The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 438

and noble women eearohed the dunghills for hie presenoe. The oommandcrs at Jeru- scraps of offal (Lam. iv. 5); the children salem would feel this tbo moro sensibly, perished for we.nt, or were even devoured by einco NebuchRdnezzor had for some time their parents (Lnm. ii. 20; iv. 8, 4, 10; retired from the siege, and left its conduot Ezek. v. 10); water was s011rce, as well as to them, while he himself exercised a ge- food, e.nd was sold at e. price (Le.m. v. 4); neral superintendence over military affairs a third pe.rt of the inhabitant.a died of the from Riblah (see ver. 6). They were liable famine. and the plague which grew out of to be held responsible for the escape. And it (Ezek. v. 12)" (see the 'Speaker's Com- overtook him in the plains of lerioho. The mentary,' ..-ol. ii. p. 147). And there we.a "plnins of Jericho" (\nJ: n\:r:,))) is the fertile no bree.d for the people of the land. Bread tmct on the right bnnk of iiie Jordan ncnr commonly fails C'Ompamtively early in a its embouchuru, which was excellently wn- siege. It was some time before the fall of tered, and cultivated iu gnrdens, orchard~, the city that Ebed-1\foleoh expressed bis and palm-groves. It is probable, though fear thnt Jeremiah would starve, since there not certain, that Zedekiah intended to oros3 was no more broad in the place (see Jer. the Jordan, and seek 11. refuge in Moab. xxxviii. 9). And all his army were soattered from him Ver. 4.-And the city was broken up; (comp. Ezek. xii. 14). This seems to be re.ther. broh,,,,, into; i.e. n bree.oh was made mentioned in order to account for there in the we.Us. Probably the breach wns on being no engagement. Perhaps, thin.king the north side of the city, where the ground themselves in security, and imagining that is nl'n1ly level (see Ezek. ix. 2). According they were not followed, the troops had dis- to Joscphns (' Ant. Jud.,' x. 8. § 2), the persed themselves among the farmhouses enemy entered through the breach about e.nrl homesteads, to obtain a much-needed midnight. And all the men of war-i.e. all refreshment. the solrliers who formed the garrison-:fl.ed Ver. 6.-So they took the king (Zede- by night by the way of the gate between kiah], e.nd brought him up to the King of two we.Us ; rather, between the two u,alls, as Babylon. The presentation of rebel kings, in Jer. Iii. 7. As the enemy broke in on when captured, to their suzerain, seated on the north, the king and garrison quitted his throne, is one of the most common the city on the south by a gate which opened subjects of Asayrian and Babylonian sculp- into the Tyropceon valley, between the two tures (see • Ancient Monarchies,' vol. i. walls that guarded the town on either side p. 292 ; vol. iii. p. 7 ; Le.yard, • Monuments of it. Whioh is by the king's ge.rde11. The of Nineveh,' second series, pie. 23, 36, eto.). royal gardens were situated near the Pool of The Egyptian and Persian artists also Biloaw, at the mouth of the Tyropmon, and represent it. To Riblah, (For the situa- near the jnnotion of the Hinnom with the tion of Riblah, see the comment on eh. Kidron valley (see Josephns, 'Ant. Jud.,' vii. xxiii. 33.) As Nebuchadnezzar we.s en- 11). (Now the Chaldees were against the gaged at one and the same time in di- oity round about.) The town, i.e., was recting the sieges both of Tyre and of guarded on all sides by Chaldee.n troops, Jerusalem, it was a most convenient so that Zedekiah and his soldiers must position for him to occupy. And they gave either have attacked the line of guard, and jndgment upon him. As e. rebel, who had broken through it, or have slipped between broken his covenant and his oath (Ezek, two of the blockading posts under cover of xvii. 16, 18), Zedekiah was brought to trio.I the darkness. ~ no collision is mentioned, before Nebuchadnezzar and his great lords. either here or in J eremie.h, the latter seems The facts could not be denied, and sentence the more probable supposition. And the was therefore passed upon him, nominally king went the way toward the plain; lite- by the court, practically by Nebuche.dnezzar rally, and he toent. The writer supposes (Jcr. Iii. 9). By an unnsue.l act of clem- that his readers will understand that the ency, his life was spared; but the judgment king left the city with his troops; and so we.s still suffieieutly severe (see the next regards "he went" as sufficiently intel- verse). ligible. J eremi.ab (lii. 7) has "they went." Ver. 7.-And they slew the sona of Zede- By " the plaiu " (literally, "the Are.bah ") kiah before his eyes (comp. Horod., iii. tht. valley of the Jordan is intended, and 14 and 2 Mace. vii., for similar aggro.vations by "the way" to it the ordinary roa.d from or' condemned persons' sufferings). As Jerus3Jem to Jericho. Zedekiah was no more than thirty-two Ver. 5.-And the army of the Che.Ideas years of age (eh. xxiv. 18), his sons must pnnued after the king. When the escape have been minors, who could not justly be of Zedt:killh and the soldiers of the garrison held responsible for their father's doings, WW! discovered, hot pnr•uit was ma.de, since It was usual, however, in the East, and even the honour of the great king required that among the Jews, to punish children for the hil ene10iee should be brought captive to sina of their fe.Ulen (eee J oeh. vii. 24, 25 i CIR, XXV. 1-30.) TlIE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 483 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----- oh. ix. 26: xiv. 6; Dan. vi. 24). And put position. The name, Nebuzar-adan, is out the eyes of Zedekiah. Thie, too, wae probably e. Hebraized form of the Baby- a common Oriental practice. 