A repetition of the reign of Zedekiah: of the siege, taking, and
destruction of Jerusalem, with the causes thereof, and what farther
happened there, ver. 1 - 30.
Evil - merodach advances Jehoiakim, ver. 31 - 34.
2: Zedekiah - It is generally thought that this chapter was not penned
by Jeremiah, who, it is not probable, would have so largely repeated what
he had related before; and could not historically relate what happened
after his time, as some things did which are mentioned towards the end of
the chapter. Probably it was penned by some of those in Babylon, and put
in here as a preface to the book of Lamentations.
24: Three - It is probable there were more keepers of the door, but
the captain of the guard took only three of the chief.
30: All the persons were four thousand and six hundred - How
amazingly were the Jews diminished, that this handful was all who
were carried captive!
34: All the days of his life - Here ends the history of the kingdom
of Judah. I shall only observe the severe judgment of God upon this
people, whose kingdom was made up of the two tribes of Judah and
Benjamin, and half the tribe of Manasseh. In the numbering of the
persons belonging to these two tribes, (Nu 1:27,35,37), (counting
half of the number of the tribe of Manasseh) we find one hundred
twenty - six thousand one hundred: (Nu 26:22,34,41), we find of
them one hundred forty - eight thousand four hundred and fifty.
Here, ver.(Jer 52:30), we find no more of them carried into captivity,
than four thousand and six hundred. From whence we may judge what a
multitude of them were slain by the sword, by the famine, and pestilence!
It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, to mock
his messengers, despise his words, and misuse his prophets, 'till there
be no remedy, (2Ch 36:16).
