2 Kings 24 13

2 Kings 24:13 kjv

And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

2 Kings 24:13 nkjv

And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

2 Kings 24:13 niv

As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the LORD.

2 Kings 24:13 esv

and carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the LORD had foretold.

2 Kings 24:13 nlt

As the LORD had said beforehand, Nebuchadnezzar carried away all the treasures from the LORD's Temple and the royal palace. He stripped away all the gold objects that King Solomon of Israel had placed in the Temple.

2 Kings 24 verses

2 Kings 24 13 Meaning

This verse recounts the first major plunder of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It details the removal of all the valuable items from both the Temple of the LORD and the king's royal palace. Crucially, it highlights the additional act of breaking into pieces the golden vessels originally crafted by Solomon for the Temple. The theological significance of these events is underscored by the concluding statement, affirming that this catastrophic despoliation occurred precisely "as the LORD had said," signifying divine judgment and the fulfillment of prophecy due to Judah's covenant unfaithfulness.

2 Kings 24 13 Context

2 Kings 24 describes the accelerating decline of the kingdom of Judah under Babylonian domination, leading to its imminent fall. Following Jehoiakim's rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar, his son Jehoiachin briefly takes the throne. Verse 13 details Nebuchadnezzar's response: the first major siege of Jerusalem (circa 597 BC), during which he not only captures King Jehoiachin but also systematically plunders Jerusalem. This verse signifies the economic, political, and spiritual humiliation of Judah. The removal and destruction of the sacred Temple vessels were a profound blow, serving as a tangible sign of God's judgment and preparing the way for the full destruction of the Temple and city merely eleven years later. This event confirmed the warnings of prophets like Jeremiah, signaling the futility of relying on alliances or the physical Temple rather than true covenant faithfulness to God.

2 Kings 24 13 Word analysis

• And he carried out thence (וַיֹּצֵ֣א מִשָּׁם֙ - vayyoṣeʾ miššām):

  • "Carried out" (vayyoṣeʾ): From the Hebrew root יָצָא (yatsa, "to go out"). In the Hiphil stem, it means "to cause to go out" or "to bring out." This highlights Nebuchadnezzar's deliberate and forceful action, underscoring the lack of resistance and complete subjugation.
  • "Thence" (miššām): Refers directly from Jerusalem, the city under siege and conquest.

• all the treasures (אֶת־כָּל־אֹֽצְרוֹת֙ - ʾeṯ-kāl-ʾōṣĕrōṯ):

  • "Treasures" (ʾōṣĕrōṯ): Plural of אֹצָר (ʾōṣār), meaning stored valuables, treasury, or wealth. This signifies a comprehensive confiscation of precious assets.

• of the house of the LORD (בֵּית֩ יְהוָ֨ה - bêṯ YHWH):

  • This refers to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The taking of its treasures was not mere theft but an act of profound sacrilege and a visible symbol of divine judgment upon His own dwelling due to His people's sin.

• and the treasures of the king's house (וְאֹצְר֧וֹת בֵּית־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ - wĕʾōṣĕrōṯ bêṯ-hammeleḵ):

  • The "king's house" is the royal palace. This indicates the plunder extended to all the kingdom's significant wealth, marking both spiritual and political humiliation and complete subjugation.

• and cut in pieces (וַיְקַצֵּ֗ץ - vayəqaṣṣēṣ):

  • From the root קָצַץ (qatsats), meaning "to cut off," "cut short," "cut into fragments." The Hiphil causative intensifies the action, implying intentional destruction and dismantling, not just simple removal. This shows deliberate defacement or preparation for transport/melting.

• all the vessels of gold (אֵת֙ כָּל־כְּלֵ֣י הַזָּהָ֔ב - ʾēṯ kāl-kəlê hazzāhāḇ):

  • "Vessels" (kəlê): Refers to instruments, utensils, or cultic implements. These were functional items used in Temple worship, not just ornaments.
  • "Of gold": Emphasizes their immense material value and ceremonial significance, highlighting the depth of their desecration.

