Lexical Summary Nergal Sharetser: Nergal-Sharezer Original Word: נֵרְגַּל שַׁרְאֶצֶר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Nergal-sharezer From Nergal and Shar'etser; Nergal-Sharetser, the name of two Babylonians -- Nergal-sharezer. see HEBREW Nergal see HEBREW Shar'etser NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom Nergal and Sharetser Definition a Bab. court official NASB Translation Nergal-sar-ezer (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs נֵרְגַּל שַׂרְאֶ֫צֶר proper name, masculine (so Baer Ginsb; van d. H. ׳שַׁר), chief soothsayer (רַבמָֿ֑ג) in train of Nebuchad. Jeremiah 39:3a (strike out Gie, plausibly) Jeremiah 39:3b, 13 (compare SchrCOT on the passage). נִרְגָּן see רגן Topical Lexicon Identity and Historical Background Nergal-Sharezer appears in Jeremiah’s account of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem (586 BC). He is introduced as one of the high-ranking officers in Nebuchadnezzar’s court, bearing a theophoric name that links him to the Mesopotamian god Nergal. Cuneiform records identify a royal prince and later king of Babylon, Neriglissar (560-556 BC), whose Akkadian name corresponds closely with the biblical form; many scholars regard them as the same individual, first encountered as a military commander before ascending the throne. His presence in Jerusalem underscores the seriousness with which Babylon treated the siege and subsequent administration of the captured city. Scriptural Occurrences Jeremiah mentions Nergal-Sharezer three times: Role in the Fall of Jerusalem Nergal-Sharezer stood among the elite officers who physically occupied Jerusalem’s strategic Middle Gate, a symbolic act marking Babylonian dominion (Jeremiah 39:3). Later, he participated in the directives that liberated Jeremiah from the court of the guard (Jeremiah 39:13-14). His dual appearance—first as conqueror, then as protector of the prophet—highlights God’s sovereign ability to turn pagan authorities into instruments for preserving His servant. Theological Significance 1. Divine Control Over Nations – The presence of a future Babylonian king within Jeremiah’s narrative fulfills the prophet’s earlier oracles that foreign powers would execute God’s judgment on Judah (Jeremiah 25:9). Historical Aftermath If identical with King Neriglissar, Nergal-Sharezer later seized the Babylonian throne, married into Nebuchadnezzar’s family, and continued imperial building projects. His reign was brief, yet archaeological inscriptions confirm his devotion to Babylon’s gods and his concern for justice in the land—traits that parallel, albeit imperfectly, the biblical portrayal of him issuing protective orders. Lessons for Ministry Today • God may employ unexpected agents—even those outside the covenant community—to accomplish His redemptive plans (compare Acts 10). Forms and Transliterations אֶ֖צֶר אֶ֙צֶר֙ אֶ֠צֶר אצר ’e·ṣer ’eṣer EtzerLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 39:3 HEB: נֵרְגַ֣ל שַׂר־ אֶ֠צֶר סַֽמְגַּר־ נְב֞וּ NAS: Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, KJV: gate, [even] Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, INT: Gate the Middle Nergal-sar-ezer Samgar-nebu Sar-sekim Jeremiah 39:3 Jeremiah 39:13 3 Occurrences |
    |