Bible Strands
Jeremiah 52:9
The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Chaldean soldiers have just captured King Zedekiah after his army fled at the plains of Jericho, and they are transporting him to Riblah in the land of Hamath.
The words — The text uses וַֽיִּתְפְּשׂוּ (va/i.yit.pe.Su) for "seized" and וַיַּעֲלֻ (va/i.ya.'a.Lu) for "brought up," marking the physical capture and forced relocation of the king.
The thread — This capture sequence parallels the earlier account in Jeremiah 39:5 and connects geographically to the northern boundary markers in Numbers 13:21 and Joshua 13:5.
Why it lands — The verse records the concrete transfer of political authority from a captured Judahite monarch to the Babylonian sovereign, establishing the factual basis for the subsequent execution recorded in Jeremiah 52:10.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.
Cross-references
- Numbers 13:21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo-hamath.
- Jeremiah 39:5 But 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.
- Joshua 13:5 the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath.
- 2 Kings 25:6 The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.
- Numbers 34:11 then go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Chinnereth.
- 1 Kings 8:65 So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast before the LORD our God for seven days and seven more days—fourteen days in all.
- 2 Kings 23:33 And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he could not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
- 2 Chronicles 8:3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it.
- 2 Chronicles 33:11 So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 32:4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.