בַּשָּׁנָה הַתְּשִׁעִית לְצִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂרִי בָּא נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְכָל־חֵילֹו   39:1              אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיָּצֻרוּ עָלֶיהָ׃

Jere. 39:1   in the ninth year for Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, came with his entire army, to Jerusalem, and they laid siege over it.

Remember that this verse is a continuation of the last verse in the previous chapter.

בְּעַשְׁתֵּי־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְצִדְקִיָּהוּ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרְבִיעִי בְּתִשְׁעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הָבְקְעָה הָעִיר׃   39:2

Jere. 39:2   In the eleventh year for Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth of the month, the city was breached.

The fourth month was the month we now call Tammuz  It was one month before the destruction of the Temple.  The destruction of the Temple occurred during the fifth month, the month of Av.  Tisha b’Av, the annual day of mourning for the Temple, means literally the ninth day of Av.  Notice that Tammuz is called the fourth month, that is, the fourth month following the month of Passover.  Thus the tradition of the new year beginning in Tishrei with Rosh Hashanah had not yet been initiated.                                                                          [Return to 2Kin. 25:3]

וַיָּבֹאוּ כֹּל שָׂרֵי מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בְּשַׁעַר הַתָּוֶךְ נֵרְגַל שַׂר־אֶצֶר סַמְגַּר־נְבוּ שַׂר־סְכִים רַב־סָרִיס נֵרְגַל   39:3 שַׂר־אֶצֶר רַב־מָג וְכָל־שְׁאֵרִית שָׂרֵי מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל׃

Jere. 39:3   Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in; Nergal-sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sarezer, Rab-mag, and all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon were set in the middle gate.

Notice that the name Nergal-sarezer is mentioned twice.  No one knows if this was an error on Jeremiah’s part (or the scribe’s), or there were two men named the same (unlikely?), or one or more words were omitted from the verse.

וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָם צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וְכֹל אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה וַיִּבְרְחוּ וַיֵּצְאוּ לַיְלָה מִן־הָעִיר דֶּרֶךְ גַּן   39:4 הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּשַׁעַר בֵּין הַחֹמֹתָיִם וַיֵּצֵא דֶּרֶךְ הָעֲרָבָה׃

Jere. 39:4   And it was that when Zedekiah, king of Judah, saw them, as well as all the men of war, then they hurried and departed at night from the city through the garden of the king by the gate between the walls, and he departed by way of the Arabah.

וַיִּרְדְּפוּ חֵיל־כַּשְׂדִּים אַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיַּשִּׂגוּ אֶת־צִדְקִיָּהוּ בְּעַרְבֹות יְרֵחֹו וַיִּקְחוּ אֹתֹו וַיַּעֲלֻהוּ   39:5                              מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל רִבְלָתָה בְּאֶרֶץ חֲמָת וַיְדַבֵּר אִתֹּו מִשְׁפָּטִים׃

Jere. 39:5   But the Chaldean army chased after them, and they overtook Zedekiah on the plains of Jericho and seized him, and they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he promised him judgments.

וַיִּשְׁחַט מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל אֶת־בְּנֵי צִדְקִיָּהוּ בְּרִבְלָה לְעֵינָיו וְאֵת כָּל־חֹרֵי יְהוּדָה שָׁחַט מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל׃   39:6

Jere. 39:6   Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah in his sight; then the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.

וְאֶת־עֵינֵי צִדְקִיָּהוּ עִוֵּר וַיַּאַסְרֵהוּ בַּנְחֻשְׁתַּיִם לָבִיא אֹתֹו בָּבֶלָה׃   39:7

Jere. 39:7   Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to carry him to Babylon.                                                                                                          [Return to Ezek. 6:14]

וְאֶת־בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־בֵּית הָעָם שָׂרְפוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים בָּאֵשׁ וְאֶת־חֹמֹות יְרוּשָׁלִַם נָתָצוּ׃   39:8

Jere. 39:8   And the Chaldeans burned the house of the king and the house of the people with fire, and they pulled down the walls of Jerusalem.

The house of the people?  What is that?  A synagogue?  The Temple?  Who knows!  It’s possible that the Temple would no longer be called the house of God when it was destroyed.

וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בָּעִיר וְאֶת־הַנֹּפְלִים אֲשֶׁר נָפְלוּ עָלָיו וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים הֶגְלָה   39:9    נְבוּזַר־אֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים בָּבֶל׃

Jere. 39:9   And the remnant of the people remaining in the city and the sympathizers who gave up to him and the rest of the people left behind, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guardsmen, removed to Babylon.

וּמִן־הָעָם הַדַּלִּים אֲשֶׁר אֵין־לָהֶם מְאוּמָה הִשְׁאִיר נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם   39:10 כְּרָמִים וִיגֵבִים בַּיֹּום הַהוּא׃

Jere. 39:10   But from the people who were poor, who had nothing, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guardsmen, left in the land of Judah and gave vineyards and fields to them at that time.

וַיְצַו נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עַל־יִרְמְיָהוּ בְּיַד נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים לֵאמֹר׃   39:11

Jere. 39:11   Now Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, had commanded concerning Jeremiah by the hand of Nebuzaradan, captain of the guardsmen, saying,

 עִמֹּו׃ קָחֶנּוּ וְעֵינֶיךָ שִׂים עָלָיו וְאַל־תַּעַשׂ לֹו מְאוּמָה רָּע כִּי (אִם) [  ] כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ כֵּן עֲשֵׂה   39:12

Jere. 39:12   “Take him and set your eyes on him and do not do anything bad to him, but as he will tell to you, so do with him.”

This verse may contain an extra word, shown in the parentheses.  The supposed correction, in the brackets, is a blank space.  Remember there was such an error in Jere. 38:16.  However, I’m not at all certain that the word with the one following it do not constitute a forgotten idiom, meaning something like no matter what.  The last part of the verse would then be translated as something like “... but no matter what he will tell to you, ....”  As this seems reasonable, I’m inclined to accept the probability that there is no error here.

וַיִּשְׁלַח נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים וּנְבוּשַׁזְבָּן רַב־סָרִיס וְנֵרְגַל שַׂר־אֶצֶר רַב־מָג וְכֹל רַבֵּי מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל׃   39:13

Jere. 39:13   So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guardsmen, stretched out also Nebushazban, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sarezer, Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon,

וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה וַיִּתְּנוּ אֹתֹו אֶל־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן לְהֹוצִאֵהוּ   39:14      אֶל־הַבָּיִת וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּתֹוךְ הָעָם׃

Jere. 39:14   and they sent and took Jeremiah from the enclosure of the guard and entrusted him to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan to bring him to the house, and he dwelled among the people.

וְאֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה בִּהְיֹתֹו עָצוּר בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה לֵאמֹר׃   39:15

Jere. 39:15   Now the word of the Lord had occurred to Jeremiah during his being restrained in the enclosure of the guard saying,

הָלֹוךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ לְעֶבֶד־מֶלֶכְ הַכּוּשִׁי לֵאמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאֹות אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי (מֵבִי) [מֵבִיא]   39:16

   אֶת־דְּבָרַי אֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לְרָעָה וְלֹא לְטֹובָה וְהָיוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בַּיֹּום הַהוּא׃

Jere. 39:16   “Go and speak to Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, God of Israel:  ‘Behold, I am bringing My words to this city for evil and not for good, and they shall occur before you at that time.’

This verse does contain an error.  The word in the parentheses is missing an aleph.  The correction is in the brackets.

וְהִצַּלְתִּיךָ בַיֹּום־הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהוָה וְלֹא תִנָּתֵן בְּיַד הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּה יָגֹור מִפְּנֵיהֶם׃   39:17

Jere. 39:17   ‘But I will deliver you at that time, says the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid before them.’

כִּי מַלֵּט אֲמַלֶּטְךָ וּבַחֶרֶב לֹא תִפֹּל וְהָיְתָה לְךָ נַפְשְׁךָ לְשָׁלָל כִּי־בָטַחְתָּ בִּי נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃   39:18

Jere. 39:18   ‘For surely I will deliver you, and by the sword you shall not fall, but your soul shall be for a spoil to you, because you have trusted in Me, declares the Lord.’”

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