Jeremiah 52:7 kjv
Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.
Jeremiah 52:7 nkjv
Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled and went out of the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were near the city all around. And they went by way of the plain.
Jeremiah 52:7 niv
Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city 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,
Jeremiah 52:7 esv
Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a 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.
Jeremiah 52:7 nlt
Then a section of the city wall was broken down, and all the soldiers fled. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians, they waited for nightfall. Then they slipped through the gate between the two walls behind the king's garden and headed toward the Jordan Valley.
Jeremiah 52 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 52:11 | "He burned the king's palace and the houses of the people with fire," | 2 Kings 25:9 (parallel account) |
| Isaiah 42:7 | "to open blind eyes, to free captives from prison, and from prison those who live in darkness." | Prophecy fulfilled/contrasted |
| Lamentations 4:7 | "Her nobles were purer than snow, whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in body than red gems, more magnificent in design than sapphires." | Contrast of former glory |
| Ezekiel 12:13 | "And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, but he shall not see it, though he shall die there." | Prophecy of Zedekiah's fate |
| 2 Samuel 10:4 | "So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half of their beards and cut off their tunics at the hips, and sent them away." | Humiliation/cruelty parallel |
| Proverbs 30:31 | "the strutting rooster, the male goat, and a king leading his people." | Imagery of leadership contrasted |
| Psalm 147:6 | "The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked down to the ground." | Divine justice |
| Jeremiah 22:5 | "But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that this palace shall become a ruin." | Judgment on the Davidic line |
| Psalm 5:8 | "Lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me." | Plea for guidance; contrast |
| Revelation 3:17 | "For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,’ not recognizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." | Spiritual blindness |
| Job 33:15 | "in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds," | Visions and understanding |
| Jeremiah 39:7 | "They butchered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and blinded Zedekiah's eyes with bronze chains and bound him with bronze fetters to bring him to Babylon." | Parallel account in Jeremiah |
| 2 Kings 25:7 | "They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and blinded Zedekiah's eyes with bronze chains, and bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon." | Parallel account in Kings |
| John 9:41 | "Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say ‘We see,’ your guilt remains." | Spiritual blindness and guilt |
| Jeremiah 13:10 | "This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to worship them, shall be like this tunic..." | Rejection of God's word |
| 1 Corinthians 2:14 | "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." | Spiritual inability to perceive |
| Zechariah 11:16 | "For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the injured, or yet feed the healthy, but will devour the flesh of the fat ones and tear their hoofs in pieces!" | Judgment on faithless shepherds |
| Matthew 15:14 | "Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." | Danger of spiritual blindness |
| Isaiah 42:18 | "Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see!" | Divine call to repentance and sight |
| Lamentations 1:18 | "The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; hear, all peoples, and see my suffering; my young women and my young men have gone into captivity." | Acknowledgment of sin and consequence |
Jeremiah 52 verses
Jeremiah 52 7 Meaning
The verse describes the blinding of Zedekiah's eyes by the Babylonians. This act symbolized the finality of Jerusalem's destruction and Zedekiah's personal ruin and helplessness. It was a brutal punishment intended to inflict lasting shame and torment.
Jeremiah 52 7 Context
Jeremiah 52 provides a historical account of the final days of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile, serving as a somber epilogue to Jeremiah's prophecies. This chapter specifically details the fall of the city in 586 BC, confirming the judgments Jeremiah had delivered for decades due to the Judahites' persistent idolatry and disobedience. Verse 7 describes a key moment in the destruction, the capture and brutal punishment of King Zedekiah. This was a fulfillment of prophetic warnings and a stark demonstration of God's justice against covenant breakers. The account contrasts Zedekiah's former royal status with his utter ruin and humiliation.
Jeremiah 52 7 Word Analysis
- and (וְ, vaw): A conjunction used to connect clauses or ideas, showing sequence or addition.
- they (הֵם, hem): Plural masculine pronoun, referring to the Chaldeans/Babylonians.
- plucked out (וַיַּצִּ֧יאוּ, vayyatzi'u): From the root יָצָא (yatsa), meaning to go out or bring forth. Here, it is used in the causative hiphil conjugation to mean "to make go out," or "to pull out," describing the violent removal of the eyes. This signifies a forced, deliberate, and extreme act of blinding. The word choice emphasizes the extrication and extraction of the eyes.
- the eyes (עֵינֵ֥י, ei'nei): Plural of עַ֚יִן (ayin), meaning eye. This word group signifies sight, vision, and perception.
- of Zedekiah (מֶֽלֶךְ־, melech): Of the king; Zedekiah is implied as the possessor.
- king (צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ, Tzidkiyahu): The proper name of the last king of Judah. His name means "Yahweh is my righteousness." The irony of his name being contrasted with his unjust and blinding fate is significant.
- and (וְ, vaw): Conjunction.
- with (בַּ, ba): Preposition meaning "in," "with," or "by."
- chains (נְחֹ֕שֶׁת, nechoshet): Copper or bronze. Used here in the context of fetters or bonds, specifically indicating metal restraints.
- of bronze (סַרִ֧י, sarim): Fetters or bonds, typically made of metal. This denotes heavy, restricting shackles.
- and (וְ, vaw): Conjunction.
- they (הֵם, hem): Pronoun.
- carried him (הוֹלִ֧יכוּ, holichu): From the root הָלַךְ (halach), meaning "to go," in the hiphil conjugation ("to make go" or "to lead"). This signifies bringing him away from Jerusalem.
- to (אֶל, el): Preposition indicating direction or destination.
- Babylon (בָּבֶ֑ל, Bavel): The capital city of the Babylonian empire, the captor of Judah.
- and (וְ, vaw): Conjunction.
- he (וְה֣וּא, v'hu): Pronoun.
- he was there (שָּׁ֣ם, sham): Indicates his final location.
Group Analysis:The phrase "plucked out the eyes of Zedekiah" (vayyatzi'u et ein'nei Tzidkiyahu) emphasizes the active and violent nature of the blinding. The combination of "chains of bronze" (nechoshet sarim) highlights the severe and humiliating restraints imposed on the captured king. The concluding statement "and he was there" (v'hu sham) signifies his permanent and inescapable captivity in Babylon after this ordeal.
Jeremiah 52 7 Bonus Section
The paralleled accounts in 2 Kings 25:7 and Jeremiah 39:7 confirm the accuracy of this historical detail. The barbarity of blinding was a known practice in ancient warfare as a particularly cruel form of punishment and incapacitation, designed to prevent the blinded person from ever ruling or leading again, and to mark them with public shame. This act also tragically fulfills the prophecy of Ezekiel that Zedekiah "shall not see" Babylon, despite being brought there. The event serves as a potent symbol in biblical narrative of the consequences of rejecting God’s covenant, particularly for those in positions of leadership.
Jeremiah 52 7 Commentary
This verse starkly illustrates the ultimate consequences of national disobedience and personal defiance against God's word. The physical blinding of King Zedekiah was a divinely permitted judgment, echoing prophetic pronouncements (Ezekiel 12:13). It symbolized his spiritual blindness to God’s warnings and his failure to lead his people with righteous vision. The act was a brutal disfigurement, meant to crush his royal dignity and serve as a perpetual reminder of Jerusalem's fall and Judah's defeat. It underscores the severity of divine discipline when a people, particularly their leaders, repeatedly turn away from their covenant God.