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Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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JPS Old Testament

Jeremiah 39:4

And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls; and he went out the way of the Arabah.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Zedekiah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jerusalem;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Babylon;   Jeremiah;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Kings, the Books of;   Zedekiah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Kings, the Books of;   Zedekiah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Arabah;   Exile;   Fountain Gate;   Garden;   Gate between the Two Walls;   Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Jeremiah;   King's Garden;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nebuzaradan;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jerusalem;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Jeru'salem;   Zedeki'ah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Arabah;   Champaign;   Garden;   Garden, the King's;   Jeremiah (2);   King's Garden;   Zedekiah (2);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jerusalem;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the fighting men saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the city gate between the two walls. They left along the route to the Arabah.
Hebrew Names Version
It happened that, when Tzidkiyahu the king of Yehudah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the `Aravah.
King James Version
And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.
English Standard Version
When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah.
New American Standard Bible
And when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they fled and left the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.
New Century Version
When Zedekiah king of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they ran away. They left Jerusalem at night and went out from the king's garden. They went through the gate that was between the two walls and then headed toward the Jordan Valley.
Amplified Bible
When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they fled and escaped from the city at night by way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls; and the king went out toward the Arabah (Jordan Valley).
World English Bible
It happened that, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when Zedekiah the King of Iudah saw them, and all the men of warre, then they fled, and went out of the citie by night, through the Kings garden, and by the gate betweene the two walles, and he went toward the wildernes.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they fled and went out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.
Berean Standard Bible
When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls, and they went out along the route to the Arabah.
Contemporary English Version
When King Zedekiah and his troops saw that Jerusalem had been captured, they tried to escape from the city that same night. They went to the king's garden, where they slipped through the gate between the two city walls and headed toward the Jordan River valley.
Complete Jewish Bible
When Tzidkiyahu the king of Y'hudah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, leaving the city by night through the king's garden, exiting from the gate between the two walls, and continuing out by the route through the ‘Aravah.
Darby Translation
And it came to pass when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls; and he went out the way of the plain.
Easy-to-Read Version
King Zedekiah of Judah saw the officials from Babylon, so he and the soldiers with him ran away. They left Jerusalem at night. They went out through the king's garden and out through the gate that was between the two walls. Then they went toward the desert.
George Lamsa Translation
And it came to pass, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they fled and went out of the city by night by the way of the kings garden by the gate between the two walls; and they went out by the way of the plain.
Good News Translation
When King Zedekiah and all his soldiers saw what was happening, they tried to escape from the city during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and escaped in the direction of the Jordan Valley.
Lexham English Bible
And then when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the soldiers with him, they fled and went out at night from the city by the way of the garden of the king through the gate between the walls. And they went out toward the Jordan Valley.
Literal Translation
And it happened when Zedekiah, king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they fled and went out from the city by night, the way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went the way of the Arabah.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And when Sedechias the kynge of Iuda with his soudyers sawe them, they fled, and departed out of ye cite by night thorow the kynges garde, and thorow the porte that is betwene the two walles, and so they wente towarde the wildernesse.
American Standard Version
And it came to pass that, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the gate betwixt the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.
Bible in Basic English
And when Zedekiah, king of Judah, and all the men of war saw it, they went in flight from the town by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the doorway between the two walls: and they went out by the Arabah.
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe, that when Zedekiah the king of Iudah saw them and all the men of warre, then they fled and went forth out of the citie by night, by the way of the kings garden, by the gate betwixt the two walles, and hee went out the way of the plaine.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when Zedekia the kyng of Iuda with his souldiers sawe them, then they fled and departed out of the citie by nyght through the kynges garden, and through the port that is betweene the two walles, and so the kyng went towarde the wildernesse:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and Sedekias shall by no means be delivered out of the hand of the Chaldeans, for he shall certainly be given up into the hands of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak to his mouth, and his eyes shall look upon his eyes;
English Revised Version
And it came to pass that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the Arabah.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, and alle the men werriouris hadden seien hem, thei fledden, and yeden out bi niyt fro the citee, bi the weie of the gardyn of the kyng, and bi the yate that was bitwixe twei wallis; and thei yeden out to the weie of desert.
Update Bible Version
And it came to pass that, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.
New English Translation
When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they tried to escape. They departed from the city during the night. They took a path through the king's garden and passed out through the gate between the two walls. Then they headed for the Jordan Valley.
New King James Version
So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain. [fn]
New Living Translation
When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the soldiers saw that the Babylonians had broken into the city, they fled. They waited for nightfall and then slipped through the gate between the two walls behind the king's garden and headed toward the Jordan Valley.
New Life Bible
When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his men of war saw them, they ran out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls. They went out toward the Jordan Valley.
New Revised Standard
When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass as soon as Zedekiah king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled, and went forth by night out of the city, by way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls, - and he went forth by way of the waste plain.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when Sedecias the king of Juda and all the men of war saw them, they fled: and they went forth in the night out of the city by the way of the king’s garden, and by the gate that was between the two walls, and they went out to the way of the desert.
Revised Standard Version
When Zedeki'ah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah.
Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, when Zedekiah king of Judah, and all the men of war, have seen them, that they flee and go forth by night from the city, the way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls, and he goeth forth the way of the plain.
THE MESSAGE
When Zedekiah king of Judah and his remaining soldiers saw this, they ran for their lives. They slipped out at night on a path in the king's garden through the gate between two walls and headed for the wilderness, toward the Jordan Valley. The Babylonian army chased them and caught Zedekiah in the wilderness of Jericho. They seized him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the country of Hamath. Nebuchadnezzar decided his fate. The king of Babylon killed all the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah right before his eyes and then killed all the nobles of Judah. After Zedekiah had seen the slaughter, Nebuchadnezzar blinded him, chained him up, and then took him off to Babylon.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they fled and went out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.

