Jeremiah 52 - Introduction

LII.

The narrative that follows is of the nature of an historical appendix, and is, to a great extent, identical with 2 Kings 24:18 to 2 Kings 25:30. For the most part, accordingly, the reader is referred to the Notes on those Chapter s. Whether the compiler of 2 Kings copied from the editor of Jeremiah, or conversely; whether the prophet was his own editor, or whether that office was undertaken by a contemporary, Baruch or another, or at a much later date; whether it was written at Babylon or Jerusalem, are questions which must remain unsettled. The last fact mentioned in each case, the release of Jehoiachin by Evil-Merodach, indicates a date circ. B.C. 562. It may be noted, as indicating that the copyist, in either case, exercised an independent judgment, that while 2 Kings 25 presents the form Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah 52 has Nebuchadrezzar, the latter being the more accurate form.