What is the meaning of 2 Kings 25:2? And the city Jerusalem—the city chosen by God to bear His Name (1 Kings 11:36)—stands at the center of this verse. Its walls, temples, and streets were meant to testify to the Lord’s presence (Psalm 48:1-2). Yet the very mention of “the city” here carries a tragic undertone: the people had spurned repeated prophetic warnings (2 Chronicles 36:15-16). The lament of Lamentations 1:1, “How lonely lies the city, once full of people!”, echoes what was unfolding. By highlighting “the city,” the writer reminds us that no place, however holy, is immune to judgment when covenant faithfulness is abandoned. was kept under siege The Babylonian army encircled Jerusalem, cutting off food, water, and hope. Jeremiah 39:1 recounts the same moment: “In the ninth year of Zedekiah… Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and laid siege to it”. This siege fulfilled God’s earlier warning: “They will besiege all the cities throughout your land” (Deuteronomy 28:52). Key fallout: • Starvation grew so dire that Jeremiah 38:9 describes people “fainting from hunger.” • Walls symbolizing security now trapped the residents inside, previewing the sorrow pictured in Lamentations 2:9: “Her gates have sunk into the ground”. • The siege displayed God’s righteous discipline, not Babylon’s ultimate power (Isaiah 10:5-6). until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year The phrase marks a span of about two and a half desperate years, from Zedekiah’s ninth year, tenth month, tenth day (2 Kings 25:1) to his eleventh year, fourth month, ninth day (Jeremiah 39:2). God had already told Zedekiah through Jeremiah, “You will not escape… you will surely be captured” (Jeremiah 34:3). Instead of repenting, the king resisted, sealing both his fate and the city’s. Ezekiel was shown this very date in exile (Ezekiel 24:1-2), reminding the exiles—and us—that God’s word never fails. summary 2 Kings 25:2 captures more than a military standoff; it spotlights the severe but just consequence of covenant rebellion. Jerusalem, once the joy of the whole earth, was hemmed in under God-ordained siege until the final allowed day of Zedekiah’s rule. The verse calls every reader to honor God’s Word, trust His warnings, and recognize that He alone holds authority over cities, kings, and time itself. |
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