But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land ,.... Of the land of Judea, who lived in the country, and had not been concerned in defending the city against the Chaldeans: for vinedressers, and for husbandmen ; to look after the vineyards and fields, and dress and manure them, that the king of Babylon might receive some advantage by the conquest he had made; See Gill on Jeremiah 39:10 . read more
The poor of the land - See on Jeremiah 39:1 ; (note). read more
The march of doom. These verses tell of the awful progress of the judgment of God on the doomed city of Jerusalem, her king, and people. To all who imagine that God is too full of love and graciousness to sternly judge and punish men, the contemplation of the events told of here may be painful, but assuredly they will be salutary also. We are shown the Babylonian armies gathering round the city; the long and dreadful siege; the gaunt famine that fastens upon the besieged; the walls broken... read more
Sparing the poor. I. THE FACT . Whilst the king, the nobles, the wealthy, and many others were carried into exile, certain of the poor were still left in the land. We are accustomed to speak of the hardships of poverty, but there are compensating advantages not a few. Many evils of the worst character only visit the rich. In times of public trouble the houses of the rich are attacked and the persons of the great are threatened, while the poor are left in happy neglect. Great men are... read more
Husbandmen - Men who tilled little plots of ground with the mattock. read more
52:1-34 HISTORICAL APPENDIXThis appendix is similar to 2 Kings 24:18-25:30. The probable reason for its inclusion is to show how Jeremiah’s prophecies concerning Jerusalem’s last days were fulfilled.Judah’s king during its last tragic years was Zedekiah. He was a weak king, whose reign was characterized throughout by religious failure and political indecision. Finally, after years of uncertain plotting, he decided to rebel openly against his overlord Babylon (52:1-3). Nebuchadnezzar could be... read more
A. The fall of Jerusalem and the capture of Zedekiah 52:1-16This is one of four accounts of the fall of Jerusalem in the Old Testament (cf. 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36:11-21; Jeremiah 39:1-14). The repetition underlines the importance of the event. read more
Nebuzaradan then took some of the poorest Judahites, the rest of the residents of Jerusalem, the deserters who had defected to the Babylonians, and the remaining craftsmen-captive-to Babylon. However, he left some of the poorest Judahites in the land to care for the vineyards and fields. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 52:12-23
We have here an account of the woeful havoc that was made by the Chaldean army, a month after the city was taken, under the command of Nebuzaradan, who was captain of the guard, or general of the army, in this action. In the margin he is called the chief of the slaughter-men, or executioners; for soldiers are but slaughter-men, and God employs them as executioners of his sentence against a sinful people. Nebuzaradan was chief of those soldiers, but, in the execution he did, we have reason to... read more