Jeremiah 39:1 - Meaning and Application

We were told at the end of the previous chapter that Jeremiah stayed patiently in the court of the guard until the day Jerusalem was taken. He no longer troubled the officials with his preaching, and they no longer troubled him with persecution. He had already said all he needed to say, and while the siege pressed hard, God had other work for them to do. Now we see how it ended.

The city was finally taken by force, for how could it hold out when God himself was against it? Nebuchadnezzar’s army, the army of Babylon, began the siege in Zedekiah’s ninth year, in the tenth month, in the cold of winter (Jeremiah 39:1). Nebuchadnezzar himself later withdrew for a time and left his generals to continue the attack. The siege was paused for a while, but then it was resumed with even greater strength. At last, in the eleventh year, in the fourth month, around midsummer, the soldiers entered the city, and the people were too weakened by famine, and had exhausted their supplies, to resist (Jeremiah 39:2). Jerusalem was so strong that no one would have believed enemies could enter its gates (Lamentations 4:12). But sin had led God to withdraw his protection, and then it was as weak as any other city.

The commanders of Babylon took their place in the middle gate of the city (Jeremiah 39:3). Some think this was the same as the “second gate” mentioned elsewhere (Zephaniah 1:10), likely in the middle wall that separated one part of the city from another. They moved carefully and did not rush farther into such a large city until they had sent men to search every place, so they would not be caught in an ambush. From the gate they could look over the city and issue commands. The names of these princes are harsh and foreign, which shows how sad a change sin had brought. Where Eliakim and Hilkiah, men bearing the God of Israel’s name, used to sit, now men named after false gods sat there.

Some of the names are probably not separate persons but official titles. Sarsechim is called the chief of the guard, and Nergal-sharezer is identified as a camp commander, or perhaps a quartermaster. These great officers sat in the gate. In this, Jeremiah’s old prophecy was fulfilled, that the families of the kingdoms of the north would each set up a throne at the entrances of Jerusalem’s gates (Jeremiah 1:15). It was fitting that the princes of the nations should sit there, where the gods of the nations had so often been set up before.

Zedekiah, the king of Judah, may have seen the Babylonian officers taking control of one of the city gates while in disguise. If so, he thought it was time to flee for his life. Laden with guilt and fear, he slipped out of the city under cover of darkness (Jeremiah 39:4). But darkness was no protection for long, and he was discovered, pursued, and overtaken. Though he tried to escape as fast as he could, he could not get away, and in the plains of Jericho he fell into the hands of his pursuers (Jeremiah 39:5). From there he was taken as a prisoner to Riblah, where the king of Babylon judged him as a rebel. It was not a death sentence, but many would say it was worse.

Nebuchadnezzar first killed Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes. They must have been young, some of them likely children, since Zedekiah himself was only thirty-two years old. The loss of those dear children must have felt like many deaths to him, especially because he had been warned in advance that his wives and children would be handed over to the Chaldeans, the Babylonians (Jeremiah 38:23). He also killed all the nobles of Judah (Jeremiah 39:6), probably not the princes in Jerusalem who had pushed Zedekiah into this desperate choice, for seeing them destroyed may have pleased him, but the leading men of the country, who were not guilty of that decision.

Then Nebuchadnezzar had Zedekiah’s eyes put out (Jeremiah 39:7). He condemned him to darkness for life because Zedekiah had shut his eyes against the clear light of God’s word and belonged to those rulers who refuse understanding and walk in darkness (Psalm 82:5). He also bound him with bronze chains, or fetters, to take him away to Babylon, where he would spend the rest of his days in misery. We saw this same sad account earlier (2 Kings 25:4-7).

Some time after that, the city was burned, along with the temple, the palace, and everything else, and its wall was broken down (Jeremiah 39:8). O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, this is what comes from killing the prophets and stoning those sent to you. O Zedekiah, you could have prevented this if you had listened to God and given in at the right time.

All the people left in the city were carried away captive to Babylon (Jeremiah 39:9). They had to say a final farewell to the land of their birth, that pleasant land, and to all they owned and enjoyed there. They were driven many miles, like animals, before the conquerors, who were now their cruel masters. In a foreign land they would be at the mercy of those who would rule them harshly. A few people were left behind, but they were only the poor, those who had nothing to lose and so had offered no resistance. Even they did not merely get to stay at home, the captain of the guard also gave them vineyards and fields, things they had never owned before (Jeremiah 39:10).

We should notice two things here. First, the great changes of providence, God’s wise rule over events. Some people are brought low, and others are lifted up (1 Samuel 2:5). The hungry are filled with good things, and the rich are sent away empty. The ruin of some becomes the rise of others. So in our plenty, we should rejoice with humility, and in our troubles, we should endure without losing heart.

Second, we see the fair outcomes of providence. The rich had been proud oppressors, and now they were justly punished for their wrongs. The poor had suffered patiently, and now they were kindly rewarded for their patience, with some repayment for all they had lost. Truly, there is a God who judges on the earth, even in this life, and far more in the life to come.