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Jeremiah 52

ירמיהו פרק נ״ב

Section: נביאים · נביאים אחרונים | Book: Jeremiah | Chapter: 52 of 52 | Day: 265 of 742

Date: November 3, 2026

קלאוד על הנ״ך

Chapter 52 is the last chapter of Yirmiyahu, and the prophet does not speak in it at all. It is a plain record of how Jerusalem fell: Tzidkiyahu’s rebellion, the siege, the burning of the Temple, and the exile to Bavel. The chapter before it ended with the words “thus far the words of Yirmiyahu” (51:64), so this account stands apart as an appendix.

Almost all of it appears again, nearly word for word, at the end of the book of Kings (II Melachim 24:18-25:30). Radak says so on the first verse and sends the reader there for most of his explanations. Why repeat it here? Yirmiyahu spent some forty years warning that this would happen. People mocked him, beat him and jailed him for it. Ending his book with the bare facts shows that every word came true.

The chapter starts with the reason. Tzidkiyahu did evil, just like Yehoyakim before him (52:2). Then God’s anger against Jerusalem led him to rebel against the king of Bavel (52:3). Rashi reads this as cause and effect: the anger brought about the rebellion, and the rebellion was the beginning of the destruction. A king’s political gamble turns out to be the way the judgment arrives.

From there the story moves fast. After a siege of about a year and a half, famine breaks the city, the wall is breached, and Tzidkiyahu flees by night (52:7). He is caught near Yericho and brought to Nevuchadnezzar at Rivlah. Rashi on 52:9 gives the charge against him: he broke his oath of loyalty to Bavel. His sons are killed before his eyes, then he is blinded and dies in a Babylonian prison (52:11). A month later the Temple, the palace and the great houses of Jerusalem are burned (52:13).

Next comes a long list of what was taken from the Temple: the two bronze pillars, the bronze sea, the stands, the pails and shovels, the gold and the silver (52:17-23). It reads like an inventory, and that is its power. These were the vessels King Shlomo made for the house of God (52:20). They had stood there for about four hundred years. Now they are broken up and carried off as metal. The chapter also records the execution of the high priest and the leading men (52:24-27), and counts the exiles in three waves (52:28-30).

But the book does not end in the ashes. The last four verses jump ahead thirty-seven years. A new king of Bavel, Evil-Merodach, releases Yehoyachin, the exiled king of Yehudah, from prison. He speaks kindly to him, seats him above the other captive kings, gives him new clothes, and feeds him at his own table for the rest of his life (52:31-34). It is a small scene, but it matters. The line of David is still alive, and even in exile it is treated with honour.

That is a fitting close. At the very start, Yirmiyahu was sent to uproot and tear down, and also to build and to plant (1:10). Most of his book is about the tearing down. Its last scene is a quiet sign that the building will come.

פרק נ״ב · Chapter 52

פסוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִ֨ים וְאַחַ֤ת שָׁנָה֙ צִדְקִיָּ֣הוּ בְמׇלְכ֔וֹ וְאַחַ֤ת עֶשְׂרֵה֙ שָׁנָ֔ה מָלַ֖ךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְשֵׁ֣ם אִמּ֔וֹ (חמיטל) [חֲמוּטַ֥ל] בַּֽת־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ מִלִּבְנָֽה׃

English:

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

The final chapter opens with Tzidkiyahu, the last king of Yehudah, who reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. Radak notes that this whole section, to the end of the book, also appears at the end of the book of Kings, and he sends the reader there for most of its explanation.

פסוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה כְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֖ה יְהוֹיָקִֽם׃

English:

He did what was displeasing to GOD, just as Jehoiakim had done.

פסוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

כִּ֣י ׀ עַל־אַ֣ף יְהֹוָ֗ה הָֽיְתָה֙ בִּירוּשָׁלַ֣͏ִם וִֽיהוּדָ֔ה עַד־הִשְׁלִיכ֥וֹ אוֹתָ֖ם מֵעַ֣ל פָּנָ֑יו וַיִּמְרֹ֥ד צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ בְּמֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל׃

English:

Indeed, Jerusalem and Judah were a cause of anger for GOD, so that they were cast out from the divine presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

God's anger against Jerusalem and Yehudah reached the point of casting them out, and Tzidkiyahu rebelled against Bavel. Rashi reads this as cause and effect: the anger brought about the rebellion, which was the start of the destruction. Metzudat David adds that God stirred Tzidkiyahu's heart to rebel so that it would lead to the exile.

פסוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַיְהִי֩ בַשָּׁנָ֨ה הַתְּשִׁעִ֜ית לְמׇלְכ֗וֹ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי֮ בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר לַחֹ֒דֶשׁ֒ בָּ֠א נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֨ר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֜ל ה֤וּא וְכׇל־חֵילוֹ֙ עַל־יְר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ עָלֶ֑יהָ וַיִּבְנ֥וּ עָלֶ֛יהָ דָּיֵ֖ק סָבִֽיב׃

English:

And in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadrezzar moved against Jerusalem with his whole army. They besieged it and built towers against it all around.

On the tenth of the tenth month, Tevet, in Tzidkiyahu's ninth year, Nevuchadnezzar's whole army surrounds Jerusalem. This date became the fast of Asarah b'Tevet. Metzudat David explains the 'dayek' as a siege tower built facing the city in order to capture it.

פסוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַתָּבֹ֥א הָעִ֖יר בַּמָּצ֑וֹר עַ֚ד עַשְׁתֵּ֣י עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֔ה לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ צִדְקִיָּֽהוּ׃

English:

The city continued in a state of siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

The siege drags on until Tzidkiyahu's eleventh year, about a year and a half in all. Metzudat David explains that the city simply stood with the enemy camped all around it, cut off from the outside.

פסוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

בַּחֹ֤דֶשׁ הָרְבִיעִי֙ בְּתִשְׁעָ֣ה לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ וַיֶּחֱזַ֥ק הָרָעָ֖ב בָּעִ֑יר וְלֹא־הָיָ֥ה לֶ֖חֶם לְעַ֥ם הָאָֽרֶץ׃

English:

By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine had become acute in the city; there was no food left for the common people.

פסוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וַתִּבָּקַ֣ע הָעִ֗יר וְכׇל־אַנְשֵׁ֣י הַמִּלְחָמָ֡ה יִבְרְחוּ֩ וַיֵּצְא֨וּ מֵהָעִ֜יר לַ֗יְלָה דֶּ֜רֶךְ שַׁ֤עַר בֵּין־הַחֹמֹתַ֙יִם֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־גַּ֣ן הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וְכַשְׂדִּ֥ים עַל־הָעִ֖יר סָבִ֑יב וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ דֶּ֥רֶךְ הָעֲרָבָֽה׃

English:

Then [the wall of] the city was breached. All the soldiers fled; they left the city by night through the gate between the double walls, which is near the king’s garden—the Chaldeans were all around the city—and they set out for the Arabah.

The wall is breached and the soldiers flee by night through the gate between the two walls, heading for the Aravah. Metzudat David notes that the defenders were too weak from hunger to resist. Rashi says there was a cave running from the king's house to the plains of Yericho.

פסוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וַיִּרְדְּפ֤וּ חֵיל־כַּשְׂדִּים֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וַיַּשִּׂ֥יגוּ אֶת־צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת יְרֵח֑וֹ וְכׇ֨ל־חֵיל֔וֹ נָפֹ֖צוּ מֵעָלָֽיו׃

English:

But the Chaldean troops pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the steppes of Jericho, as his entire force left him and scattered.

The Babylonians chase Tzidkiyahu and catch him near Yericho as his army scatters. Metzudat David cites the tradition of Chazal that he fled through a cave, and a deer running above it drew the soldiers to the cave's exit just as the king came out.

פסוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וַֽיִּתְפְּשׂוּ֙ אֶת־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וַיַּעֲל֨וּ אֹת֜וֹ אֶל־מֶ֧לֶךְ בָּבֶ֛ל רִבְלָ֖תָה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חֲמָ֑ת וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתּ֖וֹ מִשְׁפָּטִֽים׃

English:

They captured the king and brought him before the king of Babylon at Riblah, in the region of Hamath; and he put him on trial.

Tzidkiyahu is brought to Nevuchadnezzar at Rivlah and put on trial. Rashi and Metzudat David explain the charge: he had sworn loyalty to the king of Bavel and then broken his oath by rebelling.

פסוק י׳ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁחַ֧ט מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֛ל אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ לְעֵינָ֑יו וְגַ֛ם אֶת־כׇּל־שָׂרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה שָׁחַ֥ט בְּרִבְלָֽתָה׃

English:

The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons slaughtered before his eyes; he also had all the officials of Judah slaughtered at Riblah.

Tzidkiyahu's sons are slaughtered in front of him, together with the officials of Yehudah. Rashi identifies these officials as the Sanhedrin, who were blamed for releasing Tzidkiyahu from his oath to Bavel, since releasing that oath was a sin in God's eyes.

פסוק י״א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וְאֶת־עֵינֵ֥י צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ עִוֵּ֑ר וַיַּאַסְרֵ֣הוּ בַֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֗יִם וַיְבִאֵ֤הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶל֙ בָּבֶ֔לָה וַיִּתְּנֵ֥הוּ (בבית) [בֵֽית־] הַפְּקֻדֹּ֖ת עַד־י֥וֹם מוֹתֽוֹ׃

English:

Then the eyes of Zedekiah were put out, and he was chained in bronze fetters. The king of Babylon brought him to Babylon and put him in prison, [where he remained] to the day of his death.

Tzidkiyahu is blinded, bound in bronze chains and kept in a Babylonian prison until he dies. The last thing he saw was the death of his sons. Rashi and Metzudat David explain 'beit ha-pekudot' simply as a prison.

פסוק י״ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וּבַחֹ֤דֶשׁ הַֽחֲמִישִׁי֙ בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ הִ֗יא שְׁנַת֙ תְּשַֽׁע־עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֔ה לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֣ר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֑ל בָּ֗א נְבֽוּזַרְאֲדָן֙ רַב־טַבָּחִ֔ים עָמַ֛ד לִפְנֵ֥י מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל בִּירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

English:

On the tenth day of the fifth month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, came to represent the king of Babylon in Jerusalem.

On the tenth of the fifth month, Av, Nevuzaradan arrives in Jerusalem. Metzudat David works out the date: Nevuchadnezzar's nineteenth year matches Tzidkiyahu's eleventh. Radak explains that 'stood before the king of Bavel' describes Nevuzaradan as the king's servant.

פסוק י״ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ף אֶת־בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֖ה וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְאֵ֨ת כׇּל־בָּתֵּ֧י יְרוּשָׁלַ֛͏ִם וְאֶת־כׇּל־בֵּ֥ית הַגָּד֖וֹל שָׂרַ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

English:

He burned the House of GOD, the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down the house of every notable person.

Nevuzaradan burns the Temple, the royal palace and the houses of Jerusalem. Rashi records two views on the 'great house': a house of prayer, where prayer is made great, or a house of study, where Torah is made great. Metzudat David reads it simply as the homes of important people.

פסוק י״ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וְאֶת־כׇּל־חֹמ֥וֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם סָבִ֑יב נָֽתְצוּ֙ כׇּל־חֵ֣יל כַּשְׂדִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֶת־רַב־טַבָּחִֽים׃

English:

The entire Chaldean force that was with the chief of the guards tore down all the walls of Jerusalem on every side.