• which Solomon had made (אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשָׂה֙ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה - ʾăšer ʿāśāh šəlֹmōh):

  • This phrase connects the plundered items to their revered origin, linking the current destruction to the glorious foundational period of the Temple built by King Solomon. It accentuates the historical and spiritual weight of the loss.

• in the temple of the LORD (בְּהֵיכַ֥ל יְהוָֽה - bəhêḵal YHWH):

  • "Temple" (hêḵāl): Refers to the main sanctuary building of the Temple. This clarifies the specific location of these items.

• as the LORD had said (כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָֽה - kaʾăšer dibber YHWH):

  • This critical theological statement confirms divine agency behind the events. It presents the catastrophe not as a random misfortune or solely Babylonian military might, but as the deliberate fulfillment of God's prior prophetic warnings (e.g., through Isaiah and Jeremiah) regarding the consequences of covenant disobedience. This underscores God's sovereignty over history and His unwavering justice.

• Words-group by words-group analysis

  • "Treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house": This pairing emphasizes that both the sacred (religious) and secular (political/economic) pillars of Judah's identity and power were utterly stripped away. It was a comprehensive humiliation, demonstrating the complete loss of sovereignty.
  • "Cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon had made": This phrase highlights the intentional and destructive nature of the act beyond simple confiscation. These were ancient, revered, and uniquely purposed golden articles from the very foundation of the First Temple. Their dismantling symbolizes the breaking of the old covenant order and the end of Judah's perceived invulnerability linked to the Temple's existence.
  • "as the LORD had said": This powerful concluding clause provides the divine interpretative framework for the entire event. It signals to the reader that the calamity was not a defeat for the God of Israel, but His just judgment carried out through human instruments, validating the reliability of His warnings and His ultimate control over all history. It positions this exile as an act within God's ongoing redemptive plan, demonstrating the theological purpose embedded in historical suffering.

2 Kings 24 13 Bonus section

• Ancient Near Eastern ideology often held that the conquest of a nation, and especially the plunder of its temples, signified the defeat of its deity by the conquering nation's god. However, the Deuteronomistic historian's specific inclusion of "as the LORD had said" radically subverts this notion. It portrays Yahweh not as defeated but as the sovereign Lord of history, intentionally using Babylon as His instrument to punish His own disobedient people, demonstrating His supremacy over all nations and their deities.
• The destruction and removal of the items from "Solomon's" Temple signifies a definitive end to an era. The First Temple, built with such glory and seen as a symbol of divine favor and presence, was now being undone by divine judgment, highlighting the fragility of human achievements in the face of spiritual unfaithfulness.
• While some Temple treasures were carried to Babylon (e.g., in Dan 1:2, Ezra 1:7), 2 Kings 24:13 uniquely states that specific golden vessels were "cut in pieces," suggesting a total obliteration for those particular items, rather than their preservation. This distinction points to the severity and comprehensive nature of this plundering action.
• The focus on physical treasures being stripped foreshadows a necessary shift for the people of God towards a deeper, more internal understanding of their covenant relationship, which would become crucial for their survival and identity during the upcoming exile and in the post-exilic period, ultimately culminating in the New Covenant understanding of a spiritual temple (believers' bodies, and the community of believers).

2 Kings 24 13 Commentary

2 Kings 24:13 serves as a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative of Judah's decline and the onset of the Babylonian Exile. Nebuchadnezzar's plundering was not merely an act of wartime opportunism but, from a divine perspective, a direct consequence and fulfillment of God's covenant warnings issued through His prophets. The removal of the Temple's treasures, particularly the "cutting in pieces" of the sacred gold vessels crafted by Solomon, symbolizes a profound defilement and dissolution of the Old Covenant's external expressions of worship. This event shattered the people's false sense of security that their physical Temple would protect them regardless of their obedience. Instead, it powerfully demonstrated that God's presence and protection are conditional upon faithfulness to His covenant. The divine statement "as the LORD had said" underscores God's active involvement in judgment, ensuring that even a foreign conqueror served His purposes. This served as a harsh, visible lesson in the integrity of God's word and His righteousness in bringing consequences for chronic sin. This initial exile, marked by the stripping of holy objects, paved the way for Judah to confront their deep-seated idolatry and disobedience, setting the stage for future restoration dependent on true repentance.