2 Kings 25 26

2 Kings 25:26 kjv

And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.

2 Kings 25:26 nkjv

And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

2 Kings 25:26 niv

At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians.

2 Kings 25:26 esv

Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

2 Kings 25:26 nlt

Then all the people of Judah, from the least to the greatest, as well as the army commanders, fled in panic to Egypt, for they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do to them.

2 Kings 25 verses

2 Kings 25 26 Meaning

This verse describes the final remnants of the people of Judah, including their military leaders, collectively choosing to flee to Egypt. Their action was motivated by profound fear of reprisal from the Chaldeans (Babylonians) following the assassination of Gedaliah, the appointed governor. This decision represented a desperate attempt to secure safety in a foreign land, tragically going against God's explicit counsel through the prophet Jeremiah to remain in Judah and trust in divine protection.

2 Kings 25 26 Context

This verse is situated at the devastating culmination of Judah's history before the Babylonian exile. Chapter 25 of 2 Kings details the final siege and fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, the burning of the city, and the exile of King Zedekiah and many people. After this, Gedaliah was appointed by the Babylonians as governor over the poor and those remaining in the land. However, Gedaliah was assassinated by Ishmael, a disgruntled member of the royal family. Johanan and other military leaders rescued the captives Ishmael had taken and planned to flee due to fear of Babylonian retaliation for Gedaliah's murder. Though the prophet Jeremiah counseled them from the LORD to stay in Judah, assuring them of safety and blessing if they obeyed, they stubbornly refused, opting instead for what they perceived as security in Egypt. Verse 26 records their ultimate, disobedient decision and subsequent journey.

2 Kings 25 26 Word analysis

• And all the people (וְכָל-הָעָם֙ - wəḵāl-hāʿām):
  • כָּל (kol): "All," indicating comprehensive unity in this decision. It implies that this was not merely a faction but the general consensus of the remnant.
  • הָעָם (hāʿām): "The people," referring to the remaining Judean populace in the land. This group, though small, was significant as the last visible manifestation of the nation within its borders.
• both small and great (לְמִקָּטֹן֙ וְעַד־גָּד֔וֹל - ləmiqqāṭōn wəʿaḏ-gāḏōl):
  • This phrase is an idiom for universality, signifying every person without distinction, regardless of age, social status, or influence. It underscores that the decision to flee was pervasive among them.
• and the captains of the armies (וְשָׂרֵי֙ הַחֲיָלִ֔ים - wəśāre haḥăyālīm):
  • שָׂרֵי (śāre): "Captains," "princes," or "officers." These were military and civic leaders. Their participation shows that this decision was led by and supported by those in positions of authority, despite direct prophetic warnings (as detailed in Jer 40-44).
  • הַחֲיָלִים (haḥăyālīm): "Of the armies/forces," indicating their military roles. This further emphasizes that this was not an unorganized flight, but a structured move endorsed by those who typically lead and protect.
• arose (וַיָּקֻ֙מוּ֙ - wayyāqūmū):
  • From קוּם (qum): "To rise, stand up." Conveys decisiveness and deliberate action to undertake this journey, rather than a forced displacement. It signifies an initiative taken by them.
• and came to Egypt (וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ מִצְרָֽיִם - wayyāḇōʾū Miṣrāyim):
  • מִצְרַיִם (Miṣrāyim): Egypt. This is highly significant. Egypt symbolized security for Israel historically, but also past bondage and a forbidden place to return to for refuge after the Exodus (Deut 17:16). Their turning to Egypt reflects a lack of faith in God's power to protect them in Judah, despite His explicit commands through Jeremiah. It's a return to dependence on earthly strength rather than divine.
  • Original context: Egypt often played a geopolitical role, serving as a tempting ally for Judah against powerful Mesopotamian empires (Assyria, Babylon). Relying on Egypt was consistently warned against by prophets (e.g., Isa 30:1-7, Isa 31:1-3, Hos 7:11). This flight marks a tragic repetition of Israel's historical tendency to distrust God and seek help from the very place they were delivered from. It is a subtle polemic against placing trust in worldly power over divine faithfulness.
• for they were afraid of the Chaldeans (כִּ֣י יָרְא֔וּ מִפְּנֵ֖י כַּשְׂדִּֽים - kî yārʾû mippĕnê Kaśdîm):
  • כִּי (kî): "For," indicating the reason or motivation.
  • יָרְא֖וּ (yārʾû): "They feared, they were afraid." This fear, while understandable given the ruthless nature of the Babylonians (Chaldeans), ultimately demonstrates a greater fear of man than of God. This fear led them to disobey God's clear instruction for their safety.
  • מִפְּנֵי (mippĕnê): "From the face of," "because of," or "before," indicating the source of their fear.
  • כַּשְׂדִּֽים (Kaśdîm): "Chaldeans," referring to the Babylonians, who were the dominant imperial power and the instrument of God's judgment against Judah.

Words-group analysis

• All the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies: This phrase underscores the comprehensive and unanimous nature of their decision. It shows that both the general populace and the influential leaders shared this fear and made this choice together, binding their collective fate to disobedience. This illustrates a pervasive spiritual blindness and lack of trust in God throughout all levels of society, despite recent catastrophic judgments.
• Arose and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans: This directly links their decisive action (arising and going) to their underlying motivation (fear of the Chaldeans). Their fear became the primary driver, overriding divine counsel. Their journey to Egypt symbolizes not only physical flight but also spiritual reversion, exchanging divine protection for perceived human safety, and entering a new form of "bondage" away from the Promised Land and the direct will of God.

2 Kings 25 26 Bonus section

The journey to Egypt recorded here sets the stage for Jeremiah's final prophecies and ministry, as he himself was forcibly taken with them (Jer 43:6-7). This shows God's continued engagement even with a rebellious people, sending His prophet with them into their chosen exile. The "fear of the Chaldeans" that drove them stands in stark contrast to "the fear of the Lord," which Scripture commends as the beginning of wisdom. Their fear of man (Babylonians) ultimately became a snare, leading them away from God's protection into deeper trouble and confirming the prophecies of their ultimate demise. This act is not just a historical note but a poignant biblical example of human free will making a detrimental choice rooted in a lack of faith, illustrating the destructive power of misdirected fear.

2 Kings 25 26 Commentary

This verse encapsulates the final, tragic act of disobedience by the remaining Jewish remnant in Judah. After decades of prophetic warnings and the devastating judgment of the Babylonian exile, a small group of survivors, seemingly offered a chance at new life in their ancestral land under Babylonian rule, chose a path of fear-driven rebellion. Their flight to Egypt was a direct contravention of God's explicit instruction through Jeremiah, who had promised peace and prosperity in Judah if they remained (Jer 42:10-12). Instead, overwhelmed by the immediate fear of Babylonian reprisal for Gedaliah's assassination, they reverted to a long-standing national pattern of seeking refuge in human strength and foreign powers (Egypt), rather than relying on the faithful God who had repeatedly delivered them from that very land centuries earlier. This decision sealed their fate outside the Promised Land, marking the complete dismantling of Judah's political and spiritual presence within the land for the duration of the exile. It stands as a profound lesson on the dangers of fear and distrust, which can blind even those who have witnessed God's mighty acts to His present will and protection.