פסוק ט״ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וּמִדַּלּ֨וֹת הָעָ֜ם וְֽאֶת־יֶ֥תֶר הָעָ֣ם ׀ הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים בָּעִ֗יר וְאֶת־הַנֹּֽפְלִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָֽפְלוּ֙ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֔ל וְאֵ֖ת יֶ֣תֶר הָאָמ֑וֹן הֶגְלָ֕ה נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֖ן רַב־טַבָּחִֽים׃

English:

The remnant of the people left in the city, the defectors who had gone over to the king of Babylon, and what remained of the artisans were taken into exile by Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards. But some of the poorest elements of the population—

Nevuzaradan exiles the rest of the people in the city, those who had gone over to Bavel, and the remaining craftsmen. Metzudat David explains 'the fallen ones' as those who chose to serve the king of Bavel. Radak notes that some of the poor were exiled while others were left behind.

פסוק ט״ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

וּמִדַּלּ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ הִשְׁאִ֕יר נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֖ן רַב־טַבָּחִ֑ים לְכֹרְמִ֖ים וּלְיֹגְבִֽים׃

English:

some of the poorest in the land—were left by Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, to be vine-dressers and field hands.

Only some of the poorest are left in the land, to tend the vineyards and fields. Rashi explains 'yogvim' as those who dig the ground, and cites Chazal who say they were the gatherers of the chilazon, the creature used for dyeing techelet.

פסוק י״ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וְאֶת־עַמּוּדֵ֨י הַנְּחֹ֜שֶׁת אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְבֵית־יְהֹוָ֗ה וְֽאֶת־הַמְּכֹנ֞וֹת וְאֶת־יָ֧ם הַנְּחֹ֛שֶׁת אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּבֵית־יְהֹוָ֖ה שִׁבְּר֣וּ כַשְׂדִּ֑ים וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ אֶת־כׇּל־נְחֻשְׁתָּ֖ם בָּבֶֽלָה׃

English:

The Chaldeans broke up the bronze columns of the House of GOD, the stands, and the bronze tank that was in the House of GOD; and they carried all the bronze away to Babylon.

The Babylonians break up the great bronze pillars, the stands and the bronze sea, and carry all the metal to Bavel. Rashi explains the stands as the bases that held the washbasins. The great works of the Temple are reduced to raw bronze.

פסוק י״ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וְאֶת־הַ֠סִּר֠וֹת וְאֶת־הַיָּעִ֨ים וְאֶת־הַֽמְזַמְּר֜וֹת וְאֶת־הַמִּזְרָקֹ֣ת וְאֶת־הַכַּפּ֗וֹת וְאֵ֨ת כׇּל־כְּלֵ֧י הַנְּחֹ֛שֶׁת אֲשֶׁר־יְשָׁרְת֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם לָקָֽחוּ׃

English:

They also took the pails, scrapers, snuffers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and all the other bronze vessels used in the service.

They also take the pails, shovels, bowls and other bronze vessels. Rashi explains 'mezamrot' as musical instruments. Metzudat David stresses that these were the vessels used for the actual service in the Temple, which makes their loss all the sharper.

פסוק י״ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וְאֶת־הַ֠סִּפִּ֠ים וְאֶת־הַמַּחְתּ֨וֹת וְאֶת־הַמִּזְרָק֜וֹת וְאֶת־הַסִּיר֣וֹת וְאֶת־הַמְּנֹר֗וֹת וְאֶת־הַכַּפּוֹת֙ וְאֶת־הַמְּנַקִּיּ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֤ר זָהָב֙ זָהָ֔ב וַאֲשֶׁר־כֶּ֖סֶף כָּ֑סֶף לָקַ֖ח רַב־טַבָּחִֽים׃

English:

The chief of the guards took whatever was of gold and whatever was of silver: basins, fire pans, sprinkling bowls, pails, lampstands, ladles, and jars.

Nevuzaradan takes everything of gold and silver: basins, fire pans, bowls, lamps and jars. Rashi explains the fire pans as the tools used to scoop coals from the altar. Metzudat David says the point is that nothing was spared, whether gold or silver.

פסוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

הָעַמּוּדִ֣ים ׀ שְׁנַ֗יִם הַיָּ֤ם אֶחָד֙ וְהַבָּקָ֞ר שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֤ר נְחֹ֙שֶׁת֙ אֲשֶׁר־תַּ֣חַת הַמְּכֹנ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֛ה הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה לְבֵ֣ית יְהֹוָ֑ה לֹא־הָיָ֣ה מִשְׁקָ֔ל לִנְחֻשְׁתָּ֖ם כׇּל־הַכֵּלִ֥ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃

English:

The two columns, the one tank and the twelve bronze oxen that supported it, and the stands, which King Solomon had provided for the House of GOD—all these objects contained bronze beyond weighing.

The two pillars, the bronze sea with its twelve oxen, and the stands, all made by King Shlomo, held more bronze than could be weighed. Radak points out that these were the very vessels Shlomo made, and they stood until the destruction. Rashi admits he is unsure how the oxen could be 'under the stands'.

פסוק כ״א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וְהָעַמּוּדִ֗ים שְׁמֹנֶ֨ה עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה אַמָּה֙ (קומה) [קוֹמַת֙] הָעַמֻּ֣ד הָאֶחָ֔ד וְח֛וּט שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה אַמָּ֖ה יְסֻבֶּ֑נּוּ וְעׇבְי֛וֹ אַרְבַּ֥ע אֶצְבָּע֖וֹת נָבֽוּב׃

English:

As for the columns, each was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference; it was hollow, and [the metal] was four fingers thick.

The verse describes the pillars: eighteen cubits high, twelve cubits around, hollow, with walls four fingers thick. Rashi and Metzudat David explain each measurement. Giving their size at the moment they are destroyed makes the loss feel real.

פסוק כ״ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וְכֹתֶ֨רֶת עָלָ֜יו נְחֹ֗שֶׁת וְקוֹמַ֨ת הַכֹּתֶ֥רֶת הָאַחַת֮ חָמֵ֣שׁ אַמּוֹת֒ וּשְׂבָכָ֨ה וְרִמּוֹנִ֧ים עַֽל־הַכּוֹתֶ֛רֶת סָבִ֖יב הַכֹּ֣ל נְחֹ֑שֶׁת וְכָאֵ֛לֶּה לַעַמּ֥וּד הַשֵּׁנִ֖י וְרִמּוֹנִֽים׃

English:

It had a bronze capital above it; the height of each capital was five cubits, and there was a meshwork [decorated] with pomegranates about the capital, all made of bronze; and so for the second column, also with pomegranates.

Each pillar had a bronze capital five cubits high, decorated with network and pomegranates. Rashi describes the capital as two bowls joined mouth to mouth, with a chain of pomegranates covering the seam. The detail recalls the building of the Temple in I Melachim 7.

פסוק כ״ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ הָרִמֹּנִ֔ים תִּשְׁעִ֥ים וְשִׁשָּׁ֖ה ר֑וּחָה כׇּל־הָרִמּוֹנִ֥ים מֵאָ֛ה עַל־הַשְּׂבָכָ֖ה סָבִֽיב׃ {ס}         

English:

There were ninety-six pomegranates facing outward; all the pomegranates around the meshwork amounted to one hundred.

There were ninety-six pomegranates facing outward and a hundred in each row. Rashi and Metzudat David explain that four in each row were hidden because the pillars stood against the wall of the Temple porch, and Rashi reconciles this with the numbers given in Melachim.

פסוק כ״ד · Verse 24

Hebrew:

וַיִּקַּ֣ח רַב־טַבָּחִ֗ים אֶת־שְׂרָיָה֙ כֹּהֵ֣ן הָרֹ֔אשׁ וְאֶת־צְפַנְיָ֖ה כֹּהֵ֣ן הַמִּשְׁנֶ֑ה וְאֶת־שְׁלֹ֖שֶׁת שֹׁמְרֵ֥י הַסַּֽף׃

English:

The chief of the guards also took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah, the deputy priest, and the three guardians of the threshold.

