|
|
active in opposing him; but divine justice, we may suppose, looked upon
|
|
them as ringleaders in that idolatry and impiety which were punished by
|
|
these desolations. This completed the calamity: <I>So Judah was carried
|
|
away out of their land,</I> about 860 years after they were put in
|
|
possession of it by Joshua. Now the scripture was fulfilled, <I>The
|
|
Lord shall bring thee, and the king which thou shalt set over thee,
|
|
into a nation which thou hast not known,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+28:36">Deut. xxviii. 36</A>.
|
|
|
|
Sin kept their fathers forty years out of Canaan, and now turned
|
|
<I>them</I> out. The Lord is known by those judgments which he
|
|
executes, and makes good that word which he has spoken,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Am+3:2">Amos iii. 2</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>You only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore I
|
|
will punish you for all your iniquities.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_22"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_27"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_29"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki25_30"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Dispersion of the Remnant of Judah.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 552.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>22 And <I>as for</I> 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
|
|
the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they
|
|
and their men.
|
|
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.
|
|
25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the
|
|
son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed 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 came to Egypt: for they were afraid of
|
|
the Chaldees.
|
|
27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the
|
|
captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on
|
|
the seven and twentieth <I>day</I> of the month, <I>that</I> Evil-merodach
|
|
king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up
|
|
the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
|
|
28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the
|
|
throne of the kings that <I>were</I> with him in Babylon;
|
|
29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread
|
|
continually before him all the days of his life.
|
|
30 And his allowance <I>was</I> a continual allowance given him of
|
|
the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
In these verses we have,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. The dispersion of the remaining people. The city of Jerusalem was
|
|
quite laid waste. Some people there were in the land of Judah
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>)
|
|
|
|
that had weathered the storm, and (which was no small favour at this
|
|
time,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+45:5">Jer. xlv. 5</A>)
|
|
|
|
had <I>their lives given them for a prey.</I> Now see,
|
|
|
|
1. What a good posture they were put into. The king of Babylon
|
|
appointed Gedaliah, one of themselves, to be their governor and
|
|
protector under him, a very good man, and one that would make the best
|
|
of the bad,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>.
|
|
|
|
His father Ahikam was one that countenanced and protected Jeremiah when
|
|
the princes had vowed his death,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+26:24">Jer. xxvi. 24</A>.
|
|
|
|
It is probable that this Gedaliah, by the advice of Jeremiah, had gone
|
|
over the Chaldeans, and had conducted himself so well that the king of
|
|
Babylon entrusted him with the government. He resided not at Jerusalem,
|
|
but at Mizpah, in the land of Benjamin, a place famous in Samuel's
|
|
time. Thither those came who had fled from Zedekiah
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>)
|
|
|
|
and put themselves under his protection
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>),
|
|
|
|
which he assured them of if they would be patient and peaceable under
|
|
the government of the king of Babylon,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>.
|
|
|
|
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-council as Jeremiah, who was
|
|
now with them, and interested himself in their affairs,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+40:5,6">Jer. xl. 5, 6</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. What a fatal breach was made upon them, soon afterwards, by the
|
|
death of Gedaliah, within two months after he entered upon his
|
|
government. The utter extirpation of the Jews, for the present, was
|
|
determined, and therefore it was in vain for them to think of taking
|
|
root again: the whole land must be plucked up,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+45:4">Jer. xlv. 4</A>.
|
|
|
|
Yet this hopeful settlement is dashed to pieces, not by the Chaldeans,
|
|
but by some of themselves. The things of their peace were so hidden
|
|
from their eyes that they knew not when they were well off, nor would
|
|
believe when they were told.
|
|
|
|
(1.) They had a good governor of their own, and him they slew, out of
|
|
spite to the Chaldeans, because he was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>.
|
|
|
|
Ishmael, who was of the royal family, envying Gedaliah's advancement
|
|
and the happy settlement of the people under him, though he could not
|
|
propose to set up himself, resolved to ruin him, and basely slew him
|
|
and all his friends, both Jews and Chaldeans. Nebuchadnezzar would not,
|
|
could not, have been a more mischievous enemy to their peace than this
|
|
degenerate branch of the house of David was.
|
|
|
|
(2.) They were as yet in their own good land, but they forsook it, and
|
|
went to Egypt, for fear of the Chaldeans,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>.
