Bible Strands
2 Kings 25:10
And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the final military actions against Jerusalem during the Babylonian conquest, occurring immediately after the burning of the temple and royal structures. This moment captures the Chaldean forces completing the city's physical destruction before the exile of its remaining inhabitants.
The words — נָתְצוּ (na.te.Tzu) literally means "they broke down" or "shattered," while חוֹמֹת (cho.Mot) translates to "walls." These terms specify the deliberate demolition of Jerusalem's defensive perimeter by the Chaldean army.
The thread — The destruction of Jerusalem's walls reappears in Jeremiah 39:8 and establishes the ruined condition described in Nehemiah 1:3. Jeremiah 5:10 also mirrors this pattern of targeted structural ruin as part of divine judgment.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge the complete collapse of Jerusalem's civic and sacred infrastructure. It demands a clear-eyed assessment of historical judgment without minimizing the physical reality of the city's fall.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 1:3 And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
- Jeremiah 5:10 Go up through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip off her branches, for they do not belong to the LORD.
- Jeremiah 39:8 The Chaldeans set fire to the palace of the king and to the houses of the people, and they broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 52:14 And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.