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Jeremiah 39:6

in Jeremiah 39

There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the nobles of Judah.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.

KJV

Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.

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This verse in Jeremiah 39

Commentary

2 notes on this verse
Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes,.... Not with his own hands, but gave orders to do it: these must be very young, at least some of them; since Zedekiah at this time was but thirty two years of age.

This site's exposition

then they fled, and went forth out of the city

on Jeremiah 39:4-7

Zedekiah flees by night through the king's garden and the gate between the two walls, the same route Ezekiel's oracle had marked out in advance (Ezek 12:12-13, he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes, a word the bench reads as fulfilled with terrible exactness in what follows), and is overtaken in the plains of Jericho. Nebuchadnezzar's judgment at Riblah is total: the sons of Zedekiah killed before his eyes, so that the last sight the king ever sees is his own heirs' death, and then his own eyes put out and himself bound for Babylon. The blinding after the sight of his sons falls precisely on Ezekiel's word, and the older writers read the horror as deliberate rather than incidental, judgment matched to the broken oath of chapter 37.

The words behind it

15 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיִּשְׁחַט֩and he slaughtered

    vaiyishchatH7819 →81 times

  • מֶ֨לֶךְ[the] king of

    melekhH4428 →2525 times

  • בָּבֶ֜לBabylon

    bavelH894 →262 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • בְּנֵ֧י[the] sons of

    beneiH1121 →4930 times

  • צִדְקִיָּ֛הוּZedekiah

    tzidkiyahuH6667 →63 times

  • בְּרִבְלָ֖הat Riblah

    berivlahH7247 →11 times

  • לְעֵינָ֑יוto eyes his

    leeinavH5869 →887 times

  • וְאֵת֙and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • חֹרֵ֣י[the] nobles of

    choreiH2715 →

  • יְהוּדָ֔הJudah

    yehudahH3063 →819 times

  • שָׁחַ֖טhe slaughtered

    shachatH7819 →81 times

  • מֶ֥לֶךְ[the] king of

    melekhH4428 →2525 times

  • בָּבֶֽל׃Babylon

    bavelH894 →262 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Jeremiah 38:23All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.”5 worksJeremiah 52:10There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the officials of Judah.4 worksJeremiah 34:21And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.4 worksJeremiah 21:7‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’3 worksDeuteronomy 28:34You will be driven mad by the sights you see.3 worksJeremiah 34:19–21The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf,3 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
2 Kings 25:7And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.3 worksJeremiah 24:8–10But like the bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.3 worksEzekiel 24:5Take the choicest of the flock and pile the fuel beneath it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.’3 worksEzekiel 11:10You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.3 worksGenesis 44:34For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”2 works2 Chronicles 34:28‘Now I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.’” So they brought her answer back to the king.2 worksEsther 8:6For how could I bear to see the disaster that would befall my people? How could I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?”2 worksIsaiah 13:16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished.2 works2 Kings 22:20‘Therefore I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place.’” So they brought her answer back to the king.2 worksGenesis 21:16Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept.2 worksJeremiah 41:10Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people of Mizpah—the daughters of the king along with all the others who remained in Mizpah—over whom Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set off to cross over to the Ammonites.2 worksEzekiel 11:9I will bring you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute judgments against you.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Jeremiah 21:7

    ‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon…

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 37:17

      Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the…

    • Habakkuk 1:6–10

      For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.

    • 2 Kings 25:5–7

      but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him.

    • Ezekiel 7:9

      I will not look on you with pity, nor will I spare you, but I will punish you for your ways and for the abominations among you. Then you will know that it is…

    • Ezekiel 17:20–21

      I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.

  • Through

    Jeremiah 52:10

    There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the officials of Judah.

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 22:30

      This is what the LORD says: “Enroll this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime. None of his descendants will prosper to sit on the throne of David or…

    • 2 Kings 25:7

      And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.

  • Through

    Deuteronomy 28:34

    You will be driven mad by the sights you see.

    it leads to

    • Revelation 16:10–11

      And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish

About Jeremiah

The Prophet Jeremiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Prophet Jeremiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Jeremiah: the study guide →Read Jeremiah 39 →

This page draws on Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Jeremiah 39 →