They killed Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, then put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
Parallel Translations
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They killed Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, then put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
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And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
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And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
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Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (16)
Passages linked to 2 Kings 25:7 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Jeremiah 32:4-5 and Zedekiah king of Judah won’t escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes will see his eyes; and he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” says Yahweh: “though you fight with the Chaldeans, you will not prosper?” ’ ”
- Genesis 21:16 She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
- Genesis 44:34 For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”
- Deuteronomy 28:34 so that the sights that you see with your eyes will drive you mad.
- Judges 16:21 The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.
- 2 Chronicles 33:11 Therefore Yahweh brought on them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
- 2 Chronicles 36:6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.
- Psalms 107:10-11 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron, because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the Most High.
- Psalms 149:8 to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
- Jeremiah 22:30 Yahweh says, “Record this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no more will a man of his offspring prosper, sitting on David’s throne, and ruling in Judah.”
- Jeremiah 34:3 You won’t escape out of his hand, but will surely be taken and delivered into his hand. Your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with you mouth to mouth. You will go to Babylon.” ’
- Jeremiah 39:6-7 Then the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons in Riblah before his eyes. The king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 52:10-11 The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. He also killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.
- Ezekiel 7:27 The king will mourn, and the prince will be clothed with desolation. The hands of the people of the land will be troubled. I will do to them after their way, and according to their own judgments I will judge them. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’ ”
- Ezekiel 12:13-16 I will also spread my net on him, and he will be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, though he will die there. I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his bands. I will draw out the sword after them. “ ‘They will know that I am Yahweh when I disperse them among the nations, and scatter them through the countries. But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they come. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’ ”
- Ezekiel 17:16-20 “ ‘As I live,’ says the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the middle of Babylon he will die. Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company won’t help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons. For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things. He won’t escape. “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘As I live, I will surely bring on his own head my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken. I will spread my net on him, and he will be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 2Ki 25:7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah…
2Ki 25:7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
Ver. 7. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah.] Who were, likely, taken with him, and consenting to his rebellion. {a}
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Before his eyes.] To his greater grief. The like befell Mauricius, the emperor, a better man.
And put out the eyes of Zedekiah.] The eyes of whose mind had been put out long before; else he might have foreseen and prevented this evil - as prevision is the best means of prevention, - had he taken warning by what was foretold. {Jer 32:4; Jer 34:3; Eze 12:13} The Dutchmen have a proverb, When God intends to destroy a man, he first puts out his eyes. This punishment of putting out the eyes of an enemy, was practised by the Philistines upon Samson; by Irene, the empress, upon her son Constantinus Copronymus; by our Henry I upon his brother Robert, duke of Normandy; by Amidas, king of Tunis, upon his own father Muleasses; by Amurath VI, king of Turks, upon his wife’s brethren, the two young Servian princes, Gregory and Stephen, whose eyes he cruelly burnt out with a bason made red hot; {b} a common unmerciful practice among the Turks.
{a} Josephus
{b} Turk. Hist., 262.
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 Thus two prophecies were fulfilled, which seemed contrary one…
Thus two prophecies were fulfilled, which seemed contrary one to the other, that he should go to Babylon, Jer 32:5; 34:3, and that he should never see Babylon; which seeming contradiction, because Zedekiah the false prophet could not reconcile, he concluded both were false, and that Jeremiah was a false prophet; and it seems Zedekiah the king might stumble at this difficulty.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Slew, &c. - Tho' they were but children, that…
Slew, &c. - Tho' they were but children, that this spectacle, the last he was to behold, might leave a remaining impression of grief and horror upon his spirit. And in slaying his sons they in effect declared, that the kingdom was no more, and that he nor any of his breed were fit to be trusted: therefore not fit to live. Babylon - Thus two prophecies were fulfilled, which seemed contrary one to the other, that he should go to Babylon, Jer. xxxii, 5, xxxiv, 3, and that he should never see Babylon: which seeming contradiction, because Zedekiah the false prophet could not reconcile, he concluded both were false, and it seems Zedekiah the king might stumble at this difficulty.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 2Ki 25:7. They slew the sons of Zedekiah before…
2Ki 25:7. They slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes — Though they were but children, that this spectacle, the last he was to behold, might leave a deep and durable impression of grief and horror upon his spirit. And in slaying his sons they in effect declared that the kingdom was no more, and that neither he nor any of his breed were fit to be trusted: therefore not fit to live. And put out his eyes, and carried him to Babylon — Thus two prophecies were fulfilled, which seemed contrary the one to the other. Jeremiah foretold, That he should be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and should speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes should behold his eyes, and that he should go to Babylon, Jer 32:4; Jer 34:3; and Ezekiel prophesied, That he should never see Babylon, though he should die there, Eze 12:13. This seeming contradiction, Zedekiah the false prophet could not reconcile, and therefore concluded that both prophecies were false, and, if we may credit Josephus, Zedekiah the king stumbled at this difficulty. Both, however, were literally accomplished. The reflection which Josephus makes on this event, is worthy of the reader’s attention: “This may serve to convince even the ignorant, of the power and wisdom of God; and of the constancy of his counsels through all the various ways of his operations. It may likewise show us that God’s foreknowledge of things is certain; and his providence regular in the ordering of events; and besides, it holds forth a most exemplary instance of the danger of our giving way to the motions of sin and infidelity, which deprive us of the means of discerning God’s judgments, even though ready to fall upon us.” — Antiq., lib. 10., cap. 11.
