Jeremiah 47–52: Judgment & Exile

Read the Bible in 2023 ◊ Week 22: Friday

Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. And he burned the house of Yahweh, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. So all the military force of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard tore down all the walls around Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 52:12–14 LSB

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Friday’s Bible reading of Jeremiah 47–52, finishes the book. Cawley and Millard title chapters 46–51 “Prophecies Against Foreign Nations.”

“In the LXX [Septuagint] these chapters follow 25:13, and are in a different order. Here they move from west to east, with Babylon, the final enemy last.”¹

Derek Kidner writes:

“Nearly every prophet was given words to speak about the people who surrounded ancient Israel — in face three prophetic books concentrate entirely on a foreign power: Obadiah on Edom, and Jonah and Nahum on Ninevah. If we needed convincing that the God of Israel was seen as Lord of the whole earth, here would be proof enough.”²

The final chapter, Jeremiah 52, summarizes the rebellion and death of Zedekiah and the destruction of Jerusalem (“4–16 are abbreviated in 39:1–10 and repeated in 2 Ki. 25.”³). The numbers of exiled Jews are recorded as well as the treatment of Jehoiachin in Babylon.

For through the anger of Yahweh this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence.

Jeremiah 52:3a LSB

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Now it happened in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his military force, against Jerusalem, and they camped against it and built a siege wall all around it. So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine was so strong in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city was breached…

Jeremiah 52:4-7a LSB

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Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of Yahweh and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans shattered and carried all their bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the bowls, the pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used to minister. And the captain of the guard also took away the cups, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the pans, and the offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver.

Jeremiah 52:17–19 LSB

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It is tragic to read of the burning of the city and the burning of the temple that had been build by Solomon. The bronze pillars, stands and sea of the temple are broken and the metal is carried to Babylon. The gold and silver stands and temple vessels are taken as well. It’s a terrible reality of God’s judgment on His people who had forsaken Him.

“This closing chapter deals with the fate of Zedekiah and Jerusalem and of Jehoiachin. It is taken from the same source as 2 Ki. 24; 25, from which it diverges little, probably with the intention of reminding readers that Jeremiah’s words had been partly fulfufilled, and of encouraging, by the final paragraph, the depressed exiles.”⁴

And even in these final chapters there is promise of God’s mercy, and hope of God’s restoration.

“Israel is a scattered flock; the lions have banished them away. The first one who devoured him was the king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria. And I will return Israel back to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. In those days and at that time,’ declares Yahweh, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.’” this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence.

Jeremiah 51:17–20 LSB

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In the book of Jeremiah, despite their sin and defiant rebellion against God, God speaks of His mercy and love for His people, bringing Judah back to the land—and looking further into the future, His promise of the coming of a new covenant when He will put His law within His people and write it on their heart. A new covenant in which the Gentiles will also be brought in as members of God’s household.

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Silvesterzug Laterne: Bk muc. (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Chaldees Destroy the Brazen Sea: James Tissot. Public Domain.
^1,3,4F. Cawley, A. R. Millard, “Jeremiah,” The New Bible Commentary: Revised, D. Guthrie, J. A. Motyer, eds., A. M. Stibbs, D. J. Wiseman, contributing eds. (Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove IL: 1970) 653, 658, 658.
²Derek Kidner, The Message of Jeremiah: Against wind and tide (Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove IL: 1987) 137,

I’m using Michael Coley’s Bible reading plan (one page PDF to print) to read through the Bible in 2023. Each day my posts are on different books because he divides Bible readings into seven categories, one for each day of the week: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy and Gospels. There’s more information on his plan and other ones at Read the Bible in 2023.