2 Chronicles 36:21 kjv
To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
2 Chronicles 36:21 nkjv
to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
2 Chronicles 36:21 niv
The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.
2 Chronicles 36:21 esv
to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
2 Chronicles 36:21 nlt
So the message of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.
2 Chronicles 36 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 25:2 | "When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord." | Land's Sabbatical rest commanded. |
| Lev 25:4 | "In the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land…" | Specifies the seventh-year land Sabbath. |
| Lev 26:34-35 | "Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate... it shall rest…" | Prophecy of land's rest during desolation/exile for missed Sabbaths. |
| Lev 26:43 | "But the land shall be left by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate…" | Reiteration of the land's Sabbath enjoyment during abandonment. |
| Deut 28:43-48 | "The sojourner among you shall rise higher and higher above you... he shall lend to you…" | Covenant curses, including subjugation, for disobedience. |
| Jer 25:11 | "This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." | Jeremiah's prophecy of 70 years of desolation. |
| Jer 25:12 | "Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation…" | God's judgment on Babylon after 70 years. |
| Jer 29:10 | "For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill my good word to you, in bringing you back to this place." | God's promise of return after 70 years. |
| Dan 9:2 | "I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years." | Daniel's understanding and prayer based on Jeremiah's prophecy. |
| Zech 1:12 | "Then the angel of the Lord replied, 'O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry for seventy years?'" | Confirmation of the 70-year duration from a later prophet. |
| Zech 7:5 | "Say to all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it actually for me that you fasted?'" | Further historical confirmation of the 70 years of exile/mourning. |
| Isa 44:28 | "who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’" | Prophecy of Cyrus's role in the return. |
| Isa 45:13 | "I stir him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,' says the Lord of hosts." | God's use of Cyrus to accomplish His will. |
| Ezra 1:1 | "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled…" | Cyrus's decree directly linked to Jeremiah's prophecy. |
| Isa 55:11 | "so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose…" | God's word always achieves its intended purpose. |
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" | Emphasizes God's faithfulness to His promises. |
| 1 Ki 8:56 | "Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise…" | God's past faithfulness in fulfilling His word. |
| Heb 12:5-11 | "And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord…'" | Divine discipline as a corrective measure, showing God's fatherly love. |
| Lam 1:3 | "Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place…" | Description of Judah's exile and lack of rest for the people. |
| 2 Ki 25:9-11 | "And he burned the house of the Lord… and carried into exile all Jerusalem and all the officials…" | Historical account of the destruction and deportation leading to exile. |
| Prov 13:24 | "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." | Analogy for divine discipline for good. |
2 Chronicles 36 verses
2 Chronicles 36 21 Meaning
This verse declares that the seventy-year Babylonian exile was the divine fulfillment of God's word spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. It served the purpose of allowing the land of Judah to observe its neglected Sabbath years, accumulating a "rest" period of seventy years during the desolation. This period was not random but precisely timed by God to fulfill His just decree and the specific prophecies.
2 Chronicles 36 21 Context
2 Chronicles 36 concludes the Chronicler's history of Judah's monarchy, tracing the final kings of the Southern Kingdom: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. It meticulously details their persistent idolatry, rebellion against God's commands, and contempt for His prophets, despite repeated divine warnings. The verse immediately precedes Cyrus's decree, which allows the exiled Jews to return. Historically, it marks the climactic fulfillment of both covenant curses outlined in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, specifically the unobserved Sabbath rests for the land, and the specific prophecies of Jeremiah concerning the seventy-year desolation of Jerusalem and Judah, culminating in the Babylonian exile (586 BC). This period of desolation serves as divine discipline and purification, aligning with God's perfect timing and righteous judgment.
2 Chronicles 36 21 Word analysis
- וְלַמְלֹאוֹת (v'lamlō'ôt) – "and to fulfill/make full": This infinitive construct indicates the purpose or consequence of the preceding events (the exile and desolation). It underscores divine intentionality, showing that the exile was not arbitrary but designed to bring God's prophecy to completion. The Hebrew root מ.ל.א (m.l.ʾ) implies completeness or being filled.
- אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהוָה (et-dvar-YHWH) – "the word of the Lord": This phrase emphasizes the divine origin and absolute authority of the prophecy. "YHWH" (Lord) is the personal covenant name of God, highlighting His relationship with Israel and His unswerving faithfulness to His spoken word. It differentiates God's message from any human decree.
