Bible Commentaries

Zedekiah - It is generally thought that this chapter was not penned by Jeremiah, who, it is not probable, would have so largely repeated what he had related before; and could not historically relate what happened after his time, as some things did which are mentioned towards the end of the chapter. Probably it was penned by some of those in Babylon, and put in here as a preface to the book of Lamentations.

Three - It is probable there were more keepers of the door, but the captain of the guard took only three of the chief.

All the persons were four thousand and six hundred - How amazingly were the Jews diminished, that this handful was all who were carried captive!

All the days of his life - Here ends the history of the kingdom of Judah. I shall only observe the severe judgment of God upon this people, whose kingdom was made up of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and half the tribe of Manasseh. In the numbering of the persons belonging to these two tribes, Numbers 1:27 , Numbers 1:35 , Numbers 1:37 , (counting half of the number of the tribe of Manasseh) we find one hundred twenty - six thousand one hundred: Numbers 26:22 , Numbers 26:34 , Numbers 26:41 , we find of them one hundred forty - eight thousand four hundred and fifty. Here, Jeremiah 52:30 , we find no more of them carried into captivity, than four thousand and six hundred. From whence we may judge what a multitude of them were slain by the sword, by the famine, and pestilence! It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, to mock his messengers, despise his words, and misuse his prophets, 'till there be no remedy, 2 Chronicles 36:16 .