Section XII Historical Appendix

Jeremiah 52:1-34

This chapter is mainly reproduced from II Kings 24:18—25:30, though with some significant variations. Since only differences from the account in the Book of Kings will be noted in the following paragraphs, the reader should consult BBC comments on II Kings for a general exposition of the material.

A. ZEDEKIAH'S ACCESSION AND REVOLT, 52:1-3 (II Kings 24:18-20)

B. THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM, 52:4-5 (II Kings 25:1-2)

C. THE FAMINE DURING THE SIEGE, 52:6 (II Kings 25:3)

D. THE FALL OF JERUSALEM, 52:7 (II Kings 25:4-5)

E. ZEDEKIAH'S CAPTURE AND FATE, 52:8-11 (II Kings 25:6-7)

Verses 10-11 are slightly expanded from the account in II Kings, and additional information is given here concerning the fate of Zedekiah.

F. DEMOLITION OF JERUSALEM, 52:12-16 (II Kings 25:8-12)

Verse 12 reads tenth day while II Kings 25:8 reads “seventh day.” Verse 15 reads the poor of the people but should probably be omitted as a copyist's error, since it contradicts v. 16.

G. TEMPLE VESSELS TAKEN, 52:17-23 (II Kings 25:13-17)

Verses 17-23 are slightly shortened in Kings.

H. FATE OF THE PRINCES, 52:24-27 (II Kings 25:18-21)

Verse 25 reads seven men while II Kings 25:19 reads “five men.” The chapter here completely omits II Kings 25:22-26 because it is superfluous, the material having already been given in Jer. 39:11—43:7.

I. THREE DEPORTATIONS OF CAPTIVES, 52:28-30

These verses which treat of the deportation of Jewish captives to Babylon are totally lacking in II Kings. The statistics given here are found nowhere else in Scripture, and add something to the several accounts of the capture of Jerusalem. The writer apparently had access to a separate statistical source. He speaks of a deportation in the seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, another in the eighteenth year, and still another in his twenty-third year. These do not altogether correspond with other accounts of deportations, and raise the question as to just how many deportations there may have been.¹

The first deportation mentioned here is said to have taken place in Nebuchadnezzar's seventh year, and 3,023 persons were carried to Babylon. This deportation is described in II Kings 24:12-14 as taking place in Nebuchadnezzar's eighth year and including 10,000 deportees. The discrepancy is usually reconciled by saying that the smaller figure represents only males of fighting age. The difference in years is explained by two different methods of counting the reign of kings. One method uses the “non-accession year system,” which starts counting with the very year the king ascends the throne; the other is the “accession year system” which counts an “accession year” before the “first year” of the king begins. This would apparently solve the above problem.

The second deportation occurred in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar (“nineteenth year” in v. 12) and corresponds to the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. However, 832 (29) seems a rather pitifully small figure for the garrison in Jerusalem in 587 B.C., even if it represents only males of fighting age.

The third deportation is not mentioned elsewhere in the Scriptures. It is interesting to note, however, that Josephus states that Nebuchadnezzar in the twenty-third year of his reign deported Jews from Egypt, and the suggestion is that in so doing he avenged the murder of Gedaliah.

J. FAVOR SHOWN JEHOIACHIN, 52:31-34 (II Kings 25:27-30)

The final section of this chapter corresponds almost identically with the II Kings passage. It contains a hopeful note in that it tells how Jehoiachin, prisoner-king of Judah, gained the favor of the Babylonian court. In the thirty-seventh year of his captivity (he had been taken to Babylon when eighteen) Evilmerodach (561-559 B.C.), the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up his head (31), i.e., restored him to royal favor. He was taken from prison, given proper food and clothing, and assigned “a seat above the seats” (32, RSV) of the other captive kings in Babylon. He was treated kindly, and given a pension for the rest of his life (34). In order to achieve this success, he evidently learned to adjust himself to a hostile environment in such a way as to win the respect of his enemies. As Hopper suggests, “He emerges at last with sudden character.”²

Why this historical appendix should have been attached to the prophecies of Jeremiah has been debated at length by scholars. It does seem a bit strange, since the prophet's name is not mentioned even once, and most of the material can be found in the Book of Kings. On the other hand, it cannot be said to be inappropriate. It is generally conceded that it was placed here to show that Jeremiah's prophecies concerning Jerusalem were most certainly fulfilled. In this manner, history itself could vindicate the long years of suffering endured by the most maligned and least understood of the Old Testament prophets. Also, Jehoiachin's good fortune raised expectations of a brighter day “beyond judgment,” an expectation that Jeremiah voiced again and again in the more hopeful moments of his life.