Chapter 52: The Tragic End of Yerushalayim and the Exile of Yehudah

1. Tzidkiyahu’s Reign and Rebellion (52:1–3)

Tzidkiyahu became king at age twenty-one and ruled for eleven years. His mother was Hamutal, daughter of Yirmiyahu from Livnah. He did what was evil in the eyes of G‑d, following the ways of Yehoyakim. Because of G‑d’s anger against Yehudah and Yerushalayim, He allowed them to be cast away, and Tzidkiyahu rebelled against the king of Bavel.

2. The Siege of Yerushalayim (52:4–6)

In the ninth year of Tzidkiyahu’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnetzar, king of Bavel, came with his army and laid siege to Yerushalayim. The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu. By the fourth month, famine became severe, and the people had no food.

3. The Breach and Capture of Tzidkiyahu (52:7–11)

The city walls were breached, and the soldiers fled by night through a gate near the king’s garden. Tzidkiyahu fled toward the Arabah but was captured on the plains of Yericho. He was brought to Riblah before Nebuchadnetzar, who executed his sons and the princes of Yehudah before his eyes, then blinded him and bound him in bronze chains, taking him to Bavel, where he remained in prison until his death.

4. The Destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and Yerushalayim (52:12–14)

In the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnetzar, Nebuzaradan, the chief executioner, came to Yerushalayim and burned the Beit HaMikdash, the king’s palace, and all the houses of the nobles. The walls of the city were torn down by the Chaldean army.

5. The Exile and Plunder (52:15–23)

Nebuzaradan exiled the remaining people, including defectors and survivors, leaving only some of the poorest as vine-dressers and farmers. The Babylonians broke the copper pillars, the bases, and the copper sea from the Beit HaMikdash, taking all the copper to Bavel. They seized gold and silver vessels, including pots, basins, candelabras, and utensils. The description of the pillars and their ornate pomegranates emphasizes the grandeur of what was lost.

6. Execution of Leaders (52:24–27)

Nebuzaradan captured Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and other officials, along with sixty men from the city. They were brought to Riblah, where the king of Bavel executed them. Thus, Yehudah was exiled from its land.

7. The Numbers of the Exiles (52:28–30)

Nebuchadnetzar exiled 3,023 people in his seventh year, 832 in his eighteenth year, and 745 in his twenty-third year—a total of 4,600 people.

8. Jehoiachin’s Release and Honor (52:31–34)

In the thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin’s exile, Evil-Merodach, king of Bavel, released him from prison, spoke kindly to him, and elevated his throne above other captive kings. Jehoiachin changed his prison garments and ate at the king’s table for the rest of his life. He received a daily allowance from the king until his death.