MPV Commentary

Jerusalem Again Besieged.

Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem in response to Zedekiah's revolt. Incensed by this betrayal, he determined to put an end to the monarchy of Judea once and for all. This chapter describes his third and final invasion, which he led personally with a massive army drawn from all the nations under his control. After conquering the northern regions and capturing most of the fortified cities (as mentioned in Jeremiah 34:7), Nebuchadnezzar marched directly to Jerusalem to lay siege to it.

The dates marking the beginning and end of the siege are carefully recorded here (compare Ezekiel 24:1; Jeremiah 39:1; 52:4-6). It appears that, with a brief interruption caused by Nebuchadnezzar's march against the Egyptians who were coming to relieve Jerusalem but retreated without engaging in battle, the siege lasted for a year and a half. The Jewish soldiers' prolonged resistance was not due to their superior skill or valor, but rather to the strength of the city's fortifications, on which King Zedekiah placed too much confidence (compare Jeremiah 21:1-14; 37:1-38:28).

Nebuchadnezzar surrounded Jerusalem and built a rampart with a ditch to prevent anyone from escaping. On this wall, he erected military engines for launching missiles into the city.

On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine had become unbearable due to the prolonged blockade (compare Lamentations 2:20, 22; 4:9, 10; Ezekiel 5:10). The inhabitants were reduced to extreme suffering, and under the influence of hunger, they committed inhumane acts. This was a fulfillment of the prophetic warnings issued against the apostate chosen people (Leviticus 26:29; Deuteronomy 28:53-57; Jeremiah 15:2; 27:13; Ezekiel 4:16).