Nevuzaradan takes Serayah the high priest, Tzefanyah the deputy priest and the three gatekeepers. Rashi explains the deputy, the segan, as the priest who stood ready to serve if the high priest became unfit, and the gatekeepers as officers who held the keys of the Temple courtyard.

פסוק כ״ה · Verse 25

Hebrew:

וּמִן־הָעִ֡יר לָקַח֩ סָרִ֨יס אֶחָ֜ד אֲֽשֶׁר־הָיָ֥ה פָקִ֣יד ׀ עַל־אַנְשֵׁ֣י הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וְשִׁבְעָ֨ה אֲנָשִׁ֜ים מֵרֹאֵ֤י פְנֵֽי־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִמְצְא֣וּ בָעִ֔יר וְאֵ֗ת סֹפֵר֙ שַׂ֣ר הַצָּבָ֔א הַמַּצְבִּ֖א אֶת־עַ֣ם הָאָ֑רֶץ וְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים אִישׁ֙ מֵעַ֣ם הָאָ֔רֶץ הַֽנִּמְצְאִ֖ים בְּת֥וֹךְ הָעִֽיר׃

English:

And from the city he took a eunuch who was in command of the soldiers; seven royal privy councillors, who were present in the city; the scribe of the army commander, who was in charge of mustering the people of the land; and sixty of the common people who were inside the city.

He also takes a military officer, seven royal advisers, the army scribe who mustered the people, and sixty men of the land. Rashi notes that Melachim counts only five advisers, and explains that the other two were less prominent. Metzudat David adds that these were men who stayed in the city rather than flee.

פסוק כ״ו · Verse 26

Hebrew:

וַיִּקַּ֣ח אוֹתָ֔ם נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֖ן רַב־טַבָּחִ֑ים וַיֹּ֧לֶךְ אוֹתָ֛ם אֶל־מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶ֖ל רִבְלָֽתָה׃

English:

Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

פסוק כ״ז · Verse 27

Hebrew:

וַיַּכֶּ֣ה אוֹתָם֩ מֶ֨לֶךְ בָּבֶ֧ל וַיְמִתֵ֛ם בְּרִבְלָ֖ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חֲמָ֑ת וַיִּ֥גֶל יְהוּדָ֖ה מֵעַ֥ל אַדְמָתֽוֹ׃ {ס}         

English:

The king of Babylon had them struck down and put to death at Riblah, in the region of Hamath. Thus Judah was exiled from its land.

פסוק כ״ח · Verse 28

Hebrew:

זֶ֣ה הָעָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶגְלָ֖ה נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֑ר בִּשְׁנַת־שֶׁ֕בַע יְהוּדִ֕ים שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֖ים וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּשְׁלֹשָֽׁה׃

English:

This is the number of those whom Nebuchadrezzar exiled in the seventh year: 3,023 Judeans.

The chapter now counts the exiles: 3,023 Judeans in the seventh year. Rashi identifies this as the exile of Yechonyah, and explains that these were from Yehudah alone, with seven thousand more from the other tribes, which reconciles the different numbers in Melachim.

פסוק כ״ט · Verse 29

Hebrew:

בִּשְׁנַ֛ת שְׁמוֹנֶ֥ה עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה לִנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֑ר מִיר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם נֶ֕פֶשׁ שְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵא֖וֹת שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וּשְׁנָֽיִם׃

English:

In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar, 832 persons [were exiled] from Jerusalem.

In Nevuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, 832 people were exiled from Jerusalem. Rashi and Metzudat David identify this as the exile of Tzidkiyahu, and explain why it is the eighteenth year here but the nineteenth earlier in the chapter: this count starts from the conquest of Yehoyakim.

