Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusalem; he carries off the blinded Zedekiah with the people to Babylon, and burns the temple.
Vulgate Text: 4 Kings 25:1-30
1. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and they encamped against it; and they built siegeworks around it. 2. And the city was besieged and blockaded, until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, 3. on the ninth day of the month; and the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4. And the city was breached; and all the men of war fled by night, by the way of the gate that is between the double wall by the king's garden (while the Chaldeans were besieging the city all around), and Zedekiah fled by the way that leads to the plains of the wilderness. 5. And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all the warriors who were with him were scattered, and they left him. 6. So they seized the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah; and he pronounced judgment upon him. 7. And they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and brought him to Babylon. 8. In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon: Nebuzaradan the captain of the army, servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9. And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and the houses of Jerusalem, and every house he burned with fire. 10. And the whole army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around. 11. And the rest of the people who remained in the city, and the deserters who had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the common people, Nebuzardan the captain of the guard carried away. 12. And of the poor of the land he left some to be vinedressers and farmers. 13. And the bronze pillars that were in the temple of the Lord, and the bases, and the bronze sea that was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. 14. They also took the bronze pots, and the shovels, and the forks, and the cups, and the mortars, and all the bronze vessels with which they ministered. 15. And also the censers and the bowls; what was gold, as gold, and what was silver, as silver, the captain of the guard took: 16. that is, the two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord: the weight of the bronze of all these vessels was beyond measure. 17. The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and the bronze capital upon it was three cubits in height; and the lattice-work, and the pomegranates upon the capital of the pillar, were all of bronze; and the second pillar had a similar ornament. 18. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and three doorkeepers. 19. And from the city one eunuch, who was commander over the men of war; and five men of those who stood before the king, whom he found in the city; and Sopher the captain of the army, who mustered the recruits from the people of the land; and sixty men of the common people who were found in the city. 20. And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21. And the king of Babylon struck them, and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and Judah was carried away from its land. 22. And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 23. And when all the captains of the armies, they and the men who were with them, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah: Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their companions. 24. And Gedaliah swore to them and their companions, saying: Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans: remain in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 25. And it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal seed, came, and ten men with him; and they struck Gedaliah, who also died; and also the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26. And all the people, from the least to the greatest, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt, fearing the Chaldeans. 27. And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month; Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison. 28. And he spoke kindly to him; and he set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29. And he changed his garments which he had worn in prison, and he ate bread always in his presence all the days of his life. 30. And he appointed him a regular allowance without interruption, which was given him by the king, for each day, all the days of his life.
Verse 4: The City was Breached
4. The city was breached, — namely by the frequent blows of hostile battering rams, whence from it the citizens fled by a hidden way and exit. So Abulensis and Vatablus, although Cajetan holds that the wall was broken by the citizens themselves, so that they might escape through the breach.
Verse 6: He Pronounced Judgment Upon Him
6. He pronounced judgment upon him, — that is, he disputed with him by way of judgment, and justly condemned him saying: You broke the faith you gave me and rebelled, therefore you justly deserve to be blinded by me. Rabbi Solomon adds other things, but in his usual way he tells fables.
Verse 8: On the Seventh Day of the Month
8. On the seventh day of the month. — Jeremiah in his last chapter has "on the tenth day:" reconcile both as follows: on the seventh day he came to Jerusalem, but on the tenth he burned the temple. So Cajetan. Or rather on the seventh day he departed from Riblah, where Nebuchadnezzar was, and on the tenth day (for it is a three-day journey), he arrived in Jerusalem.
Verse 11: And the Rest of the Common People Nebuzaradan the Captain of the Guard Carried Away
11. And the rest of the common people Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away. — The Septuagint translates "chief cook" [archimagirus], that is "chief of the cooks," the Hebrew "chief of the slaughterers"; the Chaldean, "master of executioners"; whence through him St. Gregory mystically understands gluttony, which destroys the temple of our soul. Hear him, Pastoral Rule, Part 3, Admonition 20: "The chief of the cooks destroyed the walls of Jerusalem. The chief, I say, of the cooks is the belly, on which great care is lavished by cooks, so that it may be delightfully filled with foods. But the walls of Jerusalem are the virtues of the soul, raised up to the desire of heavenly peace. Therefore the chief of the cooks casts down the walls of Jerusalem; because when the belly is distended with gluttony, the virtues of the soul are destroyed by luxury." Wherefore Abbot Poemen in the Lives of the Fathers: "Unless, he says, Nebuzaradan the chief of the cooks had come, the temple of God would not have burned; that is, unless the desire for gluttony had crept in, the soul would not have been set ablaze with lust." Angelomus, however, by "Nebuzaradan" understands the devil, who strives to plunder all the goods of the faithful.