- בְּפִי יִרְמְיָהוּ (b'fî Yirmyâhû) – "by the mouth of Jeremiah": Jeremiah served as the primary, yet often rejected, prophet delivering God's severe warnings and prophecies regarding the Babylonian captivity and its duration. This highlights God's choice of messenger and authenticates the divine source of the message, vindicating Jeremiah's frequently unpopular ministry.
- עַד־רְצָתָה (ad-rᵉtsātāh) – "until she had enjoyed/paid off/accepted": The root רָצָה (ratsah) signifies "to be pleased with," "accept," or "make restitution." Here, in the Qal infinitive, it implies the land "rejoicing" or "satisfying its due." It points to the land being "compensated" or having its requirement "fulfilled" regarding the missed Sabbaths. This gives the exile a redemptive dimension for the land itself.
- הָאָרֶץ (hâ'ârets) – "the land": Refers specifically to the promised land of Israel/Judah, personified as a living entity that needs to rest. This ties directly to the Mosaic covenant's agricultural laws.
- אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ (et-shabbatōtehā) – "her Sabbaths": The plural of "Sabbath" (שַׁבָּת shabbat) specifically refers to the neglected Sabbatical years (shemitah) mandated in Leviticus 25. Israel's failure to let the land lie fallow every seven years resulted in a "debt" of rest owed to the land, which the exile would now repay.
- כָּל־יְמֵי הָשַּׁמָּה (kol-yᵉmê hâshshamâ) – "all the days of the desolation": This clarifies that the "enjoyment of Sabbaths" coincides precisely with the period of the land's emptiness and uncultivated state due to the exile. It's a direct, punitive, yet restorative consequence. "Desolation" (שַּׁמָּה shammah) conveys ruin, astonishment, or horror.
- שָׁבָתָה (shāvatâ) – "she kept Sabbath/rested": The perfect tense verb confirms that the land indeed underwent its enforced rest. This is an outcome of divine action and judgment, directly caused by the people's disobedience and subsequent removal.
- לְמַלֹּאות (lᵉmal'ôt) – "to fulfill/complete": Repeating a form of the root מ.ל.א (m.l.ʾ) from the beginning of the verse, this reiterates the ultimate purpose of the entire desolation period: to precisely complete a predetermined duration.
- שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה (shiv'îm shānāh) – "seventy years": This specific duration is a critical prophetic marker. Scholarly consensus links it to a missed Sabbatical cycle, estimating 490 years from Israel's entry into Canaan until the exile, implying approximately 70 missed Sabbath years (490 / 7 = 70). Thus, the 70 years of exile repaid the "debt" of rest, one year for each unobserved Sabbatical year. This demonstrates God's perfect justice and meticulous timing.
2 Chronicles 36 21 Bonus section
The concept of the land "enjoying its Sabbaths" is a direct polemic against the people's past practices of violating God's agricultural laws. The Chronicler emphasizes that while the people refused to grant the land its divinely mandated rest, God Himself, through judgment and exile, enforced it. This demonstrates that divine law cannot ultimately be thwarted, and when disobeyed by humanity, God Himself will ensure its fulfillment, albeit through punitive measures. This period also allowed for a purging of idolatry, laying the groundwork for a more monotheistic Judaism upon return.
2 Chronicles 36 21 Commentary
2 Chronicles 36:21 acts as a theological summary statement at the climax of Israel's decline and exile. It profoundly teaches God's absolute sovereignty and faithfulness to His word, even through severe judgment. The seventy-year Babylonian exile was not an arbitrary historical accident, but a precisely timed divine intervention, specifically serving two interlinked purposes: the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy regarding the duration of desolation, and the righteous compensation for the land's unobserved Sabbath rests. God's judgment, while devastating, was ultimately redemptive, compelling the land to rest as prescribed by the covenant laws, purging Israel's idolatry, and setting the stage for eventual restoration under God's perfect timing. It showcases that every divine word spoken finds its complete accomplishment, proving God to be entirely just and true. For instance, this illustrates that obedience to God's laws brings blessing, and disobedience brings promised consequences, ultimately designed for restoration and spiritual realignment, similar to a parent's firm discipline for a child's long-term benefit.