Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 36:17
Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave [them] all into his hand.
17. Chaldees ] R.V. Chaldeans. Their name in Hebrew is Casdim and in Assyrio-Babylonian Caldu (the change of “s” for “l” before a dental is not uncommon in the latter language). They were a people originally living south of Babylon on the sea, but Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Babylon and established a Chaldo-Babylonian empire.
in the house of their sanctuary ] Cp. Ezekiel’s vision of the slaughter; Eze 9:1-11.
him that stooped for age ] R.V. ancient; cp. Isa 9:15.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The fearful slaughter took place at the capture of the city, in the courts of the temple itself (Eze 9:6-7; compare Lam 2:7, Lam 2:20).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
In the house of their sanctuary; either in Jerusalem, which was the dwelling-place of Gods sanctuary; or, in the house which was their sanctuary; as the river of Euphrates, Gen 15:18, is the river which is Euphrates. It is probable they killed them in the very courts and house of God, to which some of them fled for refuge, such places being esteemed sacred and inviolable by the heathens themselves.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees,…. Nebuchadnezzar; and though it was the rebellion of Zedekiah which was the cause and occasion of his coming against them, yet it was the Lord that moved him to it, and gave him success:
who slew their young men with the sword, in the house of the sanctuary; in the temple, where they took sanctuary, imagining that sacred place would protect them from the rage of the enemy, but it did not:
and had no compassion on young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age; spared none on account of age or sex, but put them all to the sword, or carried them captive:
he gave them into his hand; that is, the Lord delivered them into the hand of the king of Babylon, for their sins.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When the moral corruption had reached this height, judgment broke upon the incorrigible race. As in 2Ch 36:12-16 the transgressions of the king and people are not described according to their historical progression, but are portrayed in rhetorical gradation; so, too, in 2Ch 36:17-21 the judgment upon the sinful people and kingdom is not represented in its historical details, but only rhetorically in its great general outlines. “Then brought He upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in their sanctuary, and spared not the youth and the maiden, the old man and the grey-headed; he gave everything into his hand.” Prophetic utterances form the basis of this description of the fearful judgment, e.g., Jer 15:1-9; Jer 32:3., Eze 9:6; and these, again, rest upon Deu 32:25. The subject in the first and last clause of the verse is Jahve. Bertheau therefore assumes that He is also the subject of the intermediate sentence: “and God slew their young men in the sanctuary;” but this can hardly be correct. As in the expansion of the last clause, “he gave everything into his hand,” which follows in 2Ch 36:18, not Jahve but the king of Babylon is the subject; so also in the expansion of the first clause, which introduces, the king of the Chaldeans is the subject, as most commentators have rightly recognised. By the judgment is brought into definite relationship to the crime: because they had profaned the sanctuary by idolatry (2Ch 36:14), they themselves were slain in the sanctuary. On , cf. Jer 27:6; Jer 32:3-4. includes things and persons, and is specialized in 2Ch 36:18-20.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
see note on: 2Ki 25:8
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(17) Therefore he brought up.And He caused to come up; alluding to the wrath . . . went up.
In the house of their sanctuary.Which they had polluted (2Ch. 36:14). The scene of their sin witnessed their destruction.
Him that stooped for age.Rather, greyheaded, hoary (yshsh). (Comp. Ezekiel 9, where the horrors of the capture of Jerusalem are ascribed expressly to the Divine working; see also Jer. 15:1-9; Deu. 32:25.)
He gave them all into his hand.Comp. Jer. 37:6; Jer. 32:3-4.
Them all.Literally, the whole, everything, . Them all would be hullm, whereas the text is hakkl. (So 2Ch. 36:18, all these.) Jerusalem was taken 588 B.C.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 36:17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave [them] all into his hand.
Ver. 17. Who slew their young men in the house of their sanctuary.] This was barbarous inhumanity. Alaricus the Goth, when, after two years’ siege, he had taken the city of Rome, spared such as had fled into the churches, and there taken sanctuary.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
He brought. To leave us in no doubt as to the real cause. Compare Jdg 1:8, and see App-53.
their sanctuary. No longer Jehovah’s. Compare and contrast “My Father’s house” (Joh 2:16) and “your house” (Mat 23:38). The former at the beginning of His ministry; the latter at the close.
all = the whole that came into her hand.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2Ch 36:17-21
2Ch 36:17-21
JERUSALEM DESTROYED BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR;
THE TEMPLE SACKED AND BURNED;
THE PEOPLE DEPORTED
“Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or virgin, old men or hoary-headed: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: to fulfill the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths: for as long as it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.”
This was the second fall of Jerusalem to Babylon. There had also been the captivity of Daniel, Ezekiel and others at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah. This second destruction of the city would probably never have happened if Zedekiah had honored his sacred oath of loyalty to the king of Babylon.
E.M. Zerr:
2Ch 36:17. The Chaldees were the same as the Babylonians as far as this history is concerned. Babylonians is the name derived from the country and its capital city. The Chaldeans were a distinct tribe of the people that had existed for a long time, and were in authority of the country at the time we are studying. God used them as his instrument for chastising his people. They were suffered to take over the temple, even using violence against the young men while they engaged in the service thereof.
2Ch 36:18. Some of the holy vessels were taken at each of the previous raids, but at this time they were all taken, including the royal treasury, and the valuables of the princes.
