2 Kings 25:6 kjv
So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.
2 Kings 25:6 nkjv
So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him.
2 Kings 25:6 niv
and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him.
2 Kings 25:6 esv
Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him.
2 Kings 25:6 nlt
They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah.
2 Kings 25 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Ki 25:4-7 | "Then the city was broken into... So they captured Zedekiah and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah... they slaughtered the sons... blinded Zedekiah..." | Broader context of Zedekiah's capture and fate. |
| Jer 39:5-7 | "But the Chaldeans' army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah... brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah... passed sentence on him. Then they slaughtered..." | Parallel account, confirming the event. |
| Jer 52:8-11 | "But the army of the Chaldeans pursued... overtook Zedekiah... brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah... Then he passed judgment on him. The king of Babylon killed..." | Another detailed parallel account. |
| Jer 32:4-5 | "And Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape... but will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon... and he will go to Babylon." | Prophecy of Zedekiah's capture by Nebuchadnezzar. |
| Jer 34:3 | "You yourself will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes... and you will go to Babylon." | Prophecy of Zedekiah confronting Nebuchadnezzar. |
| Ezek 12:13 | "I will spread My net over him... I will bring him to Babylon... Yet he will not see it..." | Prophecy of Zedekiah going to Babylon blind. |
| Ezek 17:15-18 | "Will he escape who does these things?... He will not escape... as for the king who sent to Egypt... who broke his covenant... he will not escape." | Condemnation for Zedekiah breaking his oath. |
| 2 Chr 36:17-19 | "Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans... they carried into exile to Babylon those who had escaped the sword." | God's judgment and Babylon as His instrument. |
| Deut 28:25-36 | "The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies... the Lord will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known." | Prophetic curses for national disobedience. |
| Lev 26:33 | "And I will scatter you among the nations..." | Covenant consequences, similar to Deut 28. |
| Prov 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall." | Spiritual principle applying to Zedekiah's defiance. |
| Jer 25:9-11 | "Behold, I am going to send and get all the families of the north,' declares the Lord, 'and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them..." | Nebuchadnezzar identified as God's instrument of judgment. |
| Jer 27:6-7 | "Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant... all the nations will serve him..." | God's sovereignty over nations and their kings. |
| Isa 10:5-6 | "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger... I send it against a godless nation..." | Parallel concept of a pagan nation as God's tool. |
| Dan 2:21 | "It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings..." | God's ultimate sovereignty over earthly rulers. |
| Dan 4:17 | "...in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes..." | Reiteration of God's dominion over kingdoms. |
| Rom 13:1-2 | "Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities... For there is no authority except from God..." | Theological basis for submission to governing powers, even if pagan. |
| Prov 16:33 | "The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord." | Divine control over outcomes, even apparent human judgments. |
| John 19:11 | "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above..." | Reinforces that earthly power is derived from God. |
| Heb 10:30 | "For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.'" | God is the ultimate judge and avenger of wrongs. |
2 Kings 25 verses
2 Kings 25 6 Meaning
2 Kings 25:6 details a pivotal moment in Judah's final collapse: the captured King Zedekiah was brought to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, at Riblah. There, formal judgment was passed upon him, signifying the complete and undeniable end of the Judean monarchy and its political independence under God's severe judgment. This verdict marked the dire consequences of Judah's persistent disobedience and Zedekiah's breach of loyalty oaths.
2 Kings 25 6 Context
This verse is situated in the dire final moments of the Kingdom of Judah. Following King Zedekiah's rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar (despite sworn oaths and Jeremiah's prophetic warnings), the Babylonian army laid siege to Jerusalem for nearly two years. The city finally fell due to famine and breach of its walls. Zedekiah and his soldiers attempted to escape under the cover of darkness through the gate between the two walls but were pursued by the Chaldean forces in the plains of Jericho. King Zedekiah was captured, brought before his conqueror. This act of being "brought up" to the king of Babylon at Riblah symbolizes the complete reversal of fortune and the absolute triumph of the foreign empire over God's covenant people. Riblah, located in the Hamath territory, was a strategic location for Nebuchadnezzar—a military headquarters where he often conducted affairs with his subjugated vassal states, including their sentencing.
2 Kings 25 6 Word analysis
- took: Hebrew: לָקַח (laqach). This verb signifies capture or seizure. It implies Zedekiah was not surrendered but forcibly apprehended. This underscores his desperate flight and utter powerlessness. It is an act of hostile appropriation.
