Jeremiah 39:2 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 39:2 kjv
And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up.
Jeremiah 39:2 nkjv
In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated.
Jeremiah 39:2 niv
And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year, the city wall was broken through.
Jeremiah 39:2 esv
In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city.
Jeremiah 39:2 nlt
Two and a half years later, on July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, a section of the city wall was broken down.
Jeremiah 39 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 52:6-7 | "In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, ... a breach was made in the city." | Direct parallel to Jer 39:2, confirms dating. |
| 2 Kgs 25:3-4 | "On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe ... that a breach was made in the city." | Another parallel account, adding context of famine. |
| Lam 1:3 | "Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude." | Lament over the exile following Jerusalem's fall. |
| Lam 2:9 | "Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has shattered her bars." | Describes the destruction of Jerusalem's defenses. |
| Eze 4:1-2 | "Lay siege against it, and build forts against it..." | Prophetic depiction of the siege of Jerusalem. |
| Eze 5:12 | "A third part of you shall die of pestilence ... a third part shall fall by the sword." | Prophecy of Jerusalem's fate, aligning with the fall. |
| Jer 39:1 | "In the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar ... came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it." | Context of the siege's beginning, showing its duration. |
| Jer 34:7 | "the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah..." | Highlights the broader military campaign. |
| Jer 32:28-29 | "I am giving this city into the hand of the Chaldeans... they shall burn it with fire." | Prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction by fire, post-breach. |
| Jer 38:17 | "If you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life will be spared." | Jeremiah's unheeded counsel to avoid the city's destruction. |
| Isa 10:5-6 | "Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger ... I send him against a godless nation." | God uses foreign empires (like Babylon) as instruments of judgment. |
| Isa 22:9-10 | "You saw that the breaches of the city of David were many... and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall." | Earlier prophetic warning about the inadequacy of human defenses. |
| Pss 74:7-8 | "They have burned your sanctuary to the ground... They said in their hearts, 'We will utterly subdue them.'" | Describes the desecration and destruction of God's dwelling place. |
| Pss 79:1 | "O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple." | Plea lamenting the temple's destruction and foreign occupation. |
| Dan 1:1-2 | "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand." | Earlier siege (605 BC) showing God's sovereign hand in Judah's affairs. |
| Neh 1:3 | "The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." | Later account, long after the breach, motivating Nehemiah's return. |
| Mt 24:2 | "There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." | Jesus' prophecy of Jerusalem's later destruction (AD 70), echoing judgment. |
| Lk 21:20 | "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near." | Jesus' warning about the city's future destruction by armies. |
| Rev 11:2 | "the outer court has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months." | Symbolism of Gentile trampling of Jerusalem, resonating with its historical fall. |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." | Theological basis for God's judgment seen in Jerusalem's fall. |
| Rom 15:4 | "Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." | The historical record serves as a lesson for future generations. |
| Heb 4:12 | "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword..." | Emphasizes the power and certainty of God's spoken word, fulfilled here. |
| Jos 6:20 | "the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city..." | Historical parallel of a city's defenses falling due to divine intervention/command. |
| Pr 29:1 | "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing." | Proverbial truth explaining Judah's unheeded warnings leading to total ruin. |
Jeremiah 39 verses
Jeremiah 39 2 meaning
Jeremiah 39:2 precisely records the catastrophic moment when the defenses of Jerusalem were decisively penetrated by the Babylonian forces during the eleventh year of King Zedekiah's reign. This specific date—the ninth day of the fourth month—marks the physical breach of the city walls, signifying the imminent fall of Jerusalem and the fulfillment of prophecies concerning Judah's judgment. It underscores the culmination of years of divine warning and the inevitable consequence of Judah's persistent rebellion against God.
