2 Kings 25 21

2 Kings 25:21 kjv

And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.

2 Kings 25:21 nkjv

Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

2 Kings 25:21 niv

There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land.

2 Kings 25:21 esv

And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

2 Kings 25:21 nlt

And there at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon had them all put to death. So the people of Judah were sent into exile from their land.

2 Kings 25 verses

2 Kings 25 21 Meaning

2 Kings 25:21 succinctly narrates the final and devastating consequence of Judah's rebellion and sin: the execution of the kingdom's leadership and the complete exile of the Jewish people from their ancestral land. It records the punitive act by the king of Babylon against King Zedekiah's officials at Riblah, signifying the total conquest and judgment upon Judah, leading to its definitive carrying away into captivity. This marks the end of an era for the Southern Kingdom, fulfilling generations of prophetic warnings about covenant disobedience.

2 Kings 25 21 Context

This verse is the concluding sentence of 2 Kings chapter 25, which narrates the final siege and fall of Jerusalem and the ultimate deportation of the Judahites to Babylon. It directly follows the description of Nebuchadnezzar's capture of King Zedekiah (the last king of Judah), Zedekiah's sons being killed before his eyes, and Zedekiah then being blinded and taken to Babylon. Immediately preceding 25:21, the text lists the high-ranking officials and priests who were taken to Riblah, specifically singled out for execution. The verse acts as a definitive summary, pronouncing the fate of both Judah's leadership and the entire nation, emphasizing the completeness of the judgment. Historically, this event signifies the end of the Davidic monarchy's rule in Jerusalem and the seventy-year Babylonian captivity, a pivotal period in Israel's history.

2 Kings 25 21 Word analysis

• And the king of Babylon: Hebrew: Wa-meleḵ Bavel (וּמֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל). This highlights Nebuchadnezzar as the direct agent of God's judgment, even though he acts out of imperial ambition. The focus is on the power that ultimately brings about the divine decree.
• struck them: Hebrew: wayyakkēm (וַיַּכֵּם). From the verb nakah (נָכָה), meaning to strike, to smite, or to kill. This verb suggests a forceful, violent, and decisive act of execution, underscoring the severity of the punishment meted out by Nebuchadnezzar. It indicates the officials were not merely imprisoned but met a violent end.
• and put them to death: Hebrew: waymîṯēm (וַיְמִיתֵם). From the verb mût (מוּת), meaning to die or to put to death. This explicitly states the purpose and outcome of the "striking" – a definitive ending of their lives. It re-emphasizes the finality and brutality of the action against the leadership.
• at Riblah: Hebrew: bĕRīvlāh (בְּרִבְלָה). Riblah was a strategic city in the land of Hamath, north of Israel, which served as Nebuchadnezzar's military headquarters during his campaigns in the Levant. Its location far from Jerusalem demonstrates Nebuchadnezzar's complete control and lack of immediate concern for Jerusalem's proximity when dispensing judgment. It signifies a military and judicial base.
• in the land of Hamath: Hebrew: bĕʾereṣ Ḥămaṯ (בְּאֶרֶץ חֲמָת). Hamath was an Aramean kingdom whose territory extended into what would become the northern borders of Israel. Mentioning Hamath contextualizes Riblah geographically, showing it was outside Judah's immediate territory, further signifying the external, conquering power's jurisdiction.
• So Judah: Hebrew: wayyiḡl Yēhūḏāh (וַיִּגֶל יְהוּדָה). The "so" or "thus" connects the previous action to the ultimate consequence. "Judah" represents the entire Southern Kingdom and its people, not just a specific group. This highlights the collective nature of the judgment.
• was carried away captive: Hebrew: wayyiḡl (וַיִּגֶל). From the verb gālah (גָלָה), meaning to uncover, to depart, or to go into exile. This is a pivotal term throughout the prophetic books regarding the Babylonian period. It signifies the forced deportation and loss of self-governance, land, and national identity. It's the culmination of centuries of prophetic warnings.
• from its own land: Hebrew: mēʿal ʾaḏmātō (מֵעַל אַדְמָתוֹ). This phrase emphatically states the forced removal from the land promised to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 12:7, Deut 6:10). This aspect of exile was a particularly severe covenant curse, indicating a complete loss of their divine inheritance and a direct consequence of their unfaithfulness.

Words-group analysis

• "And the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death": This phrase emphasizes the agency of the execution. It portrays Nebuchadnezzar as a brutal and effective instrument of divine judgment against Judah's corrupt leadership, signifying the end of the existing order. The redundancy of "struck them" and "put them to death" intensifies the horror and finality of the act.
• "at Riblah in the land of Hamath": This geographically anchors the tragic events, confirming their historicity and highlighting the king of Babylon's operational control from a remote strategic outpost. It underscores that judgment did not require Nebuchadnezzar to be within Jerusalem's immediate proximity; the entire region was under his sway.
• "So Judah was carried away captive from its own land": This powerful concluding statement summarises the national tragedy. The use of "So" signifies the consequence directly tied to Judah's sins and its leaders' execution. The phrase highlights the loss of sovereignty, self-determination, and critically, the forfeiture of the Promised Land – a foundational element of God's covenant with Israel. It symbolizes the spiritual barrenness that led to physical desolation and removal.

2 Kings 25 21 Bonus section

• The destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of Judah represented not only a political defeat but a profound theological crisis for the Israelites. The loss of the Temple, the Davidic king, and the land challenged their understanding of God's promises. This verse encapsulates the depth of that crisis.
• Riblah became notorious as the place where the Babylonians dealt with captured rulers and rebellious elites, emphasizing its role as a nexus of imperial power and judgment. Pharaoh Necho had earlier asserted his dominance over Judah from Riblah, bringing King Jehoahaz there (2 Ki 23:33). This recurrence of Riblah as a site of humiliation for Judah underscores the cycle of foreign domination they experienced due to their faithlessness.
• The phrase "carried away captive from its own land" is critical. It implies a de-creation or undoing of the divine act of settling Israel in the land. The land was part of their identity as God's chosen people, and its loss was the ultimate physical manifestation of their spiritual estrangement from God.
• While Nebuchadnezzar's motivations were purely geopolitical, the biblical authors consistently present him as God's chosen instrument ("My servant Nebuchadnezzar" - Jer 27:6) for administering divine discipline. This highlights God's sovereignty over nations and their rulers, even those who do not acknowledge Him.

2 Kings 25 21 Commentary

2 Kings 25:21 serves as a terse, yet profoundly impactful, concluding statement to the narrative of Judah's downfall. It solidifies the irreversible consequences of centuries of idolatry, injustice, and disobedience to God's covenant. The execution of Judah's prominent figures at Riblah underscores the complete and merciless nature of the Babylonian conquest, orchestrated by Nebuchadnezzar as an unwitting tool of God's wrath. This act of judgment was not arbitrary; it was a fulfillment of explicit prophecies detailing the repercussions of breaking the Mosaic covenant (e.g., Lev 26, Deut 28). The ultimate tragedy expressed by "Judah was carried away captive from its own land" signifies more than mere relocation; it represents the forfeiture of the unique relationship between God and His people in their Promised Land. This exile, marked by immense suffering and displacement, was God's severe discipline, designed not for final annihilation, but for purification and a future return (Jer 29:10-14), though the verse itself speaks only of the devastating culmination of unrepentant sin.