2 Chronicles 36 17

2 Chronicles 36:17 kjv

Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.

2 Chronicles 36:17 nkjv

Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand.

2 Chronicles 36:17 niv

He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.

2 Chronicles 36:17 esv

Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand.

2 Chronicles 36:17 nlt

So the LORD brought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonians killed Judah's young men, even chasing after them into the Temple. They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar.

2 Chronicles 36 verses

2 Chronicles 36 17 Meaning

2 Chronicles 36:17 describes the catastrophic consequence of Judah's persistent unfaithfulness and rebellion against the Lord. It reveals God's active role in bringing the Babylonian army, led by the King of the Chaldeans, Nebuchadnezzar, as an instrument of divine judgment upon His own people. This verse underscores the brutal and indiscriminate nature of the invasion, specifically highlighting the slaying of the young men by the sword within the sacred precincts of the Temple itself, and the complete lack of mercy shown towards anyone, from youth to elderly. Ultimately, the verse emphasizes that God, in His sovereign justice, delivered the entire nation and all its inhabitants into the enemy's power.

2 Chronicles 36 17 Context

2 Chronicles 36:17 marks a pivotal and devastating moment at the close of the book of Chronicles and the history of the Kingdom of Judah. It summarizes the ultimate, inescapable consequence of Judah's chronic spiritual rebellion, idolatry, and consistent rejection of God's prophets and His warnings (vv. 15-16). The narrative details the reign of the final kings—Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah—each described in terms of their unfaithfulness. Despite repeated attempts by God to send messengers and extend grace, the people, including the priests and the populace, stubbornly refused to repent. This verse specifically describes Nebuchadnezzar's third and final major siege against Jerusalem (586 BC), which resulted in the city's destruction, the burning of Solomon's Temple, and the exile to Babylon, signifying the complete removal of God's presence from a land saturated with idolatry and defiled by bloodshed. For the Chronicler's post-exilic audience, this detailed account served as a solemn reminder of the necessity of covenant obedience and proper Temple worship, explaining why God allowed such calamity and reinforcing His unwavering justice.

2 Chronicles 36 17 Word analysis

• He: Refers to the Lord (YHWH), the God of Israel, implied from the preceding verses (2 Chr 36:15-16), where God is the active agent sending messengers and warnings. This highlights divine initiative and ultimate sovereignty in judgment.
• brought up: vayyaʿal (וַיַּעַל) from the Hebrew verb ʿalah (עלה), meaning "to go up," "bring up," or "ascend." Here, it signifies that God caused or enabled the king of the Chaldeans to invade, making it clear this was not a random geopolitical event but a divinely ordained act of judgment.
• against them: Refers to the people of Judah, specifically those in Jerusalem, who had persisted in their sin and rebellion against the Lord despite His long-suffering.
• the king of the Chaldeans: Nebuchadnezzar, the emperor of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The Chaldeans were a Semitic people from southern Mesopotamia who formed the ruling dynasty of Babylon. God often used pagan nations as instruments of His wrath against disobedient Israel (e.g., Assyria, Babylon).
• who killed: vayyaharog (וַיַּהֲרֹג) from harag (הרג), meaning "to slay," "kill violently." Emphasizes the brutal and merciless nature of the destruction.
• their young men: A critical detail. The young men were the strength, future, and defenders of the nation. Their demise signifies complete societal collapse and the eradication of hope for future generations.
• with the sword: The primary weapon of warfare at the time, signifying a violent, bloody, and conclusive end. It evokes the direct means of judgment.
• in the house of their sanctuary: bĕvêt miqdāshām (בְּבֵית מִקְדָּשָׁם), "in the house of their holiness" or "their consecrated house," referring to the Temple in Jerusalem. This is highly significant. The Temple was considered the dwelling place of God, the center of Israelite worship and their national identity. Its defilement and bloodshed within its sacred precincts represent the profound horror and unprecedented nature of God's judgment, directly confronting the false belief that the Temple's mere existence guaranteed inviolability (e.g., Jer 7:4).
• and had no pity: wĕlo chāmal (וְלֹא חָמַל), meaning "and did not spare" or "did not have compassion." This stresses the utter mercilessness of the Babylonian soldiers, which God allowed as part of the severe judgment. It shows the full extent of the divine wrath.
• on young man or virgin: Reiterates the slaughter of the younger population, specifying both male and female. This indicates no selectivity; all ages were equally subjected to the brutal consequences.
• old man or gray-haired: Further broadens the scope to include the entire populace. The wisdom and experience of the elderly, typically revered in ancient societies, provided no protection. This highlights a comprehensive and devastating judgment, sparing no one based on age or gender.
• He gave them all into his hand: A concise summary of God's absolute sovereignty. natan bĕyādo (נָתַן בְּיָדוֹ) is a common biblical idiom meaning "to deliver into the power/control of another." "He" refers to the Lord, and "his hand" refers to the king of the Chaldeans. It encapsulates that every single person and everything belonging to them was entirely subjugated by divine design to the Babylonians.

