Jeremiah 39:3

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to the city. ²And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year, the city was broken through. ³Then all the officials of the king of Babylon entered and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar, Nebusarsechim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.⁴When 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. ⁵But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They seized him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him. ⁶There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the nobles of Judah. ⁷Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon. ⁸The Chaldeans set fire to the palace of the king and to the houses of the people, and they tore down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried away to Babylon the remnant who had remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to him and the rest of the people. ¹⁰But Nebuzaradan left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who had no property, and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

all the: Jeremiah 1:15, Jeremiah 21:4, Jeremiah 38:17

Nergalsharezer: Jeremiah 39:13, 2 Kings 17:30

Sarsechim: These were the principal commanders; but Dr. Blayney thinks that, instead of six persons, we have in reality but three, as the name that follows each is the title of the office. Thus Nergal-Sharezer, who was Samgar-nebo, or keeper, i.e., priest of Nebo; Sarsechim, who was Rab-saris, or chief eunuch; and Nergal-sharezer, who was Rab-mag, or chief magi; as the words mog in Persian, magoos in Arabic, magooshai in Syriac, and לבדןע [Strong's G3097], in Greek, signify; and we learn from Justin and Curtius that the magi attended the king in war.

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 25:4 - the city Jeremiah 12:10 - pastors Jeremiah 38:18 - then Daniel 2:49 - sat

Cross-References

Genesis 21:22
At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do.

Genesis 26:24
and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham."

Genesis 26:28
"We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you," they replied. "We think there should be an oath between two parties-between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you

Genesis 30:27
But Laban replied, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you."

Genesis 30:30
Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?"

Genesis 39:7
and after some time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Sleep with me."

Genesis 39:8
But he refused. "Look," he said to his master's wife, "with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care.

Genesis 39:15
When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

Genesis 39:16
So Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's garment beside her until his master came home.

Genesis 39:23
The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him and gave him success in whatever he did.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in,.... Into the city: a breach being made in the walls to take possession of it:

and sat in the middle gate; according to Jarchi, this was a gate of the temple; the gate Nicanor, the eastern gate, which was between the gate of the court of the women and the gate of the temple; who observes, that their Rabbins say, the middle gate was the gate in which the wise men made their decrees and constitutions: so that, in "the place of judgment, wickedness was there"; as in Ecclesiastes 3:16; and Josephus g says, that the city was taken in the middle of the night, when the enemies' generals went into the temple; but rather, according to Kimchi, it was one of the gates of the city of Jerusalem; according to Abarbinel, Jerusalem had three walls, and this was the gate of the middle wall; but others take it to be the gate in the middle wall, between the upper and lower city; perhaps it is the same called the second gate, Zephaniah 1:10; and might be the chief and principal gate where these princes placed their seats in triumph as victors, and so fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah, Jeremiah 1:15; though they might have another reason for it, their own safety; here they sat till the city was well searched and cleared, lest there should be any ambush laid for them, and cut them off as they entered. The names of some of them were as follow:

[even] Nergalsharezer: according to Kimchi, these are two names of two distinct persons; but generally thought to be one name of the same person; so Josephus, who calls him Nergelearus. The first part of the name "Nergal" was the name of an idol with the Cushites, 2 Kings 17:30; and it was usual with the Heathens to give the names of their idols to their kings, princes, and great men. The other part, "Sharezer", is a name of one of Sennacherib's sons; and seems to be an Assyrian name,

Isaiah 37:38. The next is called

Samgarnebo; though, according to Hillerus h, this is a surname of the former, to distinguish him from another Nergalsharezer after mentioned, taken from his office: this name signifying the "strict keeper of Nebo", the temple of the idol Nebo; see Isaiah 46:1. The next is

Sarsechim Rabsaris; for these are not two names of different persons, but of the same person. The first is his proper name, which signifies the "prince of the Scythians"; the other his name of office, and signifies the "chief eunuch", or the "chief of the eunuchs". The last name is

Nergalsharezer Rabmag; these names belong to the same person, who is called from his office "Rabmag", the "chief magician", or the "chief of the magicians", to distinguish him from the other Nergalsharezer before mentioned: these,

with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon, entered the city and took it.

g Antiqu. l. 10. c. 8. sect. 2. h Onomastic. Sacr. p. 608.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These princes were four:

(1) Nergal, Sharezer, i. e., Nirgal-sar-usur (May Nergal protect the king);

(2) Samgar-Nebo (Be gracious, O Nebo);

(3) Sarsechim. No explanation is given at present of this name. He was Rab-saris, i. e., chief of the eunuchs (2 Kings 18:17 note).

(4) another Nergal-sharezer, who was Rab-mag, i. e., chief of the Magians. He is known in history as Neriglissar, the son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar, and probably his vicegerent during his seven years of madness. Two years after his death Neriglissar murdered Evil-Merodach, Nebuchadnezzars son, and seized the crown, but after a reign of four years was slain in battle against Cyrus, when disputing with him the crown of Media. See Daniel 5:1 note.

The middle gate - Probably that which separated the city of Zion from the lower town.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 39:3. Sat in the middle gate — The city of Jerusalem stood upon two hills, Sion to the south, and Acra to the north, with a deep valley between them. The gate of the centre, as the term seems plainly to import, was a gate of communication in the middle of the valley, between the two parts of the city, sometimes called the higher and the lower city. The Chaldeans entered the city on the north side by a breach in the walls, and rushing forward and posting themselves in this gate, in the very heart or centre of the city, became thereby masters at will of the whole. Zedekiah with his troop, perceiving this, fled out of the opposite gate on the south side. See Blayney. This is likely; but we know nothing positively on this subject.

Nergal-sharezer — These were the principal commanders; but Dr. Blayney thinks that instead of six persons, we have in reality but three, as the name that follows each is a title of office. Thus, Nergal-sharezer, who was Samgar; Nebusarsechim, who was Rab-saris; and Nergal-sharezer, who was Rab-mag. As Nergal-sharezer occurs twice here, and we know that Nebuzaradan was general-in-chief, the first Nergal-sharezer is probably a mistake for Nebuzar-adan, or some other of the commanders. But these things are as uncertain as they are unimportant.