He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one remained, except the poorest people of the land. He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the chief men of the land. He carried them into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. All the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
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2 Kings 24:14-16 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that his father had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his reign. He carried out from there all the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold, which Solomon king of Israel had made in Yahweh’s temple, as Yahweh had said. He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one remained, except the poorest people of the land. He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the chief men of the land. He carried them into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. All the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s father’s brother, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through the anger of Yahweh, this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Parallel Translations
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He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one remained, except the poorest people of the land.
He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the chief men of the land. He carried them into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
All the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
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And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
Show all 3 translations
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And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the chief men of the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths a thousand, all of them strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
Cross-references (20)
- Jeremiah 52:28 (vv14, 16) This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, three thousand twenty-three Jews;
- 2 Kings 25:12 (v14) But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
- 2 Kings 24:16 (v14) All the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war, even them the…
- 2 Chronicles 36:10 (v15) At the return of the year, king Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of Yahweh’s house, and made…
- Esther 2:6 (v15) who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the…
Show all 18 cross-references
- Jeremiah 22:24-28 (v15) “As I live,” says Yahweh, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, I would still pluck you from…
- 2 Chronicles 36:9-10 (v14) Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in…
- Jeremiah 39:10 (v14) But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, who had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and…
- Jeremiah 40:7 (v14) Now when all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah…
- Jeremiah 52:16 (v14) But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.
- Ezekiel 1:1-2 (v14) Now in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens…
- Jeremiah 29:2 (vv14, 16) (after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths, had departed…
- 1 Samuel 23:19-22 (v14) Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the woods, in the hill of…
- 2 Kings 24:8 (v15) Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the…
- 2 Kings 24:14 (v16) He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and…
- Jeremiah 24:1-5 (v14) Yahweh showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs were set before Yahweh’s temple, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away…
- Ezekiel 17:12 (v15) “Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and…
- Ezekiel 17:14 (v14) that the kingdom might be brought low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
18 distinct cross-references across this passage (20 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv14–16 2Ki 24:14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and…
2Ki 24:14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, [even] ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
Ver. 14. And he carried away all Jerusalem,] i.e., The greater and better part of the people: among the rest, Mordecai the Benjamite the son of Jair, {Est 2:5-6} and Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, {Eze 1:2-3} who therefore calls it his "captivity" or deportation. {Eze 40:1}
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And all the craftsmen and smiths.] The like craft useth the devil, when he endeavoureth to take out of the way such as are zealous and active, valiant for God’s truth, and violent for his kingdom. {a}
{a} A Lapide.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v14 All Jerusalem, i.e. the inhabitants of Jerusalem; not simply…
All Jerusalem, i.e. the inhabitants of Jerusalem; not simply all, but the best and most considerable part, as the following words explain and restrain it.
Ten thousand captives; which are more particularly reckoned up, 2Ki 24:16, where there are seven thousand mighty men, and a thousand smiths; and those mentioned 2Ki 24:15 make up the other two thousand.
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All the craftsmen and smiths; which might furnish them with new arms, and thereby give him fresh trouble.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv14–16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand,....…
And all the men of might, even seven thousand,.... The particulars of the 10,000 carried captive are here given; 7000 of which were the principal men of the land:
and craftsmen and smiths one thousand; which made 8000:
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all that were strong, and apt for war; of these consisted the other 2000; so Abarbinel reckons them; but, according to the Jewish chronologer (t), which Jarchi and other Jewish commentators follow, the 7000 were out of the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the tribes, and the 3000 out of the tribe of Judah, which are supposed to be those Jeremiah speaks of, Jer 52:28,
even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon; among these were Ezekiel the prophet, and Mordecai, the uncle of Esther.