|
|
|
|
The Chaldeans had reason enough to be offended at the murder of
|
|
Gedaliah; but if those that remained had humbly remonstrated, alleging
|
|
that it was only the act of Ishmael and his party, we may suppose that
|
|
those who were innocent of it, nay, who suffered greatly by it, would
|
|
not have been punished for it: but, under pretence of this
|
|
apprehension, contrary to the counsel of Jeremiah, they all went to
|
|
Egypt, where, it is probable, they mixed with the Egyptians by degrees,
|
|
and were never heard of more as Israelites. Thus was there a full end
|
|
made of them by their own folly and disobedience, and Egypt had the
|
|
last of them, that the last verse of that chapter of threatenings might
|
|
be fulfilled, after all the rest,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+28:68">Deut. xxviii. 68</A>,
|
|
|
|
<I>The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again.</I> These events are
|
|
more largely related by the prophet Jeremiah,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+40:1-45:5"><I>ch.</I> xl. to <I>ch.</I> xlv.</A>
|
|
|
|
<I>Quaeque ipse miserrima vidit, et quorum pars magna fuit--Which scenes
|
|
he was doomed to behold, and in which he bore a melancholy
|
|
part.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. The reviving of the captive prince. Of Zedekiah we hear no more
|
|
after he was carried blind to Babylon; it is probable that he did not
|
|
live long, but that when he died he was buried with some marks of
|
|
honour,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+34:5">Jer. xxxiv. 5</A>.
|
|
|
|
Of Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah, who surrendered himself
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+24:12"><I>ch.</I> xxiv. 12</A>),
|
|
|
|
we are here told that as soon as Evil-merodach came to the crown, upon
|
|
the death of his father Nebuchadnezzar, he released him out of prison
|
|
(where he had lain thirty-seven years, and was now fifty-five years
|
|
old), <I>spoke kindly to him,</I> paid more respect to him than to any
|
|
other of the kings his father had left in captivity
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:28"><I>v.</I> 28</A>),
|
|
|
|
gave him princely clothing instead of his prison-garments, maintained
|
|
him in his own palace
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+25:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>),
|
|
|
|
and allowed him a pension for himself and his family in some measure
|
|
corresponding to his rank, <I>a daily rate for every day as long as he
|
|
lived.</I> Consider this,
|
|
|
|
1. As a very happy change of Jehoiachin's condition. To have honour and
|
|
liberty after he had been so long in confinement and disgrace, the
|
|
plenty and pleasure of a court after he had been so long accustomed to
|
|
the straits and miseries of a prison, was like the return of the
|
|
morning after a very dark and tedious night. Let none say that they
|
|
shall never see good again because they have long seen little but evil;
|
|
the most miserable know not what blessed turn Providence may yet give
|
|
to their affairs, nor what comforts they are reserved for, <I>according
|
|
to the days wherein they have been afflicted,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+110:15">Ps. cx. 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
However the death of afflicted saints is to them such a change as this
|
|
was to Jehoiachin: it will release them out of their prison, shake off
|
|
the body, that prison-garment, and open the way to their advancement;
|
|
it will send them to the throne, to the table, of the King of kings,
|
|
the glorious liberty of God's children.
|
|
|
|
2. As a very generous act of Evil-merodach's. He thought his father
|
|
made the yoke of his captives too heavy, and therefore, with the
|
|
tenderness of a man and the honour of a prince, made it lighter. It
|
|
should seem all the kings he had in his power were favoured, but
|
|
Jehoiachin above them all, some think for the sake of the antiquity of
|
|
his family and the honour of his renowned ancestors, David and Solomon.
|
|
None of the kings of the nations, it is likely, had descended from so
|
|
long a race of kings in a direct lineal succession, and by a male line,
|
|
as the king of Judah. The Jews say that this Evil-merodach had been
|
|
himself imprisoned by his own father, when he returned from his
|
|
madness, for some mismanagement at that time, and that in prison he
|
|
contracted a friendship with Jehoiachin, in consequence of which, as
|
|
soon as he had it in his power, he showed him this kindness as a
|
|
sufferer, as a fellow-sufferer. Some suggest that Evil-merodach had
|
|
learned from Daniel and his fellows the principles of the true
|
|
religion, and was well affected to them, and upon that account favoured
|
|
Jehoiachin.
|
|
|
|
3. As a kind dispensation of Providence, for the encouragement of the
|
|
Jews in captivity, and the support of their faith and hope concerning
|
|
their enlargement in due time. This happened just about the midnight of
|
|
their captivity. Thirty-six of the seventy years were now past, and
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almost as many were yet behind, and now to see their king thus advanced
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would be a comfortable earnest to them of their own release in due
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time, in the set time. <I>Unto the upright there</I> thus <I>ariseth
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light in the darkness,</I> to encourage them to hope, even in the
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<I>cloudy and dark day,</I> that at <I>evening time it shall be
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light;</I> when therefore we are perplexed, let us not be in
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despair.</P>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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