Question 1

What is happening in this passage about Jerusalem and Zedekiah?

Accepted Answer

This passage describes the last days of Jerusalem under King Zedekiah. The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, brings his whole army and surrounds the city. They stay there for about two years, cutting off supplies and slowly starving the people. When the famine becomes so bad there is no bread left, the enemy breaks through the city wall. Zedekiah and his soldiers try to escape at night through a gate near the king’s garden, but the Babylonian army chases them, catches the king near Jericho, and takes him to their own king for judgment.

Question 2

Who are the Chaldeans and why are they attacking Jerusalem?

Accepted Answer

The Chaldeans here are the Babylonian forces serving under King Nebuchadnezzar. They attack Jerusalem because Judah’s king, Zedekiah, had rebelled against Babylon even though he had been put on the throne by them and had sworn loyalty. Babylon already controlled the land around Jerusalem, so when Zedekiah resisted, they came against the city, built siege works all around it, and decided not to leave until they had taken it. Through this God’s earlier warnings of judgment on Judah’s sin came to pass in a very public and painful way.

Question 3

Why was there such a severe famine in Jerusalem during the siege?

Accepted Answer

The famine comes because the Babylonian army surrounds the city so tightly that no food can get in and no one can go out to gather supplies. This goes on for a long time, from the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign until the eleventh. At first people can ration what they have, but in time the food runs out and the famine “prevails,” meaning hunger takes over the city. The passage and related prophecies point to this as a hard judgment on the people, who had enjoyed plenty before but had turned from God.

Question 4

Why did Zedekiah and his men try to flee, and what happened when they did?

Accepted Answer

When the city wall is finally broken and the Babylonians pour in, Zedekiah and the soldiers see that they can no longer defend Jerusalem. They try to escape at night, slipping out through a gate between two walls near the king’s garden, hoping to reach the open plain and get away. But fleeing does not save them. The Babylonian army hears of it, chases them, and catches Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. His army scatters from him, and he is left alone to face his enemy, showing that his own strength and plans cannot rescue him.

Question 5

What does it mean that judgment was given on Zedekiah at Riblah?

Accepted Answer

After Zedekiah is captured, he is taken to Riblah, where the Babylonian king is staying with his court and military leaders. There they “gave judgment upon him,” meaning he is formally tried and sentenced for his rebellion. He had broken his oath of loyalty and resisted the power that had set him up as king. The harsh sentence that follows, including the death of his sons, the loss of his eyesight, and being bound and carried away, shows both human justice for his revolt and God’s deeper judgment for long-standing unfaithfulness.

Question 6

Why were Zedekiah’s sons killed before his eyes and then his eyes put out?

Accepted Answer

This is one of the most painful parts of the story. Zedekiah’s sons are killed before him so that the last thing he ever sees is the end of his family line and his hope of future kings from his house. Then his eyes are put out so he will never see again. This makes his grief permanent and deepens his shame and helplessness. It also makes sure he cannot lead or plan any further rebellion. The passage shows how far judgment goes when a leader hardens his heart and will not listen to God’s warnings over time.

Question 7

What does this passage show about God’s judgment on sin and rebellion?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God’s patience does have an end when people and leaders keep turning away from him. For a long time, warnings had been given, but the people and their king kept going their own way. Finally, God allows a foreign power to break the city, bring famine, and remove the king. The fall of Jerusalem, the suffering of the people, and Zedekiah’s awful end all show that sin and broken promises are not small things. God is not quick to punish, but when he does, it is serious and cannot be escaped by human plans.

Question 8

How can this dark story about Jerusalem’s fall help readers today?

Accepted Answer

This story is hard to read, but it can still speak to us. It reminds us not to treat sin or stubbornness lightly, especially when God has warned us again and again. Zedekiah trusted in his own ideas and in human help instead of humbling himself and seeking God’s mercy, and it ended in disaster. Today, this passage can move us to take God’s words seriously, to turn back to him while there is time, and to understand that real safety is not in our own strength but in walking faithfully with him.

2 Kings 25:1

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.

Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem

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2 Kings 25:1

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.

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Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem

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