- the king: Despite being a captive, he is still referred to by his title. This highlights the magnitude of the fall – a reigning king, representative of Davidic lineage, reduced to a prisoner.
- brought him up: Hebrew: הֶעֱלָהוּ (he'elahû). This is the Hiphil form of the verb עָלָה (alah), meaning "to cause to ascend" or "to bring up." It emphasizes the act of being forcefully transported by another. It is a journey northward from Judah, to the administrative hub of the conquering power.
- to the king of Babylon: Specifically Nebuchadnezzar II, who was at the zenith of his power. This direct confrontation emphasizes that Zedekiah faced the ultimate imperial authority, a personal accounting to the one whose oath he had broken and whose supremacy he had defied.
- at Riblah: Hebrew: רִבְלָה (Riḇlāh). More than just a location, Riblah in the land of Hamath (modern Syria) was a critical strategic military and administrative center for the Babylonian empire. It served as a command post for military campaigns in the Levant and as a site for administering judgment and exacting tribute from vassal kings. To be brought to Riblah was to enter the inner sanctum of the conquering empire's judicial and executive power. This signifies a formal processing by imperial authority.
- and they passed judgment on him: Hebrew: וַיְדַבְּרוּ אִתּוֹ מִשְׁפָּט (wayĕdabĕrû ’ittô mišpāṭ). Literally, "they spoke with him judgment" or "they pronounced judgment concerning him." This is more than a mere conversation or interrogation. It indicates a formal trial or judicial proceeding where Zedekiah's guilt for rebellion and treaty violation was declared, and a sentence was pronounced. It highlights the formality and legalistic aspect (from a Babylonian perspective) of Nebuchadnezzar's punitive actions, a culmination of charges against the disloyal vassal king. It demonstrates that the events were not arbitrary but were the outcome of recognized, albeit unilaterally applied, imperial law.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "So they took the king and brought him up": This phrase graphically illustrates the loss of Zedekiah's agency and authority. He is no longer leading or making decisions but is an object being acted upon. His status as "the king" contrasts sharply with his enforced capture and movement.
- "to the king of Babylon at Riblah": This grouping identifies the ultimate source of Zedekiah's downfall and the setting of imperial authority. It emphasizes the direct confrontation between the vassal and the sovereign in the heart of the conquering power's regional headquarters, solidifying the idea that judgment would be absolute and final.
- "and they passed judgment on him": This phrase captures the official and declarative nature of the process. It signals the irreversible pronouncement of guilt and the imposition of severe consequences, demonstrating that Judah's long rebellion had reached its judicial conclusion under a foreign court sanctioned by God.
2 Kings 25 6 Bonus section
The seemingly impartial legal phrasing "passed judgment on him" belies the absolute power Nebuchadnezzar wielded. While it was a "judgment" from a Babylonian perspective, based on a violated oath, it was also a divine judgment delivered through human means. The fact that the entire court proceedings and the swift, brutal punishment were orchestrated at Riblah speaks to the efficiency and ruthlessness of Babylonian imperial justice. This site became symbolic of Judah's humiliation and exile. Earlier, Pharaoh Necho had also dealt with Judean kings at Riblah (2 Ki 23:33-34), indicating its long-standing strategic importance for major powers exerting influence over Judah. The repetition of this location in the narrative reinforces its status as a place where kings faced their ultimate accountability before foreign rulers, demonstrating a pattern of Judah's diminishing sovereignty prior to its complete dissolution.
2 Kings 25 6 Commentary
2 Kings 25:6 encapsulates the dramatic fulfillment of prophetic warnings concerning Judah's fall. Zedekiah, Judah's last king, found himself stripped of all royal power and dignity, standing as a captured vassal before Nebuchadnezzar, whom the Lord had appointed as His "servant" to execute divine judgment. Riblah was not a casual stop, but Nebuchadnezzar’s strategically chosen seat of power in the Levant, from which he orchestrated campaigns and administered the legalities of his empire. The "judgment" passed upon Zedekiah was severe: the immediate slaughter of his sons and the blinding of Zedekiah himself (as detailed in the subsequent verse), symbolizing the ultimate and crushing consequences of disobedience to God's covenant and Zedekiah's unfaithfulness. This event was a stark lesson on the sovereignty of God, who used even pagan kings to enforce His will against a rebellious nation, marking the end of the Davidic line's direct reign in Jerusalem for a prolonged period. It emphasizes the principle that rebellion against divinely established authority, even when exercised through a foreign ruler, carried profound consequences.