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 Before his eyes - This refinement of cruelty seems…
Before his eyes - This refinement of cruelty seems to have especially shocked the Jews, whose manners were less barbarous than those of most Orientals. It is noted by Jeremiah in two places Jer 39:6; Jer 52:10.
And put out the eyes of Zedekiah - Blinding has always been among the most common of secondary punishments in the East (compare Jdg 16:2 l). The blinding of Zedekiah reconciled in a very remarkable way prophecies, apparently contradictory, which had been made concerning him. Jeremiah had prophesied distinctly that he would be carried to Babylon Jer 32:5; Jer 34:3. Ezekiel had said that he should not “see Babylon” Eze 12:13. His deprivation of sight before he was carried to the conqueror’s capital fulfilled the predictions of both prophets.
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With fetters of brass - literally, (see Jer 39:7 margin), “with two chains of brass.” The Assyrians’ captives are usually represented as bound hand and foot - the two hands secured by one chain, the two feet by another. According to Jewish tradition Zedekiah was, like other slaves, forced to work in a mill at Babylon. Jeremiah tells us that he was kept in prison until he died Jer 52:11.
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 Eyes; after they had been excruciated by the sight…
Eyes; after they had been excruciated by the sight of his slaughtered children. He thus might be convinced, that there was no reason to despise the predictions of Jeremias and of Ezechiel, (xii. 13.) as contradictory, because the latter informed him that he should not see Babylon; though the other said that he should die there. --- Babylon, where he was honourably buried, by order of Nabuchodonosor. (Josephus, [Antiquities?] x. 11.) --- Seder (Olam xxviii.) records that his attendants sung, at his funeral, "Alas! king Sedecias is dead, having drunk the dregs of all ages;" as he suffered also for the crimes of his predecessors. (Genebrard) (Tirinus) --- This is not indeed specified in Scripture: (Haydock) but it is highly probable that Nabuchodonosor would thus "revere royalty, even in its ruins," if Daniel and the other Jews in power, had not been careful to shew this mark of respect to their deceased monarch, conformably to the prediction of Jeremias; (xxxiv. 3.) who foretold that he should die, not by a violent death, the usual fate of captive kings, but in peace, or on his bed, though in a prison. (Watson, let. 6.)
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 7. Slew the sons… before his eyes — This…
7. Slew the sons… before his eyes — This was not only to intensify Zedekiah’s woes by making his sons’ execution the last sight of his eyes, but also to end his dynasty.
Put out the eyes of Zedekiah — This barbarous and cruel punishment was practised by various ancient nations. Thus the Philistines punished Samson when he fell into their power, (Jdg_16:21,) and thus the Persians tortured great offenders. It was done by thrusting hot irons or a sharp lance into the eyes. On the monuments of Nineveh is the picture of a king piercing with a lance the eyes of some royal captive.
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Fetters of brass — Literally, double brass. See note on Jdg_16:21.
Carried him to Babylon — But being sightless, he did not see Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans, so that Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning him came literally to pass, (Eze_12:13,) as well as that of Jeremiah, (Jer_32:4,) that he should “surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes should behold his eyes.” This latter was fulfilled at Riblah. He died in the land of his captivity, (Eze_12:13,) probably in prison, and not long after his capture and imprisonment. Josephus says he was honoured with a magnificent burial.
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 7. slew the sons of Zedekiah] This was done…
7. slew the sons of Zedekiah] This was done to prevent the rise of a new revolt under a successor. To do it in the sight of the father was to break down all his hope of any rightful successor taking his throne. The narrative in Jeremiah adds that Nebuchadnezzar ‘slew all the nobles of Judah’. Not only was the royal family destroyed, but the men of power and influence were all extinguished.
put out the eyes of Zedekiah] This punishment the Philistines inflicted on Samson (Jdg_16:21) before they put him in the prison-house. The LXX. had this instance so much in mind that they say Zedekiah was put εἰς οἰκίαν μύλωνος. The deprivation of the eyes was not uncommon in the East as a punishment (cf. Herod. 2Ki_7:18).
