39:1ff Zedekiah, son of Josiah and last king of Judah, ruled 11 years, from 597 to 586 B.C. Zedekiah’s two older brothers, Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, and his nephew Coniah (also called Jehoiachin) ruled before him. When Coniah was exiled to Babylon, Nebuchadrezzar made 21-year-old Mattaniah the king, changing his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadrezzar, who captured him, killed his sons in front of him, and then blinded him and took him back to Babylon, where he later died (see 2 Kings 24–25; 2 Chronicles 36; and Jeremiah 52).
39:5 Riblah was 200 miles north of Jerusalem. This was the Babylonian headquarters for ruling the region.
39:10 Babylon had a shrewd foreign policy toward conquered lands. They deported the rich and powerful, leaving only the very poor in charge, thus making them grateful to their conquerors. This policy assured that conquered populations would be too loyal and too weak to revolt.
39:11, 12 God had promised to rescue Jeremiah from his trouble (1:8). The superstitious Babylonians, who highly respected magicians and fortune-tellers, treated Jeremiah as a seer. Because he had been imprisoned by his own people, they assumed he was a traitor and on their side. They undoubtedly knew he had counseled cooperation with Babylon and predicted a Babylonian victory. So the Babylonians freed Jeremiah and protected him.
39:13, 14 What a difference there is between Jeremiah’s fate and Zedekiah’s! Jeremiah was freed; Zedekiah was imprisoned. Jeremiah was saved because of his faith; Zedekiah was destroyed because of his fear. Jeremiah was treated with respect; Zedekiah was treated with contempt. Jeremiah was concerned for the people; Zedekiah was concerned for himself.
39:17, 18 Ebed-melech had risked his life to save God’s prophet Jeremiah (38:7-13). When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, God protected Ebed-melech from the Babylonians. God has special rewards for his faithful people, but not everyone will receive them in this life (see the note on 38:6).