(t) Seder Olam Rabba, c. 25.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v14 All - Not simply all, but the best and…
All - Not simply all, but the best and most considerable part, as the following words explain it. Captives - Which are more particularly reckoned up, ver. 16, where there are seven thousand mighty men, and a thousand smiths; and those mentioned ver. 15, make up the other two thousand. Craftsmen and smiths - Who might furnish them with new arms, and thereby give him fresh trouble.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v14 Verse 14. He carried away all Jerusalem] That is,…
Verse 14. He carried away all Jerusalem] That is, all the chief men, the nobles, and artificers. Among these there were of mighty men seven thousand; of craftsmen and smiths, one thousand.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v14 2Ki 24:14. He carried away all Jerusalem — That…
2Ki 24:14. He carried away all Jerusalem — That is, the inhabitants of Jerusalem; not simply all, but the best and most considerable part, as the following words explain and restrain it. Even ten thousand captives — Which are more particularly reckoned up 2Ki 24:16, where there are seven thousand mighty men, and a thousand smiths; and those mentioned 2Ki 24:15 make up the other two thousand. Craftsmen and smiths — Who might furnish them with new arms, and thereby give him fresh trouble.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv14–15 The entire number of the captives was not more…
The entire number of the captives was not more than 11,000. They consisted of three classes:
(1) the “princes” or “mighty of the land,” i. e., courtiers, priests, elders, and all who had any position or dignity - in number 3,000 (compare 2Ki 24:14, 2Ki 24:16).
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(2) the “mighty men of valor” or “men of might,” i. e., the soldier class, who were 7,000. And
(3) craftsmen or artisans, who numbered 1,000. The word here translated “craftsmen” denotes artisans in stone, wood, or metal, and thus includes our “masons, carpenters, and smiths.” The word translated “smiths” means strictly “lock-smiths.”
The object of carrying off these persons was twofold:
(1) it deprived the conquered city of those artisans who were of most service in war; and
(2) it gave the conqueror a number of valuable assistants in the construction of his buildings and other great works.
The Assyrian monarchs frequently record their removal of the skilled artisans from a conquered country. The population of the ancient city has been calculated, from its area, at 15,000. The remnant left was therefore about 5000 or 6,000.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv14–15 All; the chief men, chap. xxv. 18. Ezechiel and…
All; the chief men, chap. xxv. 18. Ezechiel and Mardocheus were in the number. --- Engraver. The first term means a workman in wood, stone, &c.; the latter seems to designate a mason, smith, or garrison-soldier; (Calmet) or one expert in making camps; (Sa) an engineer. (Tirinus) --- St. Jerome explains it of one who enchases jewels in gold. (Menochius) --- Hecateus and Demetrius (ap. Jos.[Josephus?] and Clement of Alexandria) mention this transportation. (Du Hamel)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv14–15 14. Ten thousand captives — According to Jer_52:28, they…
14. Ten thousand captives — According to Jer_52:28, they numbered three thousand and twenty-three. See note on 2Ki_25:21. Numerically this must have been only a small part of the entire Jewish population, which in David’s time numbered five hundred thousand warriors, so that the poorest sort of the people, from whom rebellion and trouble were not expected, were more than the captives; but these latter were the might and flower of the nation, and might, therefore, well be called all Jerusalem. The mass of those left were people of the land, country people, dwelling outside of Jerusalem; and no doubt by reason of the numerous wars this part of the population had become greatly diminished since the time of David. The craftsmen and smiths would be especially serviceable to Nebuchadnezzar on the great works which he contemplated at his capital.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On v14 14. he carried away all Jerusalem] The policy of…
14. he carried away all Jerusalem] The policy of Nebuchadnezzar was to remove out of the way all those who might be able to organize and plan a revolt when he and his army had departed. Hence all the people of rank, of wealth, and of skill as handicraftsmen are deported, and only the poorest folk left, who had neither knowledge nor means for doing more than work of drudgery. The total number of captives was 10,000. In verse 16 the numbers of some classes are specified, the ‘men of might’ were 7000, and the craftsmen 1000, which leaves 2000 for the royal household and their retainers, and the princes and the others who are spoken of in the general phrase as ‘strong and apt for war’. Such men it would have been dangerous to leave behind. In this captivity the prophet Ezekiel was included. See Eze_1:3.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv14–16 (14) All Jerusalem.—Limited by what follows, and meaning the…
(14) All Jerusalem.—Limited by what follows, and meaning the most important part of the population.