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It is very striking to put side by side the two prophecies concerning Zedekiah uttered the one by Jeremiah, the other by Ezekiel. The former said (Eze_34:3) ‘Thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon (cf. Jer_32:4); the latter (2Ki_12:13) says of this king ‘I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldæans, yet shall he not see it though he shall die there’.
and bound him with fetters of brass] R.V. in fetters. There is no need to express the metal of which the fetters were made. In English on the contrary we speak of ‘putting a man in irons’ and omit ‘fetters’. The Hebrew word is dual, and properly signifies ‘double fetters’. His legs as well as his hands were shackled.
and carried him to Babylon] The narrative in Jeremiah adds ‘and put him in prison till the day of his death’.
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 (7) And they slew . . .—The verbs are…
(7) And they slew . . .—The verbs are all singular in Jer_39:6; Jer_52:10-11; so that the acts in question are attributed directly to Nebuchadnezzar, to whose orders they were due. (So the versions, except that the Targum has “they slew.”) The blinding of Zedekiah need not have been done by the conqueror himself, although in the Assyrian sculptures kings are actually represented as blinding and otherwise torturing their captives. It is no argument against the singular, “he carried him to Babylon,” to say with Thenius that Zedekiah was sent to Babylon at once, while Nebuchadnezzar remained at Riblah. “Qui facit per alium, facit per se.”
The sons.—Who fled with him (Comp. Jer_41:10). In Jeremiah it is added that all the nobles or princes. of Judah were slain also.
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Put out the eyes.—A Babylonian punishment (Herod, vii. 18). This was the meaning of Ezekiel’s prediction; “I will bring him to Babylon . . . yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there” (Eze_12:13).
With fetters of brass.—Literally, with the double brass (2Ch_33:12); i.e., with manacles and fetters, as represented on the Assyrian monuments.
Carried him to Babylon.—Jer_52:11; “and put him in prison till the day of his death.” So the Arabic of Kings.
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 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his…
And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes (comp. Herod., 3:14, and RAPC 2Ma 7., for similar aggravations of condemned persons" sufferings). As Zedekiah was no more than thirty-two years of age, (2Ki_24:18) his sons must have been minors, who could not justly be held responsible for their father"s doings. It was usual, however, in the East, and even among the Jews, to punish children for the sins of their fathers (see Jos_7:24, Jos_7:25; 2Ki_9:26 2Ki_14:6; Dan_6:24) And put out the eyes of Zedekiah. This, too, was a common Oriental practice. The Philistines blinded Samson. (Jud_1:16:21) Sargon, in one of his sculptures, seems to be blinding a prisoner with a spear (Botta, "Monumens de Ninive," pl. 18). The ancient Persians often blinded criminals (Xen., "Anab.," 1:9. Ammian. Mare., 27:12; Procop., "De Bell. Pers.," 1:11. p. 80). In modern Persia, it was, until very lately, usual for a king, on his accession, to blind all his brothers, in order that they might be disqualified from reigning. The operation was commonly performed in Persia by means of a red-hot iron rod (see Herod., 7:18). Zedekiah"s loss of eyesight reconciled the two apparently conflicting prophecies that he would be carried captive to Babylon, (Jer_22:5, etc.) and that he would never see it (Eze_12:13) in a remarkable manner. And bound him with fetters of brass; literally, with a pair of brazen fetters. Assyrian fetters consisted of two thick rings of iron, joined together by a single long link (Botta, l.s.c. ); Babylonian were probably similar. Captives of importance are usually represented as fettered in the sculptures. And carried him to Babylon. Jeremiah adds (Jer_52:11) that Nebuchadnezzar "put him in prison till the day of his death:" and so Josephus ("Ant. Jud:," 10:8. The latter writer further tells us that, at his death, the Babylonian monarch gave him a royal funeral (comp. Jer_34:5).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 25:7 gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes: Rebellious leaders were commonly…
25:7 gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes: Rebellious leaders were commonly blinded in the ancient Near East. However, Zedekiah’s blinding seems especially cruel; the last image he had was of his sons being slaughtered. • True to the prophetic word, Zedekiah was taken into captivity, where he died (Jer 32:4-5; 34:3; 52:11; Ezek 12:11-14).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.