2 Kings 25 4

2 Kings 25:4 kjv

And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.

2 Kings 25:4 nkjv

Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain.

2 Kings 25:4 niv

Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king's garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,

2 Kings 25:4 esv

Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah.

2 Kings 25:4 nlt

Then a section of the city wall was broken down. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians, the soldiers waited for nightfall and escaped through the gate between the two walls behind the king's garden. Then they headed toward the Jordan Valley.

2 Kings 25 verses

2 Kings 25 4 Meaning

The verse describes the devastating moment when Jerusalem's defenses finally crumbled during the Babylonian siege. The city walls were breached, leading to a desperate, clandestine attempt by King Zedekiah and his remaining soldiers to escape under the cover of night. Their chosen escape route—a specific gate between two walls near the king's garden—underscores the direness of their situation. The parenthetical remark emphasizes the complete encirclement of the city by the Chaldean (Babylonian) army, rendering their escape futile as the king headed toward the barren plain, a path of vulnerable exposure.

2 Kings 25 4 Context

2 Kings 25:4 describes a pivotal moment in the final days of the Kingdom of Judah. The verses preceding it detail the extended, brutal siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, a siege that led to extreme famine within the city. King Zedekiah, who had been placed on the throne as a Babylonian puppet ruler, rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, defying warnings from the prophet Jeremiah. The events of this verse represent the culmination of this rebellion and Judah's long history of idolatry and disobedience to God's covenant. This collapse was a direct fulfillment of numerous prophetic warnings, signifying the end of the Davidic monarchy in Jerusalem and the commencement of the Babylonian Exile for many Judahites.

2 Kings 25 4 Word analysis

• And the city was broken up (וְהָעִיר בֻּקְּעָה - vəhāʿîr buqqəʿâ):
  • בֻּקְּעָה (buqqəʿâ), derived from בָקַע (bāqaʿ), means "to cleave," "to split open," "to breach." Its passive form emphasizes that the city was subjected to this violent penetration; its defenses were forcefully overcome. This signifies the catastrophic end of Jerusalem's resistance, a total penetration of its seemingly impregnable fortifications, which were a source of national pride and false security.
• and all the men of war fled by night (וְכֹל אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה נָסוּ לַיְלָה - vəḵōl ʾanšê hammilḥāmâ nāsû laylâ):
  • כֹּל (kōl), "all," denotes the entirety of the military force, indicating no organized resistance remained.
  • נָסוּ (nāsû), "fled," from נוּס (nûs), emphasizes a panicked, desperate escape rather than an orderly retreat.
  • לַיְלָה (laylâ), "by night," signifies the desperate, clandestine nature of their flight. It was an act of hiding, shame, and futility, as their movements would have been impossible in daylight due to the encircling enemy. It symbolizes their ultimate inability to confront their oppressors or God's judgment head-on.
• by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden (דֶּרֶךְ שַׁעַר בֵּין הַחֹמֹתָיִם אֲשֶׁר עַל־גַּן הַמֶּלֶךְ - dereḵ šaʿar bên haḥōmōṯayim ʾăšer ʿal-gan hammeleḵ):
  • This detailed description points to a specific, perhaps hidden or less-guarded, exit. The phrase "between the two walls" (בֵּין הַחֹמֹתָיִם) refers to a fortified passage, likely an older section or a concealed exit designed for such desperate times. The fact that the king resorted to such a clandestine and specific route highlights his desperation and the completeness of the siege.
  • "king's garden" (גַּן הַמֶּלֶךְ - gan hammeleḵ) locates this escape route precisely, often believed to be near the Siloam Pool area or a more secluded royal precinct. The luxurious connotations of a "king's garden" starkly contrast with the desperate and dishonorable flight, symbolizing the loss of royal dignity and power.
• now the Chaldees were against the city round about (וְכַשְׂדִּים עַל־הָעִיר סָבִיב - vəkaśdîm ʿal-hāʿîr sāvîv):
  • This parenthetical note underscores the overwhelming futility of the escape attempt. The כַשְׂדִּים (Kaśdîm - Chaldeans, i.e., Babylonians) were omnipresent, meaning there was no truly free path. This serves to emphasize that Jerusalem's fall and Zedekiah's capture were inescapable, highlighting divine judgment's thoroughness.
• and the king went the way of the plain (וְהַמֶּלֶךְ הָלַךְ דֶּרֶךְ הָעֲרָבָה - vəhammeleḵ hālaḵ dereḵ hāʿărāvâ):
  • הָעֲרָבָה (hāʿărāvâ) refers to the Arabah, a geographical region encompassing the Jordan Rift Valley. Heading this way indicates an attempt to escape into the desert or possibly across the Jordan River towards Moab or Ammon. It's a direction that promised anonymity but offered no safety against the powerful Babylonian pursuit, confirming his exposed state as a fugitive.

2 Kings 25 4 Bonus section

The narrative of Zedekiah's escape directly contrasts with historical instances where Judah's kings, like Hezekiah, trusted in the Lord during sieges (e.g., 2 Kgs 19). Zedekiah's flight highlights his spiritual failure to heed God's prophets, particularly Jeremiah, who urged surrender to Babylon as the divinely appointed instrument of judgment. His reliance on covert physical escape routes instead of God's counsel ultimately led to his tragic end: captured, his sons executed before his eyes, and then blinded, living out Jeremiah's and Ezekiel's prophecies to the letter (Jer 39:6-7; Ezek 12:13). This passage serves as a potent theological warning against national and personal rebellion against the sovereign will of God and the futility of human strategies to avert divinely decreed judgment.

2 Kings 25 4 Commentary

2 Kings 25:4 presents the immediate aftermath of Jerusalem's final fall to Babylon, illustrating the depth of despair and the absolute victory of the besieging forces. The city's breached walls signal the end of resistance and the utter failure of human defenses against divine judgment enacted through the Babylonians. Zedekiah's desperate, nocturnal flight with his last fighting men—a king, the symbol of Judah's stability and God-given authority, reduced to a fugitive stealing away in the darkness—reveals the complete breakdown of order and dignity. His specific route through a clandestine gate near the king's garden underscores the personal ignominy and the futility of his attempt. The Chaldeans' pervasive encirclement highlights the certainty of capture and the inescapable nature of the consequences for Judah's long-standing rebellion against the LORD and rejection of His prophetic warnings. This verse powerfully conveys the final moments of a kingdom's downfall, marked by humiliation, desperation, and the fulfillment of inescapable divine judgment.