Contextual Overview

1 in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and besieged it; 2 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city-- 3 that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim Rab-saris, Nergal-sarezer Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. 4 And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls; and he went out the way of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he gave judgment upon him. 6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes; also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. 7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. 8 And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the house of the people, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, the deserters also, that fell away to him, with the rest of the people that remained. 10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, that had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields in that day.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when: Jeremiah 38:18-20, Leviticus 26:17, Leviticus 26:36, Deuteronomy 28:25, Deuteronomy 32:24-30, 2 Kings 25:4-7, Isaiah 30:15, Isaiah 30:16, Ezekiel 12:12, Amos 2:14

betwixt: Jeremiah 52:7-11, 2 Chronicles 32:5

Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 2:5 - me Isaiah 22:3 - thy rulers Isaiah 24:10 - city Isaiah 29:2 - I will Jeremiah 4:9 - that the heart Jeremiah 4:29 - shall flee Jeremiah 21:7 - I will Jeremiah 32:4 - General Jeremiah 34:3 - And thou Jeremiah 40:7 - all the Lamentations 4:18 - hunt Ezekiel 12:4 - at even

Cross-References

Genesis 15:2
And Abram said: 'O Lord GOD, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go hence childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?'
Genesis 18:3
and said: 'My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.
Genesis 19:19
behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me, and I die.
Genesis 24:2
And Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had: 'Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh.
Genesis 32:5
And he commanded them, saying: 'Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now.
Genesis 33:8
And he said: 'What meanest thou by all this camp which I met?' And he said: 'To find favour in the sight of my lord.'
Genesis 33:10
And Jacob said: 'Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favour in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
Genesis 39:4
And Joseph found favour in his sight, and he ministered unto him. And he appointed him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
Genesis 39:5
And it came to pass from the time that he appointed him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field.
Genesis 39:8
But he refused, and said unto his master's wife: 'Behold, my master, having me, knoweth not what is in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, [that] when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war,.... That is, when Zedekiah and his soldiers saw the princes and generals of the Chaldean army enter the city through a breach made in the wall, and take possession of the middle gate; which they might see from some high tower where they were for safety, and to make their observation of the enemy:

then they fled; finding they were not able to keep their posts and resist the enemy:

and went forth out of the city by night; it being the middle of the night, as before observed out of Josephus, that the city was taken; and they took the advantage of the darkness of the night to make their escape: this they chose rather to do than to surrender to the Chaldeans, and lie at their mercy: and they went

by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls; which lay either between the wall of the city and the outworks, as some; or between the old wall and the new one Hezekiah built,

2 Chronicles 32:5; as others; or rather between the wall of the city and the wall of the king's garden; this being a private way, they took it. The Jews have a fable, and which is related both by Jarchi and Kimchi, that there was a cave or vault underground, from the king's house to the plains of Jericho; and by this way the king went that he might not be seen; but God prepared a hind, which the Chaldean army saw, and pursued, and which went into the cave, add they after it; and when they were at the mouth of the cave they saw Zedekiah coming out of it, and took him:

and he went out the way of the plain; on the south side of the which led to Jericho; and on which side the kings garden was; not that he went alone, but his wives, and children, and princes, and men of war with him; see Jeremiah 52:7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare the marginal reference. The differences between the two accounts are slight.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 39:4. Went forth out of the city by night — Probably there was a private passage under ground, leading without the walls, by which Zedekiah and his followers might escape unperceived, till they had got some way from the city.

The way of the plain. — There were two roads from Jerusalem to Jericho. One passed over the mount of Olives; but, as this might have retarded his flight, he chose the way of the plain, and was overtaken near Jericho, perhaps about sixteen or eighteen miles from Jerusalem. He had probably intended to have passed the Jordan, in order to escape to Egypt, as the Egyptians were then his professed allies.


 
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