In short
In the span of 4 books of the Bible (1 Samuel to 2 Kings), Israel became a kingdom, split in two, lost the northern part to Assyria and now the remaining land is taken captive by the Babylonian Empire and carried off to the city-state of Babylon. That last part is our story today; 2 Kings 25.
Why it is important
This is the end of Israel. For now.
Main characters and places
- Babylon, a city and an empire
- Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
- Chaldeans = people from Babylon*
- Judah = what’s left of the once-united nation of Jews
- Jerusalem, capital of Judah
What is in this story – 2 Kings 25
- Babylonian forces surround Jerusalem for 11 years (vs. 1-2; cf. 2Ki 24:10, 17-18))
- Jerusalem ran out of food (v. 3)
- Babylon captures Zedekiah, king of Judah (vs. 4-5) and torments him (vs. 6-7)
- Babylonian forces burn the temple (vs. 8-9) and broke the city walls (v. 10)
- The Jews are exiled to Babylon (v. 11; cf. 21)
- The temple artifacts were taken to Babylon (vs. 13-15)
Things that are not so well-known
- Some people are left in Judah (vs. 12, 22-25; cf. 2Ki 24:14)
- The previous king of Israel, Jehoiachin, was still alive, but living in Babylon as prisoner (2 Ki 24;12)
- History (outside the Bible) tells us this happened around 586 BC
Theology and doctrine
“For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence,” 2 Kings 24:20.
This was God’s judgment on a nation that would not listen or obey.
Footnote
* Chaldeans are from Babylon. Jews are from Israel. The British live in the UK. Don’t think too hard about this – the name of a people and the name of their land don’t have to sync up.
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