What is the meaning of 2 Kings 24:20? The anger of the LORD “For because of the anger of the LORD…” • God’s wrath here is personal, righteous, and the inevitable response to covenant treachery (Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 29:25-28). • Judah had piled up idolatry and injustice for generations (2 Kings 21:11-15; Jeremiah 32:30-35). The anger described is not a flare-up but a settled, holy opposition to sin that had reached its limit (Romans 2:4-5). All this happened in Jerusalem and Judah “…all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah…” • “All this” includes the Babylonian sieges, the loss of national sovereignty, famine, and the deportations already underway (2 Kings 24:2; 2 Chronicles 36:14-17). • The capital and the countryside share the same fate; no pocket of disobedience is overlooked (Lamentations 1:8-9). • Every stage of the downfall fulfills the warnings spoken centuries earlier (Leviticus 26:27-33). He finally banished them from His presence “…until He finally banished them from His presence.” • The exile is pictured as being driven from God’s face—much like Adam and Eve from Eden (Genesis 3:24). • Losing the temple meant losing the visible sign of God’s dwelling (Ezekiel 10:18-19; 2 Kings 25:21). • The word “finally” shows patient forbearance had ended; the covenant curses fell in full (Deuteronomy 28:36, 63). And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon “And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.” • Zedekiah had sworn allegiance in the LORD’s name (Ezekiel 17:15-18) yet broke that oath—rebellion against both Babylon and God. • Prophets like Jeremiah urged submission as God’s appointed discipline (Jeremiah 27:12-15), but the king trusted political maneuvering instead. • His revolt provoked Babylon’s final assault (2 Chronicles 36:13), sealing the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. summary 2 Kings 24:20 traces Judah’s collapse to one root: persistent sin that stirred the LORD’s anger. Every calamity on Jerusalem, the heartbreaking exile, and Zedekiah’s ill-fated revolt all unfold under God’s sovereign hand. The verse reminds us that divine patience has an endpoint, covenant faithfulness matters, and human schemes cannot overturn the purposes of the Almighty. |
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