'The Philis- lonian Nebu-se.r-iddina, "Nebo has given tines blinded Samson (Judg. xvi. 21). (us) a king." Captain of the guard; lite- Sargon, in one of hie sculptures, eoems to rally, chief of the ezecutwners; but as the be blinding a prisoner with a spear (Botta, king's. gnard were employed to execute his • Monumene de Ninive,' pl. 18). 'The commiesions, and especially his death- ancient Persians often blindecl criminals sentences, the paraphrase is quite allow- (Xen., • Anab,,' i. 9. § 13; Ammfan. Marc., able. A servant of the King of Babylon- xxvii. 12; Procop., 'De Bell. Pere.,' i. 11. i.e. a subject-unto lensalem. He came p. 80). In modem Persia, it was, nntil doubtless with instructions, which he pro- very lately, usual for a king, on his accee- ceeded to carry out, eiou, to blind all his brothers, in order that Ver. 9.-And he burnt the house of the they might be disqualified from reigning. Lord. After it had stood, according lo The operation wae commonly performed in Josephus (' Ant. Jud.,' x. 8. § 5), four Persia by means of e. red-hot iron rod hundreil and seventy years six months and (see Herod., vii. I 8). Zedekiah's lose of ten days. Thie calculation, however, seems eyesight reconciled the two apparently to exceed the truth. Neither the Assyrians conilicting prophecies-that he would be nor the Babylonians had any regard for the canicd captive to Babylon (Jer. xxii. 5, gods of other nations. They everywhere etc.), anil that he would never see it (Ezek. burnt tho temples, plundered the shrines, xii. 11l)-in e. remarkable manner. And and carried off the images a.e trophies of bonnd him with fetters of bra.SB; literally, victory. In the temple of Jerusalem they with a pair of brazen fetters. Assyrian would find no images except those of the fetters consisted of two thick rings of iron, two cherubim (1 Kings vi. 23-28), which joineil together by e. single long link (Botta, they probably took away with them. And l. ,. c.); B11bylonie.n were probably similar. the king's house (see 1 Kings vii. 1, Captives of importance are usually repre- 8-12; eh. xL 16). The royal palace was, sen tccl as fettered in the sculptures. And perhaps, almost as magnificent as the carried him to Babylon. Jeremiah adds temple; e.nd its destruction wos almost as (Iii. 11) that N ebncha.dnezzar "put him great n. loss to art. It doubtless contained in prison till the day of his death;" Solomon's throne of ivory (1 Kings x. 18), and so Josephus (' Ant. Jud.,' x. 8. § 7). to which there was an ascent by six steps, The latter writer fwther tells ue that, at with two sculptwed lions on each step. his death, the Babylonian monarch gave And all the houses of lernsalem. 'This him a royal funeral (comp. Jer. xxxiv. 5). statement is qualified by the words of the Ver. 8.-And in the fifth month, on the following clause, which show that only the seventh day of the month. Jeremiah says houses of the princes e.nd great men were (Iii. 12) that it was on the tenth day of purposely set on fire. Many of the re- the month; e.nd so Josephus (' Bell. Jud.,' maining h11bitations may have perished ir, vi. 4. § 8). The mistake probably arose the conflagration, but some probably es- from a copyist mistaking ' (ten) for I (seven). caped, and were inhabited by " tile pour According to Josephus, it was on the same of the land." And every great mnn's honse dny of the same month that the final burnt he with fire (comp. 2 Chron. x:nvi. d,,,truction of the temple by the soldiers 19, where the Chaldea.ns are so.id to have of Titus was accomplished. Whioh is the burnt "all the palaces."). nineteenth year of King Nebuohadnezze.r Ver. 10.-And all the army of the Chal- King of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar as- dees, that were with the oapta.in of the cendc,l the throne in B.O. 605, which was guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem the fourth year of Jehoiakim, who began round about. A complete demolition is not to reign in B.o. 608. 'The seven remaining intended. When the exiles returned, and years of Jehoia.kim, added to the eleven of even in the time of Nehemiah (ii. 13, 15), Zedekiah, o.nd the three months of Je- much of the wo.ll was still standing, and the hoiuchin, produce the result of the text- circuit was easily traced. Probably the thnt the last year of Zedekiah wos the Babylonians did not do more than brenk nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar. Came one or two large branches in the wall, as Nebuzar-a.dan. Nebuchadnezzar had ap- Joa.ah had done (eh. xiv. 18) when he took parently hesitated as to how he should Jerusalem in the reign of Arunziah. treat Jerusalem, ainoe nearly a month elnpscd between the ou.pture of the city Vera. 11-21.-Fate of the inhabitants of nnd the commencement of the work of destruction. He was probably led to de- Judah, and of the contents of the tev,ple. stroy the city by the length of the resist- Having burnt the temple, the royul pallloo, ance, and the natural strength of the and the grand residences of the principo.1  400 THE GECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS, [en. xxv. 1-30,