The princes—i.e., the nobles, e.g., the grandees of the court, some of the priests (Eze_1:1), and the heads of the clans.
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The mighty men of valour.—This is probably right. Thenius and Bähr prefer to understand the men of property and the artisans, as in 2Ki_15:20.
All the craftsmen and smiths.—The former were workers in wood, stone, and metal, i.e., carpenters, masons, and smiths. (Comp. Gen_4:22.) The “smiths” (properly, “they who shut”) answer to what we should call locksmiths. They were makers of bolts and bars for doors and gates (Jer_24:1; Jer_29:2). It is obvious that by deporting “the craftsmen and smiths” the king of Babylon made further outbreaks impossible (comp. 1Sa_13:19.) Kimchi’s explanation of “smiths” is a curiosity of exegesis. He makes of them “learned persons, who shut other people’s mouths, and propose riddles which nobody else can guess.” Hitzig and Thenius derive the word (masgçr) from mas, “levy,” and gçr, “alien,” so that it would originally mean “statute labourers,” “Canaanites compelled to work for the king;” and afterwards, as here, “manual labourers” in general. But such a compound term in Hebrew would be very surprising.
The poorest sort.—Those who had neither property nor handicraft. (Comp. Jer_39:10.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv14–16 And he carried away all Jerusalem. The expression has…
And he carried away all Jerusalem. The expression has to be limited by what follows. "All Jerusalem" means all that was important in the population of Jerusalem all the upper classes, the "princes" and "nobles," all the men trained to the use of arms, and all the skilled craftsmen and artisans of the city. The poor and weak and unskilled were left. The number deported, according to our author, was either ten or eleven thousand. The whole population of the ancient city has been calculated from its area at fifteen thousand. The largest estimate of the population of the modern city is seventeen thousand. And all the princes. The sarim, or "princes," are not males of the blood royal, but the nobles, or upper classes of Jerusalem. (comp. Jer_25:18 Jer_26:10-16, etc.) And all the mighty men of valori.e. "all the trained troops" (Ewald); not "all the men of wealth," as Bahr renderseven ten thousand captives. As the soldiers are reckoned below (ver. 16) at seven thousand, and the craftsmen at one thousand, the upper-class captives would seem to have been two thousand; unless, indeed, the "craftsmen" are additional to the ten thousand, in which Case the upper-class captives would have numbered three thousand, and the prisoners have amounted altogether to eleven thousand. And all the craftsmen and smiths. Ewald understands "the military workmen and siege engineers" to be intended ("History of Israel," vol. 4. p. 263, note 9); but the term vrj in Hebrew includes all workers in stone, metal, or wood (Gen_4:22; Isa_44:12; 1Ki_7:14) and there is nothing to limit it here to military craftsmen. It was an Oriental practice to weaken a state by the deportation of all the stronger elements of its population. None remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. These words must be taken with some latitude. There are still "princes" in Jerusalem under Zedekiah, (Jer_38:4, Jer_38:25, Jer_38:27) and courtiers of rank, (Jer_38:7) and "captains of forces", (Jer_40:7) and "men of war". (Jer_52:7) But the bulk of the inhabitants now left behind in Jerusalem were poor and of small account.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v15 seven thousand ... one thousand
seven thousand ... one thousand
"7,000 ... 1,000" (See: Numbers)
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Mattaniah
This is a man's name. (See: How to Translate Names)
translationWords
Jehoiachin
exile
Zedekiah
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v14 24:14-16 In addition to Jehoiachin, the prophet Ezekiel was…
24:14-16 In addition to Jehoiachin, the prophet Ezekiel was also taken into captivity (Ezek 1:1). Throughout the book of Ezekiel, events in Ezekiel’s life are dated in terms of the years since Jehoiachin had been taken captive. • The 10,000 taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar likely includes 7,000 . . . troops, 1,000 craftsmen and artisans, and a number of administrative officials and leading citizens of Jerusalem. In any case, 10,000 is probably a round figure (see also Jer 52:28).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.