Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 25

Jerusalem’s inhabitants run out of food

2 Kings 25:3

The defeat of Jerusalem by Babylon’s army was such an important incident that the Bible gives four accounts of it. They are: 2 Kings chapter 25, 2 Chronicles 36:15-19 and Jeremiah chapters 39 and 52. The Book of Lamentations is a record of the people’s troubles as a result of that incident, in the form of five poems.

Jerusalem’s inhabitants ran out of food on the same day that Babylon’s army broke through the wall of the city. Jerusalem had an extremely strong wall for its defence, which surrounded the whole city. When the army broke through the wall, the king of Babylon’s officials sat down at the entrance to the city (Jeremiah 39:3). They probably expected King Zedekiah and his officials to meet them there, in order to hand over the city to them.

When evening came, Zedekiah still had not come to meet them. So, they organised the soldiers from Babylon to surround the city walls that night. They did not want Zedekiah to escape, because they wanted to punish him severely. They wanted other kings to hear about their cruelty to him. That would make the kings of other nations afraid to oppose Babylon’s army.

In ancient Israel, the year began in Spring. This was the 4th month, so early Summer (Jeremiah 52:6). No rain falls in Israel then; the skies are clear. This was the 9th day of the month. Israel’s months began with the new moon, so the moon would be bright that night. Jerusalem was a large city with many gates, which were the entrances into the city. If Zedekiah tried to escape with other men, he would have to leave through one of those gates. However, he might try to escape alone (compare 1 Samuel 19:11-12). So that night, the soldiers had to watch especially carefully for anyone who might try to leave the city.

Next part: Zedekiah tries to escape (2 Kings 25:4-5)

Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 1000+ page course book.