Words-Group by words-Group Analysis:

• He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans: This phrase directly attributes the calamity to God's deliberate action, not just human warfare. It emphasizes divine orchestration, revealing Babylon as an instrument of God's justice.
• who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary: This grouping paints a horrifying picture of desecration and devastation. The choice to kill the nation's vital strength, using brutal methods, specifically within the sacred Temple, shatters any lingering illusion of safety or God's guaranteed protection due to location. It is a polemic against the idea of automatic immunity due to the Temple's presence.
• and had no pity on young man or virgin, old man or gray-haired: This emphasizes the total lack of compassion from the invaders and, by extension, the totality of God's judgment. It shows a complete sweep of destruction across all demographic groups, leaving no one untouched or spared.
• He gave them all into his hand: This final phrase is a powerful statement of divine abandonment and complete surrender of His rebellious people to the consequences of their sin, entirely at the mercy of the enemy, reaffirming God's ultimate authority and righteous justice.

2 Chronicles 36 17 Bonus section

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple described in 2 Chronicles 36:17-21, as divinely sanctioned punishment, was unparalleled in Israelite history. This event held profound theological significance, fundamentally challenging existing assumptions about God's presence and protection associated with the Temple. The Chronicler, writing for those who had returned from exile, stresses God's commitment to justice over unconditional physical preservation. It underscored that mere religious ritual or the presence of a sacred building would not deter divine judgment if there was persistent and unrepentant rebellion. This painful historical reality later became a theological foundation for understanding God's judgment even in the New Testament (e.g., warnings to the churches). The event of the Temple's destruction also highlighted the reality of God's promise to disperse His people for disobedience, a recurring theme from the Torah. While terrifying in its portrayal, this verse implicitly sets the stage for the eventual restoration (as described immediately after in v. 22-23) by emphasizing that God remains sovereign over even the darkest periods of His people's history.

2 Chronicles 36 17 Commentary

2 Chronicles 36:17 powerfully encapsulates the ultimate and dire outcome of Judah's persistent sin: divinely ordained destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. The Chronicler emphasizes that this was not merely a military defeat, but a deliberate act of God, who "brought up" the enemy. This serves as a stark reminder of divine justice and God's absolute sovereignty, using foreign powers as instruments of His righteous judgment against His own covenant people when their unfaithfulness reached its peak. The desecration of the Temple with bloodshed and the indiscriminate slaughter across all ages underscore the profound severity of God's wrath, a direct consequence of Judah's relentless idolatry and their rejection of numerous prophetic warnings. The verse culminates by reiterating God's ultimate control, having "gave them all into his hand," highlighting that the complete subjugation was part of His righteous decree. This devastating event served as a monumental object lesson in covenant obedience for both the original audience and believers throughout history.