12 And in the fifth month, in the tenth of the month—it 'is' the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon—come hath Nebuzar-Adan, chief of the executioners; he hath stood before the king of Babylon in Jerusalem, 13 and he burneth the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house he hath burned with fire, 14 and all the walls of Jerusalem round about broken down have all the forces of the Chaldeans that 'are' with the chief of the executioners. 15 And of the poor of the people, and the remnant of the people who are left in the city, and those who are falling away, who have fallen unto the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the multitude, hath Nebuzar-Adan chief of the executioners, removed; 16 and of the poor of the land hath Nebuzar-Adan, chief of the executioners, left for vine-dressers and for husbandmen. 17 And the pillars of brass that 'are' to the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the brasen sea that 'is' in the house of Jehovah, have the Chaldeans broken, and they bear away all the brass of them to Babylon; 18 and the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they minister, they have taken away; 19 and the basins, and the fire-pans, and the bowls, and the pots, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups, the gold of that which 'is' gold, and the silver of that which 'is' silver, hath the chief of the executioners taken. 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve brazen oxen that 'are' beneath the bases, that king Solomon made for the house of Jehovah, there was no weighing of the brass of all these vessels. 21 As to the pillars, eighteen cubits 'is' the height of the one pillar, and a cord of twelve cubits doth compass it, and its thickness 'is' four fingers hollow. 22 And the chapiter upon it 'is' of brass, and the height of the one chapiter 'is' five cubits, and net-work and pomegranates 'are' on the chapiter round about, the whole 'is' of brass; and like these have the second pillar, and pomegranates. 23 And the pomegranates are ninety and six on a side, all the pomegranates 'are' a hundred on the net-work round about.
24 And the chief of the executioners taketh Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold,
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 52:12-24
Commentary on Jeremiah 52:12-23
(Read Jeremiah 52:12-23)
The Chaldean army made woful havoc. But nothing is so particularly related here, as the carrying away of the articles in the temple. The remembrance of their beauty and value shows us the more the evil of sin.
Commentary on Jeremiah 52:24-30
(Read Jeremiah 52:24-30)
The leaders of the Jews caused them to err; but now they are, in particular, made monuments of Divine justice. Here is an account of two earlier captivities. This people often were wonders both of judgment and mercy.