2 Kings 25:18

_AND THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD TOOK SERAIAH THE CHIEF PRIEST, AND ZEPHANIAH THE SECOND PRIEST, AND THE THREE KEEPERS OF THE DOOR:_ The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest. The most eminent inhabitants were taken to the king at Riblah (2 Kings 25:21), and executed, as instigators and abettors of the rebellion, or otherwise obnoxious to the Assyrian government. In their number were Seraiah, the high priest, grandfather of Ezra (Ezra 7:1), his sagan or deputy a priest of the second order (Jeremiah 21:2; Jeremiah 29:25;...

8-21 The city and temple were burnt, and, it is probable, the ark in it. By this, God showed how little he cares for the outward pomp of his worship, when the life and power of religion are neglected. The walls of Jerusalem were thrown down, and the people carried captive to Babylon. The vessels of the temple were carried away. When the things signified were sinned away, what should the signs stand there for? It was righteous with God to deprive those of the benefit of his worship, who had preferred false worships before it; those that would have many altars, now shall have none. As the Lord spared not the angels that sinned, as he doomed the whole race of fallen men to the grave, and all unbelievers to hell, and as he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, we need not wonder at any miseries he may bring upon guilty nations, churches, or persons....

Verse 2 Kings 25:18. _SERAIAH THE CHIEF PRIEST - ZEPHANIAH_] The person who is here called the _second priest_ was what the Jews call _sagan_, a sort of _deputy_, who performed the functions of the high priest when he was prevented by any infirmity from attending the temple service. See on 2 Kings 23:4....

It devolved on Nebuzaradan to select for exemplary punishment the persons whom he regarded as most guilty, either in respect of the original rebellion or of the protracted resistance. Instead of taking indiscriminately the first comers, he first selected those who by their offices would be likely to have had most authority - the high priest; the second priest (2 Kings 23:4 note); three of the temple Levites; the commandant of the city; five members of the king’s Privy Council (or seven, see 2 Kings 25:19 note); and the secretary (or adjutant) of the captain of the host. To these he added sixty others, who were accounted “princes.” Compared with the many occasions on which Assyrian and Persian conquerers put to death hundreds or thousands after taking a revolted town, Nebuzaradan (and

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 25:1 THE LAST SIEGE OF JERUSALEM. THE JEWS LED INTO CAPTIVITY. HISTORY OF THE REMNANT LEFT BEHIND. RELEASE FROM PRISON OF JEHOIACHIN. 2 KINGS 25:1 LAST SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM. The open rebellion of Zedekiah was followed almost immediately by the advance into J

Ver. 18-21. AND THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD TOOK SERAIAH THE CHIEF PRIEST, AND ZEPHANIAH THE SECOND PRIEST,.... The sagan, or deputy priest, who officiated for the high priest, when by any means he was rendered unfit and incapable; so Joseph, the son of Ellem, as Josephus x relates, officiated for Matthias, when defiled with a nocturnal pollution; and seven days before the day of atonement they always substituted one under the high priest, lest anything of this kind should happen to him y. From hence, to the end of 2 Kings 25:21 the account is the same as in Jeremiah 52:25, only here in 2 Kings 25:19 it is said, that five men that were in the king's presence were taken, there seven men; to account for which,...

3. THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM AND JUDAH'S COMPLETE OVERTHROW CHAPTER 25 _ 1. The last siege and complete overthrow (2 Kings 25:1; 2 Chronicles 36:17)_ 2. Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:22) 3. Jehoiachin's captivity and release (2 Kings 25:27) Zedekiah's rebellion was a great offence. He had sworn in Jehovah's name to be loyal to Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chronicles 36:13; Ezekiel 17:13). We find more light thrown u

DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. FATE OF THE REMNANT. This again is more fully related in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 39:8 to Jeremiah 42:22), of which the passage before us is probably an abridgement. 2 Kings 25:8. Nebuzar-adan treated Jeremiah with marked favour (Jeremiah 40:8). 2 KINGS 25:22. Gedaliah established himself at Mizpah in Benjamin (Joshua 8:26). His murder by Ishmael was the ruin of the remnant, which escaped to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with t

SERAIAH. The grandfather or great-grandfather of Ezra (1 Chronicles 6:14.Ezra 7:1; Ezra 7:1). CHIEF PRIEST. See note on Leviticus 4:3. SECOND PRIEST. See note on 2 Kings 23:4. Probably. deputy high priest. NO provision for such in the Law. DOOR. threshold....

_Seraiah, the chief priest_ Probably the son of Azariah and grandson of Hilkiah (1 Chronicles 6:14). His name is not found except in the parallel narratives. _Zephaniah the second priest_ This was the son of Maaseiah (Jeremiah 21:1). He was the successor in office of Jehoiada (Jeremiah 29:25-26). The particulars known of his history are that he was asked by Shemaiah the Nehelamite (Jeremiah 29:29) to punish Jeremiah as if he were a false prophet. Zephaniah was also sent on two occasions to Jeremiah, once to ask the result of the siege, and secondly, to beg the prophet to intercede for the people ...