2Ch 36:19. The temple had been spared through the previous years that the Babylonians had possession of the country. But even such a favor did not keep the Jews from their evil practices; now the complete destruction will take place. The besiegers did not stop at the temple, but destroyed the city wall also. They likewise destroyed the palaces and their valuabe contents. We think of a palace primarily as the home of a king or other royal person. But there was only one of such in Jerusalem, while this word is plural. It is from an original that means any high and dignified structure. There were many of them in the city and they were all burnt. The beloved city of the nation of God; the capital of the mighty empire of David and Solomon was left in ruins by the relentless, destructive power of the Babylonians.
2Ch 36:20. This verse is the climax of the 3rd captivity. (See comments at 2Ki 24:1.) It came after a siege of about 2 years. (2Ki 25:1-2.) In that siege many perished from famine, and when the final assault was made, many died by the sword. Those who did not perish in the attack were carried off to Babylon to remain until the time of the Persian dominion. That event is mentioned because it coincides with the end of the “seventy years’ captivity” that began with the 4th year of Jehoiakim. (2Ki 24:1-4.) After coming to Babylon these Jews were made to serve the king as long as he lived, and then his successors until the end of the period described.
2Ch 36:21. To fulfill refers to the preceding verse. That is, by remaining in captivity until the reign of Persia over Babylon, the prophecy will be fulfilled that was made by Jeremiah. That prophecy may be seen in his book, 2Ch 25:9; 2Ch 25:11-12; and 2Ch 29:10. The Babylonian captivity was to last 70 years, beginning with the 4th year of Jehoiakim in 606 B. c., and going to 536 B. c. In Leviticus 25 is the law that required the land should rest every 7th year. It had been disobeyed until the land had been cheated out of 70 years. The captivity was to give it a chance to “catch up.” Verses 22, 23. This passage is the same as the first two verses of the next book, and the comments on it will be given there. The verses were attached to this book as a connecting link for the reader who might not have the Book of Ezra at hand. This was possible before the books of the Bible were collected into one volume.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
he brought: 2Ch 33:11, Deu 28:49, 2Ki 24:2, 2Ki 24:3, Ezr 9:7, Jer 15:8, Jer 32:42, Jer 40:3, Dan 9:14
the king: 2Ki 25:1-30, Jer 39:1-18, Jer 52:1-34
who slew: Lev 26:14-46, Deu 28:15-68, Deu 29:18-28, Deu 30:18, Deu 31:16-18, Deu 32:15-28, Psa 74:20, Psa 79:2, Psa 79:3, Jer 15:9, Jer 18:21, Lam 2:21, Lam 2:22
in the house: 2Ch 24:21, Lam 2:20, Eze 9:5-7, Luk 13:1, Luk 13:2
no compassion: Deu 28:50, Psa 74:20
Reciprocal: Num 33:56 – General Deu 8:20 – so shall ye perish Deu 28:36 – bring thee Jos 23:15 – so shall 2Ki 21:14 – the remnant 1Ch 6:15 – when the Lord 2Ch 7:22 – therefore 2Ch 15:6 – God 2Ch 28:5 – delivered him Ezr 5:12 – But after Neh 9:27 – thou deliveredst Psa 74:4 – Thine Psa 79:1 – the heathen Isa 3:8 – Jerusalem Isa 13:18 – their eye Isa 14:6 – who smote Isa 27:11 – therefore Isa 42:24 – General Jer 4:21 – shall I Jer 5:10 – ye up Jer 6:21 – fathers Jer 9:21 – General Jer 11:22 – young Jer 19:15 – because Jer 20:5 – I will deliver Jer 21:7 – I will Jer 22:21 – I spake Jer 27:22 – carried Jer 34:22 – I will command Jer 51:22 – General Lam 2:5 – he hath swallowed up Israel Lam 3:43 – thou hast slain Lam 4:16 – they respected Eze 9:6 – old Eze 9:7 – General Eze 23:47 – shall slay Eze 24:8 – it might Eze 33:21 – The city Eze 36:4 – desolate Hab 1:6 – I raise Zep 2:2 – before the fierce Zec 1:6 – did
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 36:17. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees
The king of the Chaldeans marched against them out of some political view; but we are taught in the Holy Scriptures to ascribe all these events to the agency of the Divine Providence, and therefore it is said here, not that the king of the Chaldeans went against them, but that the Lord brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans. Who slew their young men in the house of their sanctuary Either in Jerusalem, which was the dwelling- place of Gods sanctuary, or in the house which was their sanctuary. It is probable they killed some of them in the very courts and house of God, to which they had fled for refuge, such places being esteemed sacred and inviolable by the heathen themselves. He gave them all into his hand To be carried captive into Chaldea. Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldees, when God took him into covenant with himself. And now his degenerate seed are carried into that country again, to signify that they had forfeited all that kindness wherewith they had been loved for their fathers sake, and the benefit of the covenant into which he was called.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
36:17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword {h} in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he {i} gave [them] all into his hand.
(h) Where they fled, thinking to have been saved for the holiness of it.
(i) Which is not because God approves him, who yet is the minister of his justice, but because God would by his just judgment punish this people: for this king was led with ambition and vain glory, to which were joined fury and cruelty: therefore his work was condemnable, even though it was just and holy on God’s part, who used this wicked instrument to declare his justice.