2 Kings 24:14
in 2 Kings 24He carried into exile all Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
KJV
And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
⋯
This verse in 2 Kings 24
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAll - Not simply all, but the best and most considerable part, as the following words explain it. Captives - Which are more particularly reckoned up, ver. 16, where there are seven thousand mighty men, and a thousand smiths; and those mentioned ver. 15, make up the other two thousand.
This site's exposition
cut in pieces all the vessels
on 2 Kings 24:13-14
The gold vessels Solomon made for the temple are cut in pieces exactly as the Lord had said, fulfilling the word given to Hezekiah through Isaiah a century before, that all the treasures in the house would be carried to Babylon. Barnes notes this first plundering strips the gold from the heavier furnishings, the table of showbread and the altar of incense, while the ark and the great bronze pieces wait for the final capture under Zedekiah at 2 Kings 25:13-17. Verse 14 names the first great deportation: all Jerusalem, the princes, the mighty men of valour, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths, leaving only the poorest sort of the people of the land. Daniel and Ezekiel both date their books by removals recorded in this chapter, Daniel by the earlier captivity of his own first chapter and Ezekiel by this one, stated lightly in each book as its own setting.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
There is an excellent and significant illustration in the book of Kings, showing how the sin of fornication is prevented by an attack of pride.
The Medieval Church1 voice
"And he carried away all Jerusalem, etc." [2 Kings 24:14] Reporting this about Nebuchadnezzar, who carried away all Jerusalem, and all the leaders, and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, Scripture adds, saying: "And all the craftsmen and smiths." This is what …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he carried away all Jerusalem,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The elite of the nation for rank, usefulness, and moral worth, all who might be useful in Babylon or dangerous in Palestine, were carried off to Babylon, to the number of ten thousand (2Ki 24:14). These are specified (2Ki 24:15, 16), warriors, seven thousand; craftsmen and smiths, one thousand; king's wives, officers, and princes, also priests and prophets (Jer 29:1;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
He carried away all Jerusalem - That is, all the chief men, the nobles, and artificers. Among these there were of mighty men seven thousand; of craftsmen and smiths, one thousand.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The entire number of the captives was not more than 11,000. They consisted of three classes: (1) the “princes” or “mighty of the land,” i. e., courtiers, priests, elders, and all who had any position or dignity - in number 3,000 (compare 2Ki 24:14, 2Ki 24:16). (2) the “mighty men of valor” or “men of might,” i. e., the soldier class, who were 7,000. And (3) craftsmen or artisans, who numbered 1,000. The word here translated “craftsmen” denotes artisans in stone, wood, or metal, and thus includes our “masons, carpenters, and smiths.” The word translated “smiths” means strictly “lock-smiths.” The object of carrying off these persons was twofold: (1) it deprived the conquered city of those artisans who were of most service in war; and (2) it gave the conqueror a number of valuable assistants in the construction of his buildings and other great works. The Assyrian monarchs frequently record their removal of the skilled artisans from a conquered country. The population of the ancient city has been calculated, from its area, at 15,000. The remnant left was therefore about 5000 or 6,000.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Craftsmen and gatekeepers. [Targum] Yonoson rendered the craftsmen and the sentries of the gates. But, our Rabbis said that these were great Torah scholars, 7 I.e., “craftsmen and gatekeepers” is a metaphoric allusion to Torah scholars. See Maseches Sanhedrin 38a.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And the dignitaries of the land. These are the dignitaries of Yehudah and Binyomin, who were righteous men. Concerning them Scripture states, ”Like these good figs, so will I recognize the exiles of Yehudah.” 11 Yirmiyahu:5.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִגְלָ֣ה | vehiglah | and he took into exile | H1540 → | 186 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יְ֠רוּשָׁלִַם | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| וְֽאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַשָּׂרִ֞ים | hasarim | the officials | H8269 → | 421 times |
| וְאֵ֣ת׀ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| גִּבּוֹרֵ֣י | giborei | [the] mighty [men] of | H1368 → | 158 times |
| הַחַ֗יִל | hachayil | <the> strength | H2428 → | 246 times |
| עֲשֶׂ֤רֶת | asarah | ten | H6235 → | 176 times |
| אֲלָפִים֙ | ʾalafim | thousand<s> | H505 → | 505 times |
| גּוֹלֶ֔ה | goleh | exile[s] | H1473 → | 43 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הֶחָרָ֖שׁ | hecharash | <the> craftsman | H2796 → | 37 times |
| וְהַמַּסְגֵּ֑ר | vehamasger | and <the> smith | H4525 → | |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נִשְׁאַ֔ר | nishar | anyone was left | H7604 → | 133 times |
| זוּלַ֖ת | zulat | except | H2108 → | |
| דַּלַּ֥ת | dalat | [the] poor people of | H1803 → | |
| עַם־ | ʾam- | [the] people of | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
וְהִגְלָ֣הand he took into exile
vehiglahH1540 →186 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
יְ֠רוּשָׁלִַםJerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
וְֽאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַשָּׂרִ֞יםthe officials
hasarimH8269 →421 times
וְאֵ֣ת׀and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
גִּבּוֹרֵ֣י[the] mighty [men] of
giboreiH1368 →158 times
הַחַ֗יִל<the> strength
hachayilH2428 →246 times
עֲשֶׂ֤רֶתten
asarahH6235 →176 times
אֲלָפִים֙thousand<s>
ʾalafimH505 →505 times
גּוֹלֶ֔הexile[s]
golehH1473 →43 times
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
הֶחָרָ֖שׁ<the> craftsman
hecharashH2796 →37 times
וְהַמַּסְגֵּ֑רand <the> smith
vehamasgerH4525 →
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
נִשְׁאַ֔רanyone was left
nisharH7604 →133 times
זוּלַ֖תexcept
zulatH2108 →
דַּלַּ֥ת[the] poor people of
dalatH1803 →
עַם־[the] people of
ʾam-H5971 →1873 times
הָאָֽרֶץ׃the land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 25:12But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 40:7
When all the commanders and men of the armies in the field heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in…
- Ezekiel 33:24
“Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been…
- Jeremiah 52:16
But Nebuzaradan captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
- Jeremiah 39:10
But Nebuzaradan left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who had no property, and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
- Jeremiah 40:7
Through
2 Kings 24:16The king of Babylon also brought into exile to Babylon all seven thousand men of valor and a thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for battle.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 52:28
These are the people Nebuchadnezzar carried away: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
- Jeremiah 52:28
Through
Jeremiah 52:28These are the people Nebuchadnezzar carried away: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
it leads to
- Daniel 1:1–3
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
- 2 Kings 24:2–3
And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets.
- 2 Kings 24:12–16
Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him…
- Daniel 1:1–3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 2 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Thirty Questions on the Book of Kings; Bede, Questions on the Book of Kings #30; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Cassian, CONFERENCE 5.12; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.