Verse 14: Shovels, — not Commentaries, but "shovels" [trullas], that is Lids of Pots, Called Trulla, Says
14. Shovels, — not commentaries, but "shovels" [trullas], that is lids of pots, called trulla, says Abulensis, from "pushing" [trudendo], because it pushes, that is closes the pot, so that trulla is as if trusilis ["pushable"]: for our translator joins "shovels" with "pots." For in the Hebrew, Chaldean, and Septuagint no word corresponds to "shovels." But ancient authors take trulla to mean a vessel for pouring water. So Nonius Marcellus: "A basin, he says, with which the hands are washed." Titinius Setina: "With wisdom, he says, the helmsman steers the ship, not with strength: a cook, when the great cauldron boils, settles it down a little with a ladle." Varro, book 4: "Trulla, he says, is from the likeness of trua, because that is large, and this is small, hence trulla. Hence in Greek trouchion, we say trulla. A trulla is what they pour water with from the kitchen into the basin. Trua, because the water flies across, was named from the same root." Varro therefore thinks trulla is named from "flying across," but Nonius Marcellus from "rubbing" as if terula, and Isidore from "pushing." Hear him, book 19 of the Etymologies, chapter 31: "The name trulla was made because it pushes and thrusts, that is, it encloses stones with lime or mortar."
The allegory and tropology here is easy and fitting. For Jerusalem is the Church, as well as the faithful soul contemplating God through faith; idols are created and vain things, which it pursues against the law of God, for example, the idol of the miser is gold, of the lustful person lust, of the proud person honor. Nebuchadnezzar is the devil, who having captured Jerusalem, that is the soul, blinds its king Zedekiah, that is the mind (for Zedekiah in Hebrew means the same as "the justice of God," which the mind ought to think about, fear, and imitate): then he despoils it of all graces and goods, and burns the temple, that is, all fear and worship of God, and then deprives the captive of her freedom, and leads her bound to Babylon, that is into the extreme confusion of all things, such as exists in a soul subject to its own desires, especially when it is cast into hell. But before this happens, Cyrus, that is Christ, frees many from this captivity. So Angelomus and Eucherius.
Verse 19: And from the City One Eunuch, who was Commander Over the Men of War; and Five Men of Those who
19. And from the city one eunuch, who was commander over the men of war; and five men of those who stood before the king, whom he found in the city; and Sopher the captain of the army, who mustered the recruits from the people of the land; and sixty men of the common people who were found in the city. 20. And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21. And the king of Babylon struck them, and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and Judah was carried away from its land. 22. And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 23. And when all the captains of the armies, they and the men who were with them, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah: Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their companions. 24. And Gedaliah swore to them and their companions, saying: Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans: remain in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 25. And it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal seed, came, and ten men with him; and they struck Gedaliah, who also died; and also the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26. And all the people, from the least to the greatest, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt, fearing the Chaldeans. 27. And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month; Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison. 28. And he spoke kindly to him; and he set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29. And he changed his garments which he had worn in prison, and he ate bread always in his presence all the days of his life. 30. And he appointed him a regular allowance without interruption, which was given him by the king, for each day, all the days of his life.
This chapter is exactly the same as the last chapter of Jeremiah, where I have explained it: for Jeremiah was present through this entire disaster, and attempted to prevent it, as is clear from his prophecies, but in vain. See Abulensis here, his last Question, combining the remarkable series of Jeremiah's prophecies with the series of the deeds of these kings. See also the chronological table which I prefixed to Jeremiah.
Verse 27: In the Thirty-Seventh Year of the Captivity of Jehoiachin
27. And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin. — Jehoiachin was therefore in the Babylonian prison as long as Nebuchadnezzar survived, for 37 years: but when he died, Evil-Merodach, succeeding his father, freed and exalted Jehoiachin. I gave the reason at Jeremiah 52, at the end of the chapter.
Synchronism of the Kings of Judah, the Prophets, and the Kings and Heroes of the Gentiles
Contemporary with Solomon, or of the same age, were Nathan the prophet, Hiram king of Tyre, Hesiod, and Homer, the Greek "Solomon." Contemporary with Rehoboam was Ahijah the prophet, and Jeroboam the first king of Israel, and Laosthenes king of the Assyrians. Contemporary with Asa was Jehu the prophet, and Baasha king of Israel, and Ophrataeus king of the Assyrians. In the time of Jehoshaphat flourished Elijah the prophet, who was taken up into heaven on a fiery chariot. Under Joram, Elisha prophesied for sixty-six years, and died under King Amaziah. Under Joash lived Jehoiada the high priest, and his son Zechariah the martyr. In Israel there reigned successively Jehu, who cut off the house of Ahab, Jehoahaz, and Joash. The brother of King Amaziah was Amoz, the father of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah therefore had King Joash as his grandfather, and Amaziah as his uncle: at this time Lycurgus gave laws to the Spartans.
