2 Kings 24:15
in 2 Kings 24Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the chief men of the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
KJV
And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
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This verse in 2 Kings 24
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The mighty of the land - Or “the great,” “the powerful.” The word used is quite distinct from that in 2Ki 24:14, 2Ki 24:16. It refers, not to bodily strength or fitness for war, hut to civil rank or dignity. The term would include all civil and all ecclesiastical functionaries - the nobles, courtiers, and elders of the city on the one hand, the priests, prophets (among them, Ezekiel), and Levites on the other.
This site's exposition
the mighty of the land
on 2 Kings 24:15-16
Verse 15 sets a general term, the mighty of the land, beside verse 16's precise count, seven thousand men of might and a thousand craftsmen and smiths, and Barnes reads the two as distinct terms, one for civil rank and one for fitness in war. The king's mother, his wives, his officers and the mighty of the land go into captivity together, the same household that walked out to Nebuchadnezzar in verse 12 now walking on to Babylon itself. Among the priests and officials taken in this deportation is Ezekiel, whose book dates its opening vision by the years of Jehoiachin's captivity rather than by any king still reigning in Jerusalem. The removal of craftsmen and smiths is itself a strategy, a conquered land left without the hands to make weapons or rebuild its own walls.
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 Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
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
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
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.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
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.
Seven thousand. But above he states, “ten thousand.” 12 Above, v. The third verse comes to reconcile [the difference], in the Book of Yirmiyohu, ”This is the people whom Nevuchadnetzar exiled in the seventh year, three thousand Jews.” 13 Yirmiyahu:28. The verse there states, “three thousand and twenty-three Jews.
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
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֶּ֥גֶל | vaiyegel | and he took into exile | H1540 → | 186 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוֹיָכִ֖ין | yehoyakhin | Jehoiachin | H3078 → | 10 times |
| בָּבֶ֑לָה | bavelah | Babylon towards | H894 → | 262 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֵ֣ם | ʾem | [the] mother of | H517 → | 220 times |
| הַ֠מֶּלֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| נְשֵׁ֨י | neshei | [the] wives of | H802 → | 781 times |
| הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| סָרִיסָ֗יו | sarisav | court-officials his | H5631 → | 42 times |
| וְאֵת֙ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֵילֵ֣י | ʾevilei | [the] leaders of | H352 → | |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| הוֹלִ֛יךְ | holikh | he led away | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| גּוֹלָ֥ה | golah | exile[s] | H1473 → | 43 times |
| מִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם | mirushalim | from Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| בָּבֶֽלָה׃ | bavelah | Babylon towards | H894 → | 262 times |
וַיֶּ֥גֶלand he took into exile
vaiyegelH1540 →186 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוֹיָכִ֖יןJehoiachin
yehoyakhinH3078 →10 times
בָּבֶ֑לָהBabylon towards
bavelahH894 →262 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אֵ֣ם[the] mother of
ʾemH517 →220 times
הַ֠מֶּלֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
נְשֵׁ֨י[the] wives of
nesheiH802 →781 times
הַמֶּ֜לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
סָרִיסָ֗יוcourt-officials his
sarisavH5631 →42 times
וְאֵת֙and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אֵילֵ֣י[the] leaders of
ʾevileiH352 →
הָאָ֔רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
הוֹלִ֛יךְhe led away
holikhH1980 →1546 times
גּוֹלָ֥הexile[s]
golahH1473 →43 times
מִירוּשָׁלִַ֖םfrom Jerusalem
mirushalimH3389 →643 times
בָּבֶֽלָה׃Babylon towards
bavelahH894 →262 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 Chronicles 36:10In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 37:1
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 37:1
Through
Esther 2:6He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah king of Judah.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 24:1
After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, as well as the officials of Judah and the craftsmen and metalsmiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Kings 24:14–15
He 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.
- 2 Chronicles 36:20
Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
- 2 Kings 24:6
And Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
- Jeremiah 24:1
Through
2 Kings 24:8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 36:9
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- 1 Chronicles 3:16
The successors of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, and Zedekiah.
- 2 Chronicles 36:9
Through
Ezekiel 17:12“Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 24:19
Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”
- Ezekiel 24:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 2 Kings
Who and where
3 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonExileJehoiachinCarried to Babylon after three months' reign; the captive king lifted from prison to the king's table in the book's final scene —…
- PlaceBabil Governorate (archaeological site)BabylonAncient Mesopotamian city and imperial capital; site of the Israelite exile and a recurring biblical symbol of worldly power.
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old and New Testaments; 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 Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.