jeremiah 52

Read Jeremiah 52 at Bible Gateway.

Hebrew paragraph divisions

Jer 52:1-23 {s} Babylon took Jerusalem + Zedekiah + burned YHVH’s house + broke down the walls
Jer 52:24-27 {s} The chief priests, doorkeepers, officers of the king found in Jerusalem taken + put to death
Jer 52:28-30 {s} The Jews taken captive to Babylon during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, 4600 in total
Jer 52:31-34 {p} In the 1st year of Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, Jehoiachin king of Judah released from prison

Jer 52:1-34 {sx3+p} chiastic structure

1a) Jer 52:1-8, The captivity + death of Zedekiah the king of Judah;

1a) Jer 52:1, Zedekiah reigned: 21 when he became king + reigned 11 years in Jerusalem/ his mother;
1b) Jer 52:2-3a, He did evil/ anger of YHVH against Jerusalem + Judah until He cast them out from His presence;
1c) Jer 52:3b, Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon;
1d) Jer 52:4a, In Zedekiah’s 9th year Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon encamped against Jerusalem;
1e) Jer 52:4b, And they built a siege wall against it all around;
central axis) Jer 52:5-6, So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. By the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land;
2e) Jer 52:7, The city wall broken through/ men of war + king fled out of the city at night;
2d) Jer 52:8, But the Chaldeans pursued the king + overtook him in the plains of Jericho;
2c) Jer 52:9-11a, They brought Zedekiah to the king of Babylon at Riblah + he pronounced judgment on him: killed his sons + all the princes of Judah + put out Zedekiah’s eyes;
2b) Jer 52:11b, The king of Babylon bound Zedekiah in bronze fetters, took him to Babylon;
2a) Jer 52:11c, Zedekiah imprisoned: put him in prison till the day of his death;

1b.1) Jer 52:9-11, Judgment against the king + princes of Judah: put to death;

1a) Jer 52:9, They brought Zedekiah to the king of Babylon at Riblah/ he pronounced judgment on him;
1b) Jer 52:10a, The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes;
central axis) Jer 52:10b, And he killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah;
2b) Jer 52:11a, He also put out the eyes of Zedekiah;
2a) Jer 52:11b, The king of Babylon bound him in fetters, took him to Babylon, imprisoned him until his death;

1b.2) Jer 52:12-16, The captivity of Judah;

1a) Jer 52:12-13, Nebuzaradan the captain of the Chaldean guard came to Jerusalem/ burned with fire the house of YHVH + king’s house + houses of the great;
central axis) Jer 52:14, All the army of the Chaldeans broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around;
2a) Jer 52:15-16, Nebuzaradan took captives/ left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers + farmers;

1a) Jer 52:15a, Nebuzaradan carried away captive some of the poor people;
1b) Jer 52:15b, The rest of the people who remained in the city;
central axis) Jer 52:15c, The defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon;
2b) Jer 52:15d, And the rest of the craftsmen;
2a) Jer 52:16, But Nebuzaradan left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers + farmers;

1c) Jer 52:17-18, The bronze of the house of YHVH taken to Babylon;

central axis) Jer 52:19, The silver + gold of the house of YHVH taken away;

The basins, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the cups, whatever was solid gold and whatever was solid silver, the captain of the guard took away;

2c) Jer 52:20-23 {s} The bronze of the house of YHVH + its immeasurable quantity;

2b.1) Jer 52:24-27 {s} Judgment against the rulers of Judah found in Jerusalem: put to death;

2b.2) Jer 52:28-30 {s} All the captives of Judah (4600) taken to Babylon in 3 waves;

2a) Jer 52:31-34 {p} The captivity of Jehoiachin the king of Judah redeemed;

1a) Jer 52:31a, In the 37th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon, lifted up his head;
1b) Jer 52:31b, And brought him out of prison;
central axis) Jer 52:32, He spoke kindly to him/ gave him a more prominent seat than other kings in Babylon;
2b) Jer 52:33a, So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments;
2a) Jer 52:33b-34 {p} He ate bread before the king all the days of his life.

Even though this chapter relates the terrible judgment of God which He warned would come upon Jerusalem and Judah if the people did not repent, in Scripture there is never found the record of a judgment which does not also include the record of renewed hope and life. Judgment came upon Zedekiah the king of Judah when he rebelled against the king of Babylon, to whom God had told him to submit, and it would be well with him. But then release from captivity and release from death in prison came to Jehoiachin the king of Judah as a prophetic type of the release all of Judah would receive when her time of captivity was over. As well, the kings of Judah coupled in this chapter, Zedekiah and Jehoiachin, could be acting as prophetic types of Scripture’s prophesied King of Judah, Messiah Yeshua: the king of Judah was slain for evil deeds, rebellion, and sin. But after being hidden away in the prison house, the king of Judah was raised up (the Hebrew even takes pains to say that the king’s head was lifted up, a superfluous phrase at first glance) and given the preeminent place.

Likewise, while the houses of the great were burnt, a portion of the poor of the land were left in peace in the land, to tend to the vineyards and farms.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Mat 5:5.