Jer. 39 Jerusalem is taken: Zedekiah’s sons are slain; his eyes put out; he is sent to Babylon: all the nobles of Judah are slain: the city is burnt, and the chief of the people carried captive, Jer. 39:1–10. Nebuchadrezzar’s charge concerning Jeremiah, Jer. 39:11–14.

This exactly agreeth with the historical part of Scripture, 2 Kings 25:1, and with the repetition of it, Jer. 52:4. This month was called Tebeth, Est. 2:16, and answers to part of our December and January.

The siege lasted a year and half, for it was the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year before it was taken: it is said here to be broken up, because their way of taking fortified places then was by beating down the walls of the besieged with iron rams and engines, as we now do with great guns.

All the great men of Babylon that were employed in the conduct of the Babylonian army (the city being taken by storm or surprise) entered into it, but rested at the middle gate.

It should seem that the city was taken by a surprise; the Chaldeans battering the walls incessantly with their rams and engines of war, on a sudden made such a breach as gave them a liberty to enter in.

Thus God by his providence fulfilled his threatening by his prophet Ezekiel, Ezek. 17:12. Riblah was upon the borders of Canaan, as appeareth from Num.

Thus the stubbornness of this prince and his nobles proved the ruin of his family, and of themselves, and of the whole people. The nobles were great authors of this mischief, and brought Zedekiah into that obstinacy which he showed to the prophet’s admonitions and exhortations, upon them,…

Thus the two prophecies were fulfilled; that of this prophet, Jer. 34:4, that Zedekiah should not die by the sword; and that of Ezekiel, that he should not see Babylon, though he should die there, Ezek. 12:13.

Still it is observable how punctual the Holy Ghost is in recording the fulfillings of the words of the Lord. This prophet had at least four times foretold that this would be one consequent of the king’s and nobles’ stubbornness, in not submitting to the king of Babylon. See Jer. 37:8, Jer.

This Nebuzar-adan was in that place which we call the provost-marshal, with them it was called the captain of the guard; and here are two sorts of prisoners reckoned up whom he carried away: 1. Such as, after the armies were come into Judea, had yielded themselves. 2.

This is usual with conquerors, for whose profit it is not that the countries conquered by them should lie waste, like wildernesses, but be peopled, and manured, that they may render some tribute to them: withal the justice of God is often seen in this, thus restoring to them ofttimes with…

It is more than probable that Nebuchadrezzar had been informed by some of the chief commanders of his army, who had it from some of the Jews that had escaped out of the city to the Chaldean army, that Jeremiah had constantly told the king and the nobles that the Chaldeans should take the city, and…

The king of Babylon’s officers were very religious to their prince’s order, and take the prophet out of prison. For the latter part of the 14th verse, it seems but an anticipation of what we shall find related more fully and particularly Jer.

These words let us know that these four verses (which contain mostly a promise to Ebed-melech for his kindness to Jeremiah while he was in the dungeon of Malchiah, of which we read Jer. 38:6–11 mention a matter that happened before the things mentioned in the foregoing verses.

Ebed-melech is here again called the Ethiopian, to the reproach of the Jews, that a stranger should show more kindness to a prophet of the Lord than any of that nation to whom he was specially sent; which was a type of the calling of the Gentiles, and rejection of the Jews.

But promiseth Ebed-melech he should be delivered in that evil day; and, whether he feared the Chaldeans, that he should lose his life by them when they should break up the city, or the princes, whom he had angered by complaining to the king of their hard usage of the prophet, he should come into…

For God would deliver him, so as he should not die by the sword; but how little else soever he saved, he should save his life, because he had put his trust in God, not fearing the wrath of men in the doing of what was his duty.