פסוק ל׳ · Verse 30

Hebrew:

בִּשְׁנַ֨ת שָׁלֹ֣שׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים֮ לִנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר֒ הֶגְלָ֗ה נְבֽוּזַרְאֲדָן֙ רַב־טַבָּחִ֔ים יְהוּדִ֕ים נֶ֕פֶשׁ שְׁבַ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת אַרְבָּעִ֣ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֑ה כׇּל־נֶ֕פֶשׁ אַרְבַּ֥עַת אֲלָפִ֖ים וְשֵׁ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת׃ {ס}         

English:

And in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, exiled 745 Judeans. The total amounted to 4,600 persons.

In the twenty-third year another 745 Judeans were exiled, for a total of 4,600. Rashi, citing Seder Olam, says this was when Tzor fell and Nevuchadnezzar swept up the Jews living around Ammon and Moav. Radak adds that the total is the sum of the three counts.

פסוק ל״א · Verse 31

Hebrew:

וַיְהִי֩ בִשְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים וָשֶׁ֜בַע שָׁנָ֗ה לְגָלוּת֙ יְהוֹיָכִ֣ן מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֔ה בִּשְׁנֵ֤ים עָשָׂר֙ חֹ֔דֶשׁ בְּעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ נָשָׂ֡א אֱוִ֣יל מְרֹדַךְ֩ מֶ֨לֶךְ בָּבֶ֜ל בִּשְׁנַ֣ת מַלְכֻת֗וֹ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ יְהוֹיָכִ֣ין מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיֹּצֵ֥א אֹת֖וֹ מִבֵּ֥ית (הכליא) [הַכְּלֽוּא] ׃

English:

In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, King Evil-merodach of Babylon, in the year he became king, took note of King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison.

Thirty-seven years into his exile, King Yehoyachin is released from prison by Evil-Merodach, the new king of Bavel. Rashi explains why Melachim gives a different date: Nevuchadnezzar died on the 25th, was buried on the 26th, and on the 27th his son raised Yehoyachin up.

פסוק ל״ב · Verse 32

Hebrew:

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתּ֖וֹ טֹב֑וֹת וַיִּתֵּן֙ אֶת־כִּסְא֔וֹ מִמַּ֗עַל לְכִסֵּ֧א (מלכים) [הַמְּלָכִ֛ים] אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִתּ֖וֹ בְּבָבֶֽל׃

English:

He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a throne above those of other kings who were with him in Babylon.

Evil-Merodach speaks kindly to Yehoyachin and sets his seat above those of the other captive kings in Bavel. Metzudat David explains the 'good words' as words of comfort. The king from David's line is honoured even in exile.

פסוק ל״ג · Verse 33

Hebrew:

וְשִׁנָּ֕ה אֵ֖ת בִּגְדֵ֣י כִלְא֑וֹ וְאָכַ֨ל לֶ֧חֶם לְפָנָ֛יו תָּמִ֖יד כׇּל־יְמֵ֥י חַיָּֽו׃

English:

He removed his prison garments and [Jehoiachin] ate regularly in his presence the rest of his life.

Yehoyachin takes off his prison clothes and eats at the king's table for the rest of his life. Metzudat David explains that 'bread' stands for the whole meal and that 'before him' means together with the king.

פסוק ל״ד · Verse 34

Hebrew:

וַאֲרֻחָת֗וֹ אֲרֻחַת֩ תָּמִ֨יד נִתְּנָה־לּ֜וֹ מֵאֵ֧ת מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֛ל דְּבַר־י֥וֹם בְּיוֹמ֖וֹ עַד־י֣וֹם מוֹת֑וֹ כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיָּֽיו׃

English:

A regular allotment of food was given him by order of the king of Babylon, an allotment for each day, to the day of his death—all the days of his life.

The book ends with Yehoyachin receiving a steady daily allowance until the day he died. Metzudat David explains that the allowance fed his household, since he himself ate at the king's table. Yirmiyahu closes not with the ruins but with a living heir of David, cared for in exile.

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