Jeremiah 52:1-11

CHAPTER TWENTY

AN HISTORICAL APPENDIX

Jeremiah 52:1-34

Chapter 51 closes with an editorial note: Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. Whoever was responsible for appending chapter 52 to the book must have added these words so as to carefully distinguish between his own contribution and that of the great prophet. Just who the author of Jeremiah 52 was nobody knows. Some have tried to argue that Jeremiah himself was the author even though the note at the end of chapter 51 seems to clearly imply the contrary. The argument for the Jeremian authorship of the chapter is basically this: Jeremiah 52 was taken from the Book of Kings and appended to the book of the prophet. Since Jeremiah is said in Jewish tradition to have been the author of Kings he must also be the author of Jeremiah 52. But this argument assumes that the Jewish tradition which attributes the Book of Kings to Jeremiah is reliable. It further assumes that Jeremiah 52 was in fact borrowed from Kings. Finally the argument for the Jeremian authorship of this chapter ignores the plain implication of the editorial comment at the end of chapter 51. The most likely candidate for the authorship of Jeremiah 52 is Baruch the faithful secretary of Jeremiah. He, no doubt, was the one responsible for putting the Book of Jeremiah together and he it was in all probability who added chapter 52.

But why would Baruch add this historical appendix to the Book of Jeremiah? After all, the prophet himself is not mentioned a single time in the chapter, and most of the material can be found in the Book of Kings and, in an abridged form, in Jeremiah 39. Baruch probably had a two-fold purpose in this appendix. First, this chapter describes in detail the fall of Jerusalem, the event which vindicated the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah. What a fitting conclusion, to allow the facts of history to bear witness to the truth of the prophetic word. Second, Baruch wished to call attention to the release of Jehoiachin (Jeremiah 52:31-34) which gave promise that after the midnight tragedy of judgment a brighter day was beginning to dawna day which Jeremiah had foreseen and described in such grand style. Jeremiah 52, then, proclaims that God's word of judgment has been fulfilled; His word of promise must surely follow.

1. THE FALL OF JERUSALEM Jeremiah 52:1-23

A. The Reign of Zedekiah Jeremiah 52:1-11

TRANSLATION

(1) Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign and he ruled over Jerusalem for eleven years. The name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. (2) And he did evil in the eyes of the LORD just as Jehoiakim had done. (3) For because of the anger of the LORD this condition continued to be in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. (4) And it came to pass in the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, he and all his army, came against Jerusalem and encamped against her and built siege-works against her on every side. (5) And the city was under siege until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. (6) In the ninth day of the fourth month famine gripped the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. (7) The city was breached and the men of war fled going out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the walls which lies beside the garden of the king (the Chaldeans were all around the city) and went off in the direction of the Arabah. (8) But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, all his army having been scattered from him. (9) And they took the king and brought him unto the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath who then pronounced sentence over him. (10) The king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also slew all the princes of Judah at Riblah. (11) And he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, took him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day if his death.

COMMENTS

Zedekiah was but twenty-one years old when he came to the throne of his country as the vassal of a foreign king (Jeremiah 52:1). Religiously he followed the same course that his brother Jehoiakim had followed in that he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord (Jeremiah 52:2). Abundant evidence exists within the Book of Jeremiah to substantiate this general charge against Zedekiah (cf. Jeremiah 37:2-3; Jeremiah 38:5; Jeremiah 38:24 etc.). A prophet of God with divine counsel was available to him, yet Zedekiah refused to submit to the program of God. Jeremiah advised submission to Babylon; Zedekiah plotted rebellion. Throughout his reign Zedekiah refused to give heed to the word of God. Because the political leaders and populace of Jerusalem repudiated the will of God, the Lord was angry with His people and saw to it that they were cast out of His presence (Jeremiah 52:3 a).

Yielding to the advice and pressure of his youthful advisers, Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 52:3 b). Jeremiah 27 tells of his attempted conspiracy with neighboring nations. Zedekiah's disastrous policy was apparently built on the false premise that the Lord would intervene and save Jerusalem as He had previously done in the reign of Hezekiah (cf. Jeremiah 21:2). How presumptuous for men to expect God to work miracles when they are not willing to submit themselves to His will! Nebuchadnezzar was not long in bringing his forces to punish the rebellious vassal. The tenth day of the tenth month became a date of infamy in the history of Judah (Jeremiah 52:4). For almost seventy years the Jews took note of that sad occasion by fasting (cf. Zechariah 8:19). Jerusalem withstood the Chaldean siege for eighteen months (Jeremiah 52:5). The sacred writer has shown amazing reserve[425] as he describes those last agonizing weeks: the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land (Jeremiah 52:6).

[425] The pathetic plight of the people is recorded in more detail in the Book of Lamentations (Lamentations 1:19-20; Lamentations 2:11-12; Lamentations 2:20; Lamentations 4:9-10).

In the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year (July 587 B.C.) the Chaldeans were successful in making a breach in the walls of the city. This day too for years was commemorated by a fast (see Zechariah 8:19). Zedekiah and the remnants of his army attempted to flee by night, thus unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 12:12). The king and his men fled in the direction of the Arabah, the lowland region through which the river Jordan flows (Jeremiah 52:7). Perhaps they were attempting to escape across the Jordan to some friendly neighboring nation. When the Chaldeans caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho the bodyguard of the king deserted him; it was every man for himself (Jeremiah 52:8).

The Chaldeans dealt ruthlessly with Zedekiah. After his capture near Jericho, Zedekiah was taken some two hundred miles north to Riblah where he was brought face to face with the Great King to whom he had sworn allegiance eleven years earlier. There Nebuchadnezzar pronounced judgment upon his faithless vassal (Jeremiah 52:9). At the time a vassal treaty between two kings was ratified the vassal would pronounce horrible maledictions upon himself should he be unfaithful to his treaty obligations. It may well be that Nebuchadnezzar now read those maledictions to Zedekiah. If that be the case then Zedekiah pronounced judgment upon himself. Be that as it may the judgment upon king Zedekiah is one of the saddest recorded in the Bible. First he witnessed the execution of his own sons and also some of the princes of the land (Jeremiah 52:10). That turned out to be the last sight he saw, for Nebuchadnezzar had his eyes put out. Finally, he lost his freedom; he was carried to Babylon where he remained in prison until the day of his death (Jeremiah 52:11). Bitter are the consequences for that soul who neglects the will of the Almighty!