Jeremiah 52 12

Jeremiah 52:12 kjv

Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,

Jeremiah 52:12 nkjv

Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month ( which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 52:12 niv

On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 52:12 esv

In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month ? that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon ? Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 52:12 nlt

On August 17 of that year, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 52 verses

Jeremiah 52 12 meaning

Jeremiah 52:12 marks a pivotal, precise moment in Judah's history: the arrival of Nebuzaradan, the commander of Nebuchadnezzar's forces, in Jerusalem. This verse pinpoints the exact date, the tenth day of the fifth month in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, for the beginning of the systematic and complete destruction of Jerusalem, following its conquest. It signifies the formal commencement of the Babylonian policy to raze the city and its sacred Temple, confirming the severity and fulfillment of God's prophetic warnings through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 52 12 Context

Jeremiah 52 serves as an appendix to the book of Jeremiah, primarily recounting the final destruction of Jerusalem and the exile, largely paralleling 2 Kings 24:18-25:30. Its placement after the extensive prophecies reinforces the reliability and tragic fulfillment of Jeremiah's warnings regarding Judah's apostasy. The immediate context of verse 12 follows the siege of Jerusalem (vv. 4-7) and the capture of King Zedekiah, who was brutally punished (vv. 8-11). The city had been besieged for over two years, resulting in severe famine and the eventual breach of its walls. The Babylonians had gained control. Verse 12 transitions from the military victory to the subsequent punitive action—the systematic dismantling and destruction of the city and its symbolic center, the Temple. Historically, this event took place in 586 BC, marking the end of the Kingdom of Judah, the Solomonic Temple, and the commencement of the Babylonian Exile.

Jeremiah 52 12 Word analysis

• Now in the fifth month:
  • Hebrew: bāḥōḏeš haḥămīšī (בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי).
  • This refers to the month of Av (Ab).
  • This month became permanently associated with Jewish mourning and national catastrophe.
  • It's a specific timestamp indicating precise historical memory of the event.
• on the tenth day of the month:
  • Hebrew: bĕʿāśôr laḥōḏeš (בַּעֲשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ).
  • Further precision in dating.
  • Though 2 Kings 25:8 mentions the seventh day for Nebuzaradan's arrival/fire, Jeremiah's 10th day suggests the more thorough, destructive phase might have begun then, or indicates a scribal variant on a matter of minor detail, as the entire period was devastating. The general period is consistently associated with the calamity.
• (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar:
  • Hebrew: šĕnāt tēšăʿ-ʿeśrēh lĕ-Mĕlĕk Nebuchadrezzar (שְׁנַת תְּשַׁע־עֶשְׂרֵה לְמֶלֶךְ נְבֻכַדְרֶאצַּר).
  • Connects the event directly to a recognized regnal year, authenticating its historicity within the broader Mesopotamian political landscape.
  • This calculation aligns with Nebuchadnezzar's reign, placing it firmly in 586 BCE.
  • His "nineteenth year" is distinct from the end of the siege (often calculated in his eighteenth year).
• king of Babylon):
  • Hebrew: Mĕlek Bāvel (מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל).
  • Emphasizes his supreme authority as the head of the empire carrying out God's judgment.
  • It portrays Babylon as God's instrument of chastisement (cf. Jer 25:9, 27:6).
• Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard:
  • Hebrew: Něbūzarădān sar haṭṭabbāḥîm (נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים).
  • Nebuzaradan: A high-ranking Babylonian official. His name, "Nabu has given seed," highlights the pagan god Nabu.
  • captain of the guard: More literally "chief of the slaughterers" or "chief of the executioners." This title signifies not just a military commander but one entrusted with administering royal justice and vengeance, implying brutality and decisive action.
• who served the king of Babylon:
  • Reiterates his subservience and direct agency under Nebuchadnezzar's command.
  • Highlights the chain of authority through which the judgment was executed.
• came to Jerusalem:
  • Hebrew: bāʾ Yĕrūšālāyim (בָּא יְרוּשָׁלָ‍ִם).
  • Signifies a deliberate, official arrival with a specific destructive purpose.
  • This was not a casual visit but an ordered mission of devastation, marking the point of no return for the city.

Jeremiah 52 12 Bonus section

• The discrepancies in dates (7th vs. 10th of Av) found in 2 Kings 25:8 and Jeremiah 52:12 are often harmonized by understanding that Nebuzaradan arrived on the 7th and began the official acts of destruction over a few days, culminating on the 10th, or that the records reflect different historical focuses or sources, with the entire period being catastrophic.
• The "fifth month," Av, became an enduring fast day (Tisha B'Av, generally 9th Av) in Jewish tradition, commemorating not only the destruction of the First Temple (as detailed here) but also the Second Temple by the Romans, signifying its profound and lasting impact on the Jewish psyche and history.
• This specific date signifies the complete loss of sovereignty, independence, and the central place of worship, forcing Judah into an unprecedented period of exile and a re-evaluation of its identity and relationship with God without a temple or a land.
• The repetitive nature of chapter 52 (mirroring 2 Kings 24-25) in Jeremiah serves a critical literary and theological purpose: it confirms Jeremiah's role as a true prophet whose warnings were undeniably fulfilled, validating his message for future generations who would endure the exile and look for hope.

Jeremiah 52 12 Commentary

Jeremiah 52:12 provides a grim and precise postscript to Judah's decline, meticulously dating the final stage of Jerusalem's devastation. The specificity of "the fifth month, on the tenth day," along with the "nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar," anchors this tragic event firmly in verifiable history, underlining its canonical significance and the absolute certainty of Jeremiah's prophecies. Nebuzaradan, given his title "chief of the executioners," represents the unforgiving hand of Babylon, directly administering God's decreed judgment. His arrival in Jerusalem was not merely a military entry but the signal for a calculated, systemic obliteration—the burning of the Temple and the city, the breaking of walls, and the plundering of its treasures. This verse underscores that divine patience had fully expired, and the full weight of Judah's unrepentant sin was brought to bear, dismantling not just a city but an era in Israelite history and setting the stage for the Babylonian exile. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of covenant disloyalty and God's sovereign use of gentile nations as instruments of His righteous justice.