Jeremiah 52 15

Jeremiah 52:15 kjv

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

Jeremiah 52:15 nkjv

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poor people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.

Jeremiah 52:15 niv

Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.

Jeremiah 52:15 esv

And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans.

Jeremiah 52:15 nlt

Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took as exiles some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had declared their allegiance to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.

Jeremiah 52 verses

Jeremiah 52 15 meaning

Jeremiah 52:15 describes a crucial event following the fall of Jerusalem: Nebuzaradan, the high-ranking Babylonian commander, carried a wide range of Judean survivors into exile. This included a selection of the city's poor, the general population remaining in Jerusalem after the siege, and even those who had surrendered or defected to the Babylonians, along with other surviving residents. The verse underscores the thorough and encompassing nature of this final deportation from Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 52 15 Context

Jeremiah 52 serves as an appendix to the Book of Jeremiah, summarizing the final events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent deportations. It largely parallels 2 Kings 25. This chapter reaffirms the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecies regarding the devastating consequences of Judah's idolatry and disobedience. The specific verse (52:15) describes the third and most significant deportation in 586 BCE, following the capture of King Zedekiah and the burning of the Temple and city. Nebuzaradan, as the Babylonian field commander, was the key figure executing Nebuchadnezzar's punitive policy, systematically removing various segments of the remaining population of Jerusalem. This act solidified the end of Judah's monarchy and the beginning of the seventy-year Babylonian exile for a vast portion of the nation.

Jeremiah 52 15 Word analysis

• And Nebuzaradan (וְנְבוּזַרְאֲדָן, wənevu’zara’dan): A prominent Babylonian official and commander. His name, "Nebo has given a seed/offspring," reflects Babylonian piety. His consistent mention across historical and prophetic books (Jer 39, 40, 52; 2 Kgs 25) highlights his central, authoritative role as Nebuchadnezzar's instrument in Judah's subjugation and deportation, a direct fulfillment of prophetic warnings.
• the captain of the guard (רַב־טַבָּחִים, rav-ṭabbāḥim): Literally "chief of the slaughterers" or "chief of the executioners," often interpreted as "chief of the king's household guard" or "chief steward." This title signifies immense power, control over royal forces, and responsibilities that included military action, the treatment of prisoners, and the execution of royal commands, underscoring his decisive authority in this grim task.
• carried away captive (הֶגְלָה, heglah): Derived from the root גלה (galah), meaning "to uncover, exile." In the Hiphil stem, it signifies "to cause to go into exile, deport." This action represents the ultimate covenant curse – expulsion from the Promised Land (Deu 28:41) – directly linked to Judah's prolonged apostasy and disobedience.
• certain of the poor of the people (מִדַּלּוֹת הָעָם, middallôth hā‘ām): Dallôth (דַּלּוֹת) means "poor, lowly, weak." This specific group refers to a selection of the impoverished within Jerusalem. This is distinct from the "poor of the land" (דַּלֵּי הָאָרֶץ, dallê hā’āreṣ) mentioned in Jer 52:16 (and 2 Kgs 25:12) who were left behind to work the land. Here, even a segment of the city's vulnerable population was forcibly removed, demonstrating the Babylonian intent to depopulate and break the societal structure of Jerusalem.
• and the rest of the people that remained in the city (וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָר בָּעִיר, wə’eth yether hā‘ām hannish’ār bā‘îr): This phrase indicates the majority of survivors from Jerusalem's inhabitants after the prolonged siege, famine, and warfare. It reflects the heavy attrition within the city, but also signifies the comprehensive sweep of the Babylonian deportation—encompassing all surviving non-elites not designated for specific agricultural labor.
• and those that fell away (וְאֶת הַנּוֹשְׁרִים, wə’eth hannôshrîm): From the verb נָשַׁר (nashar), meaning "to drop off, fall away." It specifically denotes those who had deserted their Judahite allegiance and surrendered to the Babylonians during the siege, following Jeremiah's controversial advice (Jer 38:2-3).
• that fell to the king of Babylon (אֲשֶׁר נָפְלוּ אֶל מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל, ’ăsher nãphlû ’el melek bāvel): This clarifies that the "falling away" was a direct act of surrender or defection to Nebuchadnezzar's forces. Their inclusion in the deportation shows that even cooperation or seeking mercy from the Babylonians did not guarantee remaining in Judah but resulted in exile nonetheless, either due to a lack of trust from the Babylonians or a policy of complete removal of certain groups.
• and the rest of the multitude (וְאֵת יֶתֶר הֶהָמוֹן, wə’eth yether hehāmon): Hāmôn (הֶהָמוֹן) refers to a "multitude" or "great crowd." This is a concluding, general category, indicating that beyond the specifically mentioned groups (poor, remaining citizens, defectors), any other survivors within the city's general populace were also included in this mass deportation. It emphasizes the totality and completeness of the exodus from Jerusalem.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive": This emphasizes the brutal effectiveness and execution of divine judgment through a powerful foreign agent. The command was given, and its visible instrument faithfully carried it out.
• "certain of the poor of the people, and the rest of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude": This exhaustive list of categories of deportees vividly illustrates the comprehensive nature of the judgment. No social strata within the city's surviving population—neither the disadvantaged, the general populace, nor even those who tried to escape judgment by aligning with the Babylonians—was exempt from exile, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of Jerusalem's rebellion against God.

Jeremiah 52 15 Bonus section

The almost identical account in 2 Kings 25:11 (within the Deuteronomistic History) and Jeremiah 52:15 (serving as an appendix to Jeremiah's prophecies) underscores the factual accuracy and historical fulfillment of Jeremiah's pronouncements. Jeremiah 52 as a whole provides concrete proof that Jeremiah's warnings, often ignored or rejected, came to pass precisely as declared by the Lord. This validates Jeremiah as a true prophet. The precise distinction between the "poor of the people" (taken) and "poor of the land" (left behind) reveals a strategic Babylonian policy: remove the potential troublemakers and skilled individuals from urban centers while leaving a subservient rural population to ensure food production.

Jeremiah 52 15 Commentary

Jeremiah 52:15 provides a stark, summary statement of the final stage of God's judgment on Judah, meticulously fulfilled through the agency of Nebuzaradan. This verse chronicles the third major deportation in 586 BCE, which solidified the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of Judean national identity for a generation. The careful listing of various social groups—the poor of the city, the main body of survivors, and surprisingly, even those who had defected to the Babylonians—underscores the totality of the exile for Jerusalem's residents. It reveals Babylonian administrative efficiency in depopulating conquered cities and prevents any group from assuming they were exempt. The inclusion of defectors particularly highlights that even attempts at self-preservation through compromise with the enemy did not avert the divinely ordained fate of exile for those associated with the fallen capital. It serves as a grim testament to the absolute certainty of God's prophetic warnings against disobedience.