Jeremiah 39 2 Context
Jeremiah 39 is a pivotal chapter, shifting from prophetic pronouncements to the dramatic narrative of their fulfillment. It vividly recounts the final stages of Jerusalem's downfall under Nebuchadnezzar, which began with the siege described in Jeremiah 39:1 and other books. This verse specifically pinpoints the moment the city's formidable walls were overcome. The broader historical context includes Zedekiah's rebellion against Babylon, despite Jeremiah's persistent warnings, and his alliance attempts with Egypt, which ultimately failed. This stubborn defiance led to a brutal siege lasting approximately 18-30 months, culminating in extreme famine, and eventually, the breach of the city walls. This event marks the end of Judah's monarchy and the beginning of the Babylonian exile, a period of immense national trauma and theological reflection for Israel. It underscores God's sovereignty over nations and His righteous judgment against unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 39 2 Word analysis
- In the eleventh year: Signifies the short and tragic reign of Zedekiah. His final year encapsulates the culmination of Judah's unrighteousness and God's protracted patience. This temporal marker highlights the precise fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecies.
- of Zedekiah (צִדְקִיָּהוּ, Tzidqiyyahū): Meaning "My righteousness is Yahweh." A deeply ironic name for a king whose reign was marked by injustice, breaking his oath to Babylon, and defying God's prophets. He was the last Davidic king to reign in Jerusalem, embodying the tragic end of the independent kingdom of Judah. His failure directly led to the city's destruction and exile, a consequence foretold repeatedly by Jeremiah.
- in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month: This precise calendrical detail (Tammuz 9 in the Jewish calendar, roughly July) adds historical verisimilitude and signifies the absolute certainty of the event. It was later commemorated as a fast day (Fast of the 9th of Tammuz) lamenting the tragic event. Such precise dating validates the historical accuracy and prophetic fulfillment.
- the city was breached: (הָבַקְּעָה, hā-vaqqe‘āh, from בָּקַע bāqa‘, meaning "to cleave, split, break open, burst through"). This verb strongly denotes a forceful, violent penetration of the city's fortified walls. It implies the tearing open of defenses, revealing the city's vulnerability.
- Words-group: "the city was breached": This phrase encapsulates the decisive moment of no return. It represents the physical penetration of Jerusalem's defenses, signifying the spiritual collapse of Judah. For a people who believed in divine protection for Jerusalem and the temple (Jer 7:4), this breach symbolized the withdrawal of God's protective hand, indicating their reliance on physical walls and not God was futile. The city, once considered invincible, fell before the Babylonian might as a result of divine judgment.
Jeremiah 39 2 Bonus section
The specific date mentioned, "the ninth day of the fourth month," holds significant theological and historical weight. This became one of the Jewish fast days (Fast of the 9th of Tammuz) established in later Jewish tradition (Zech 8:19) to commemorate national tragedies. This tradition reinforces the enduring memory and impact of Jerusalem's fall. The repeated emphasis on the date across Jeremiah 39:2, Jeremiah 52:6, and 2 Kings 25:3 highlights its importance, marking it as a critical inflection point. Furthermore, the event represents a polemic against the false prophets who promised peace and invincibility to Jerusalem, assuring the people that God would protect the city regardless of their sin (Jeremiah 7:4). The breach of the walls starkly disproved these deceptive assurances, validating Jeremiah's unpopular, yet divinely inspired, message of impending doom due to unfaithfulness. The seemingly impregnable defenses of Jerusalem, upon which many relied, proved ultimately ineffective against a judgment ordained by God.
Jeremiah 39 2 Commentary
Jeremiah 39:2 stands as a stark and precise declaration of divine judgment executed upon unrepentant Judah. The chronological exactitude—the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the ninth day of the fourth month—is not merely historical record-keeping but reinforces the veracity of God's Word and the unerring fulfillment of prophecy. The breach of the city walls, signified by the Hebrew term bāqa‘, represents the violent, irreversible rupture of Jerusalem's defenses, revealing the city as utterly vulnerable. It marks the complete cessation of false hope that Jerusalem might withstand the Babylonian onslaught, silencing those who contradicted Jeremiah's warnings. This pivotal moment symbolizes the culmination of Judah's moral decline and the inevitable consequence of defying the covenant with God, resulting in the termination of an independent Davidic monarchy and the beginning of a profound exile. The event served as a somber lesson about the limits of human rebellion against God's ultimate sovereignty and justice.