Jeremiah 39:5
in Jeremiah 39But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They seized him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment upon him.
KJV
But the Chaldeans’ army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.
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This verse in Jeremiah 39
Commentary
7 notes on this verseTo Riblah - This city was situated on the northern frontier of Palestine, and Hamath was a large city belonging also to Syria. See Gen 10:18.
This site's exposition
they fled
on Jeremiah 39:4-7
Zedekiah flees “at night by way of the king’s garden,” and he is overtaken “in the plains of Jericho.” At Riblah the king of Babylon kills his sons “before his eyes,” then puts out his eyes. Ezekiel 12:13 had said he would be brought to Babylon yet not see it.
This site's exposition
at Riblah in the land of Hamath
Zedekiah is caught near Jericho and brought north to Riblah. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown say the king of Babylon judged him as a common criminal. John Wesley says Zedekiah had sworn to serve the king of Babylon, and Matthew Henry says the judgment on him was that of a rebel.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Riblah - Riblah was upon the borders of Canaan. Zedekiah was a tributary to the king of Babylon, and so subject to his power, having made a covenant with him, and secured his allegiance by his oath to him.
But the Chaldean army pursued after them,....
Thence he was brought prisoner to Riblah, where the king of Babylon passed sentence upon him as a rebel, not sentence of death, but, one many almost say, a worse thing. He slew his sons before his eyes, and they must all be little, some of them infants, for Zedekiah himself was now but thirty-two years of age.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Riblah--north of Palestine (see Jer 1:14; Hamath is identified by commentators with Antioch, in Syria, on the Orontes, called Epiphania, from Antiochus Epiphanes. gave judgment upon him--literally, "spake judgments with him," that is, brought him to trial as a common criminal, not as a king.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּרְדְּפ֨וּ | vaiyirdefu | and they pursued | H7291 → | 143 times |
| חֵיל־ | cheil- | [the] army of | H2428 → | 246 times |
| כַּשְׂדִּ֜ים | kasdim | [the] Chaldeans | H3778 → | 80 times |
| אַחֲרֵיהֶ֗ם | ʾachareihem | after them | H310 → | 715 times |
| וַיַּשִּׂ֣גוּ | vaiyasigu | and they overtook | H5381 → | 50 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| צִדְקִיָּהוּ֮ | tzidkiyahu | Zedekiah | H6667 → | 63 times |
| בְּעַֽרְב֣וֹת | bearvot | in [the] plains of | H6160 → | 61 times |
| יְרֵחוֹ֒ | yerecho | Jericho | H3405 → | |
| וַיִּקְח֣וּ | vaiyikchu | and they seized | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אֹת֗וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| וַֽ֠יַּעֲלֻהוּ | vaiyaaluhu | and they brought up him | H5927 → | 890 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֧ר | nevukhadretzar | Nebuchadnezzar | H5019 → | 60 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בָּבֶ֛ל | bavel | Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
| רִבְלָ֖תָה | rivlatah | Riblah towards | H7247 → | 11 times |
| בְּאֶ֣רֶץ | beeretz | in [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| חֲמָ֑ת | chamat | Hamath | H2574 → | 35 times |
| וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר | vaydaber | and he spoke | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אִתּ֖וֹ | ʾito | with him | H854 → | 929 times |
| מִשְׁפָּטִֽים׃ | mishpatim | judgments | H4941 → | 422 times |
וַיִּרְדְּפ֨וּand they pursued
vaiyirdefuH7291 →143 times
חֵיל־[the] army of
cheil-H2428 →246 times
כַּשְׂדִּ֜ים[the] Chaldeans
kasdimH3778 →80 times
אַחֲרֵיהֶ֗םafter them
ʾachareihemH310 →715 times
וַיַּשִּׂ֣גוּand they overtook
vaiyasiguH5381 →50 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
צִדְקִיָּהוּ֮Zedekiah
tzidkiyahuH6667 →63 times
בְּעַֽרְב֣וֹתin [the] plains of
bearvotH6160 →61 times
יְרֵחוֹ֒Jericho
yerechoH3405 →
וַיִּקְח֣וּand they seized
vaiyikchuH3947 →966 times
אֹת֗וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
וַֽ֠יַּעֲלֻהוּand they brought up him
vaiyaaluhuH5927 →890 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֧רNebuchadnezzar
nevukhadretzarH5019 →60 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
בָּבֶ֛לBabylon
bavelH894 →262 times
רִבְלָ֖תָהRiblah towards
rivlatahH7247 →11 times
בְּאֶ֣רֶץin [the] land of
beeretzH776 →2504 times
חֲמָ֑תHamath
chamatH2574 →35 times
וַיְדַבֵּ֥רand he spoke
vaydaberH1696 →1141 times
אִתּ֖וֹwith him
ʾitoH854 →929 times
מִשְׁפָּטִֽים׃judgments
mishpatimH4941 →422 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 23:33And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he could not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 25:6
The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.
- 1 Kings 8:65
So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast before the LORD our God for seven days and seven more…
- Jeremiah 39:5–6
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They seized him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of…
- Jeremiah 52:9–10
The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah.
- Jeremiah 52:26–27
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
- 2 Kings 25:6
Through
Joshua 5:10On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover.
it leads to
- Exodus 12:6
You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
- Numbers 9:1–5
In the first month of the second year after Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai:
- Exodus 12:6
Through
Joshua 4:13About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.
it leads to
- Ephesians 6:11
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.
- Ephesians 6:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Jeremiah

Who and where
4 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonExileZedekiahJudah's last king, who broke his oath to Babylon against Jeremiah's word; his sons slain before his eyes at Riblah, and the city a…
- PlaceBabil Governorate (archaeological site)BabylonAncient Mesopotamian city and imperial capital; site of the Israelite exile and a recurring biblical symbol of worldly power.
- PlaceSyriaRiblahNebuchadnezzar's headquarters on the Orontes where Zedekiah was sentenced and watched his sons killed before his own eyes were put…
- PlaceJordan valleyJerichoThe city of palms whose walls fell flat at the seventh trumpet-circuit; Rahab's city, later rebuilt under a curse, and the road do…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
