Jeremiah 52:7

52:1-11 This fruit of sin we should pray against above any thing; Cast me not away from thy presence, Ps 51:11. None are cast out of God's presence but those who by sin have first thrown themselves out. Zedekiah's flight was in vain, for there is no escaping the judgments of God; they come upon the sinner, and overtake him, let him flee where he will.

Then the city was broken up,.... Either its gates were broke open, some one or other of them; or a breach was made in the walls of it, through which the Chaldean army entered: and all the men of war fled; the soldiers, with their officers, not being able to stand before the army of the king of Babylon: and went forth out of the city by night; at which time, very probably, the attack was made, and the gates of the city forced open, or the walls broke down; Josephus (p) says it was taken in the middle of the night: by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; See Gill on Jeremiah 39:4; now the Chaldeans were by the city round about; as part of their army entered into it, the other part surrounded it; or, however, were placed at the gates and avenues all around, that none might escape: and they went by the way of the plain; that is, the men of war or soldiers that fled, together with King Zedekiah, his family and princes; see Jeremiah 39:4. (p) Antiqu. l. 10. c. 8. sect. 2. Ed. Hudson.

Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth from the city by night by the {b} way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city on all sides:) and they went by the way of the plain. (b) Read Jer 39:4.

Fate of King Zedekiah at the taking of Jerusalem; cf. 2 Kings 24:18 ; 2 Kings 25:7 , and Jeremiah 39:1-7 . The statements regarding Zedekiah's ascension and his government, Jeremiah 52:1-3 , agree word for word with 2 Kings 24:18-20 , even to the variation השׁליכו, Jeremiah 52:3 , for השׁליכו (Kings). The length of the siege of Jerusalem, Jeremiah 52:4-7 , and the flight, capture, and condemnation of King Zedekiah and the princes of Judah, Jeremiah 52:7-11 , not only agrees with 2 Kings 25:1-7 , but also with Jeremiah 39:1-7 , where it is merely the forcible entrance into the city by the Chaldeans that receives special detail; see on Jeremiah 39:3 . The variation ויּחנוּ, Jeremiah 52:4 , instead of ויּחן ( 2 Kings 25:1 ), does not affect the sense. As to the account given of the flight, capture, and condemnation of the king, both Jeremiah 39 and 2 Kings mit the notices given in Jeremiah 52:10 , "and also all the princes of Judah he caused to be slain (i.e., executed) at Riblah," and in Jeremiah 52:11 , "and he put him in the prison-house till the day of his death." בּית־הפּקדּות has been rendered οἰκία μυλῶνος by the lxx; on this fact Hitzig bases the opinion that the Hebrew words signify "the house of punishment," or "the house of correction," in which Zedekiah was obliged to turn the mill like other culprits, and as Samson was once obliged to do ( Judges 16:21 ).

But this meaning of the words cannot be substantiated. פּקדּה means "oversight, mustering, or visitation (Heimsuchung), or vengeance," e.g., Isaiah 10:3 , but not punishment (Strafe), and the plural, "watches" ( Ezekiel 9:1 ) and "custody," Ezekiel 54:11 ; hence the expression used here signifies "the house of custody," or "the house of the watches." The translation of the lxx can decide nothing against this, because their interpretation is based upon traditions which are themselves unfounded. Regarding this, Ewald well remarks (History of the People of Israel, iii. p. 748 of 2nd:ed.): "That Zedekiah must have laboured at the mill, as is mentioned in later chronicles (see Aug. Mai, Scriptorum veterum nova collectio, t. i. P. 2, p. 6; cf. Chr. Sam. Ch. xlv.), is probably a mere inference from Lamentations 5:13 ."

Ewald understands "the military workmen and siege engineers" to be intended ('History of Israel,' vol. 4. p. 263, note 9); but the term חָרָשׁ in Hebrew includes all workers in stone, metal, or wood ( Genesis 4:22 ; Isaiah 44:12 ; 1 Kings 7:14 ), and there is nothing to limit it here to military craftsmen. It was an Oriental practice to weaken a state by the deportation of all the stronger elements of its population. None remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. These words must be taken with some latitude. There are still "princes" in Jerusalem under Zedekiah ( Jeremiah 38:4, 25, 27 ), and courtiers of rank ( Jeremiah 38:7 ), and "captains of forces" ( Jeremiah 40:7 ), and "men of war" ( Jeremiah 52:7 ). But the bulk of the inhabitants now left behind in Jerusalem were poor and of small account. 2 Kings 24:14