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Jeremiah 39:5

in Jeremiah 39

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 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.

This verse in Jeremiah 39

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

To 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

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

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,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

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 & Brown

1802–1910

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 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.

  • 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 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

    2 Kings 23:33

    And 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.

  • Through

    Joshua 5:10

    On 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:

  • Through

    Joshua 4:13

    About 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.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

About Jeremiah

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.