Jeremiah 52:12

In Jeremiah 52:12 it is the tenth day of the month; which, how to be reconciled, See Gill on "Jeremiah 52:12" which is the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar; who, according to Ptolemy's canon, reigned forty three years; Metasthenes {u} says forty five; and from hence, to the end of 2 Kings 25:12 facts are related as in Jeremiah 52:12 whither the reader is referred. {u} De Judicio Temp. & Annal. Pers. fol. 221. 2. 2 Kings 25:9 Ver. 9. See Gill on "2 Kings 25:8" 2 Kings 25:10 Ver. 10. See Gill on "2 Kings 25:8" 2 Kings 25:11 Ver. 11. See Gill on "2 Kings 25:8" 2 Kings 25:12 Ver. 12. See Gill on "2 Kings 25:8" 2 Kings 25:13 Ver. 13-17. And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord,.... The two pillars in the temple, Jachin and Boaz. Benjamin of Tudela says {w}, that in the church of St. Stephen in Rome these pillars now are with the name of Solomon engraved on each; and the Jews at Rome told him, when there, (in the twelfth century,) that on the ninth of Ab (the day the temple was destroyed) every year sweat was found upon them like water; the one, I suppose, will equally be believed as the other, since it is here expressly said that the Chaldeans broke them in pieces.

Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month,.... Hence the fast of the fifth month, for the burning of the city, which was the month Ab, and answers to part of July and part of August, Zechariah 8:19 ; which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; that is, the nineteenth year of his reign; who reigned in all forty three years, according to Ptolemy's canon: came Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem; or "stood before the king of Babylon" (s); ministered to him, was a servant of his, the provost marshal, or chief marshal; he was sent, and came from Riblah to Jerusalem, with a commission to burn the city. In 2 Kings 25:8; it is said to be on the "seventh" day of the fifth month that he came thither; here, on the "tenth" day; which difficulty may be solved, without supposing different copies, or any error: he might set out from Riblah on the seventh day, and come to Jerusalem on the tenth; or he might come thither on the seventh, and not set fire to the city till the tenth; or, if he set fire to it on the seventh, it might be burning to the tenth, before it was wholly consumed. The Jews (t) account for it thus, "strangers entered into the temple, and ate in it, and defiled it, the seventh and eighth days; and on the ninth, towards dark, they set fire to it; and it burned and continued all that whole day, as it is said, Jeremiah 6:4;'' R.

Johanan was saying, if I had been in that generation, I should have fixed on that day, for the greatest part of the temple was burnt on that day. The authors of the Universal History say (u) it was on Wednesday the eleventh of the fourth month, answering to our twenty seventh of July; but, according to the express words of the text, the city was broke up on the ninth of the fourth month, and burnt on the tenth day of the fifth month; and which was, according to Bishop Usher (w), the twenty seventh of August, on a sabbath day, and in the year of the world 3416, and before Christ 588; and is placed by them in the same years; and by Mr. Whiston (x) in 589; and by Mr. Bedford (y) in the year 587. This was a month after the taking of the city. (s) "qui setit coram rege", Schmidt. (t) T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 29. 1.((u) Vol 4. p. 189. & vol. 21. p. 61. (w) Annales Vet. Test. p. 131. (x) Chronological Tables, cent. 10. (y) Scripture Chronology, p 684.

Jeremiah 52:12-13. Now in the fifth month — This gave occasion to that solemn fast of the fifth month, observed in the times of the captivity: see Zechariah 7:3-5 ; Zechariah 8:19 . In the tenth day of the month — In the parallel place, 2 Kings 25:8 , we read, on the seventh day. This difference some attempt to reconcile, by supposing that the one place may speak of the day Nebuzar-adan set out from Riblah, and the other of the day that he arrived at Jerusalem; or else, that he came on the seventh, but did not set fire to the building till the tenth. “But it is more likely,” says Blaney,” to have arisen from some mistake of the transcriber, perhaps, in setting down the numbers at full length, which were expressed by numeral letters in the old copies. And in this instance such a mistake might easily happen between the ז and the י , of which the first stands for seven, the latter for ten.” And burned the house of the Lord — After it had stood, says Josephus, four hundred and seventy years; but Archbishop Usher reckons it only four hundred and twenty-four years from the laying of the first foundation by Solomon: see note on 2 Kings 25:9 .

12–27. Severities following upon the capture 12 . From this to Jeremiah 52:23 , a part of the narrative which has been summarized in Jeremiah 39:8-10 , we find in almost verbal accord with 2 Kings 25:8-17 . in the fifth month ] See Zechariah 7:3 for the commemorative fast. tenth ] 2 Kgs has seventh . We have no grounds whereby to decide between the two dates. captain of the guard ] See on Jeremiah 39:9 . stood before ] See on Jeremiah 15:19 . Jeremiah 52:12

Now in the fifth month, in the {d} tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, who {e} served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, (d) In 2Ki 25:8 is it called the seventh day, because the fire began then and so continued to the tenth. (e) That is, who was his servant, as in 2Ki 25:8.

(12) In the tenth day of the month. — 2Kings 25:8 gives the “ seventh day.” We have no means of ascertaining which of the two statements is the more accurate. The Jews have always kept the ninth day as a commemorative fast. And this date is given in the Syriac version of 2 Kings. Which served the king of Babylon.—Better, which stand before the king. The Hebrew word is one used continually of honourable service (Jeremiah 35:19; Numbers 27:2; Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 1:30). In 2Kings 25:8 we have the less accurate term of “servant” or “slave,” or “captain of the guard.” (See Note on Jeremiah 39:9.)

12. tenth day—But in 2Ki 25:8, it is said "the seventh day." Nebuzara-dan started from Riblah on the "seventh" day and arrived in Jerusalem on the "tenth" day. Seeming discrepancies, when cleared up, confirm the genuineness of Scripture; for they show there was no collusion between the writers; as in all God's works there is latent harmony under outward varieties.

The destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple, and the carrying away of the people, which are only very summarily stated in Jeremiah 39:8-10 , are here related in complete accordance with the account given in 2 Kings 25:8-17 . The deviations for the most part originated through the freedom exercised by the epitomizer in his work, or only when mistakes were made by later copyists. The text before us has some amplifications (especially the notices regarding the ornaments of the brazen pillars, Jeremiah 52:23 ) which are found nowhere else in the Old Testament. The difference in date between Jeremiah 52:12 ("on the tenth of the month") and the passage in Kings ("on the seventh of the month") has arisen through one number having been mistaken for another in copying; it cannot now be decided which is correct; see on 2 Kings 25:18 . As to Nebuzaradan, see on Jeremiah 39:13 . Instead of עמד , is found עבד in 2 Kings 25:8 , which certainly is a simpler reading, but one having less appearance of being the original. The only strange point is the want of the relative אשׁר in plain prose before עמד, which is probably to be pointed עמד. בּירוּשׁלים, instead of ירוּשׁלים (Kings), is a pregnant expression for "he came into Jerusalem." - Jeremiah 52:14 . From the expression את־כּל־חומות, as given in Jeremiah 52:14 , "all" is omitted in Kings, as being not indispensable for the meaning.