In the time of Azariah or Uzziah, Isaiah began to prophesy, and prophesied for sixty years under Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh; at that time Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah, and Obadiah also prophesied. About the 40th year of Azariah the Olympiads began to be reckoned, that is, the years of King Iphytus, who instituted them. The Olympiads precede the founding of Rome by 23 years. Therefore about the tenth year of Jotham, Rome was founded by Romulus, who first reigned in it for 36 years. He was succeeded by Numa Pompilius for 44 years; he by Tullus Hostilius for 32 years; he by Ancus Martius for 24 years; he by Tarquinius Priscus for 38 years; he by Servius Tullius for 44 years; he by Tarquinius Superbus for 25 years.
Under Jotham, Nahum and Micah prophesied. At the same time Sardanapalus, besieged in Nineveh by Arbaces the prefect of Media, burned himself along with the royal palace and all his treasure. Wherefore Arbaces made himself king of Media; and Baladan, who was called by another name Nabonassar, occupied Babylon, from whom the Nabonassarean Era was established, which begins from the 15th year of Jotham.
Under Ahaz, Damascus was taken by the Assyrians, and Tiglath-Pileser their king carried off half of the ten tribes of Israel into Assyria. Contemporary with Hezekiah were Merodach son of Baladan, or of Nabonassar the first king of Babylon, and Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians, who carried away Israel, that is the remnants of the ten tribes, and among them Tobit, into Assyria. Also his son Sennacherib, who besieging Jerusalem was routed by the Angel with 185,000 slain. At that time also flourished the Erythraean Sibyl, as St. Augustine testifies, book 18 of The City of God, chapter 23. Manasseh sawed apart the prophet Isaiah, his relative, with a wooden saw. Then among the Lydians flourished Gyges, who after killing Candaules obtained the kingdom: his great-grandson was Croesus, whom Cyrus defeated and subjugated in battle. At that time also Psammetichus reigned in Egypt, whose son Necho defeated and killed Josiah. At that time also Thales of Miletus, one of the seven sages of Greece, flourished, and successively the other six sages. Under Manasseh also Numa Pompilius reigned at Rome, and the Sibyl of Samos flourished. At that same time many believe the history of Judith took place.
Under Josiah, Jeremiah began to prophesy, and during the time of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah he prophesied for 45 years, and finally in Egypt, stoned by the Jews, he died a martyr. Under the same king, Baruch, Zephaniah, and Huldah the prophetess prophesied. At Rome reigned Tullus Hostilius and Ancus Martius. There flourished Aristomenes, Phalaris the tyrant, Zaleucus the lawgiver, Terpander the musician, Sappho and Stesichorus the poets. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar began to reign, who transferred the monarchy from the Assyrians to the Chaldeans, and destroyed Jerusalem with the temple and carried the Jews off to Babylon, and subjugated Egypt, and killed Pharaoh Necho, who was the last of the Pharaohs, as I said on Jeremiah 44:30.
Under Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon for 22 years, and was succeeded by Daniel, who lived and prophesied until his hundredth year. See what was said in the prefaces to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. At this time Cyaxares reigned in Media, who was succeeded by his son Astyages, and he by his grandson through his daughter, Cyrus, who took Babylon together with Darius the Mede, his maternal uncle, and transferred the monarchy from the Chaldeans to the Persians, and sent the Jews free from Babylon back to Judea.
At that time also flourished Draco the Athenian lawgiver, as well as Solon, and Epimenides the philosopher, who according to Laertius erected an altar in Athens to the Unknown God, about which Paul speaks in Acts 17. Likewise Anaximenes, Xenophanes, Anacharsis the philosopher, Arion the musician, Aesop the author of Fables, and the Cumaean Sibyl, who offered nine books of oracles to Tarquin the king of the Romans at a price of 300 gold pieces, and when he refused, the Sibyl burned a large part of them and demanded and obtained the same price for the few remaining, as Pliny, Solinus, Gellius, Servius and others relate. These things are from Eusebius, Torniellus, Gordonus, Salianus and the other chronologists.
Hear St. Augustine, book 18 of The City of God, chapter 25: "When Zedekiah reigned among the Hebrews, and Tarquinius Priscus among the Romans, who had succeeded Ancus Martius, the people of the Jews were led captive into Babylon, after Jerusalem was destroyed, along with that temple built by Solomon. At that time Pittacus of Mytilene is reported to have been one of the seven sages: and Eusebius writes that the five others, who together with Thales, whom we mentioned above, and this Pittacus are counted as seven, lived at the time when the people of God were held captive in Babylon. And these are Solon of Athens, Chilon of Lacedaemon, Periander of Corinth, Cleobulus of Lindus, Bias of Priene. At the time of the Jewish captivity, Anaximander, Anaximenes, and Xenophanes the natural philosophers also flourished. Then also Pythagoras, from whom they began to be called philosophers."