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dence and the Babylonians with empire. The essential power of the empire had passed to the Babylonians before their success was finally crowned by the capture of Nineveh. Dr. Hales accordingly shews that it was in the first year of the reign of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, and the first of the siege of Nineveh, that Nebuchadnezzar (here called king' by anticipation, or as being associated with his father in the kingdom) was sent west of the Euphrates to chastise the nations who had revolted during the disorders of Assyria, and bring them back to their obedience. In this he succeeded: and it was during the three years in which Jehoiakim remained 'his servant,' that Nineveh was taken by the confederate Medes and Babylonians; during this period also Nabopolassar died, and was succeeded by his victorious son; so that the year of Jehoiakim's revolt was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, which commenced in 604 B.C., and ended in 561-making a long and prosperous reign of forty-three years. This sketch, though necessarily rapid, will suffice to indicate the connection between the sacred and profane history of this period. [APPENDIX, No. 56.]

16. All the men of might.-This is evidently a supplementary account to that in verse 14. We think the total may be thus summed up: chiefs and warriors, 10,000; persons of property ('men of might'), 7000; craftsmen and smiths, 1000; total, 18,000. That persons of property are denoted by men of might,' is clear from the distinction in this and the 14th verse. The word rendered might' is chayil, which, although it primarily denotes military force, also expresses wealth and property, and is so rendered by our translation in Gen. xxxiv. 29; Deut. viii. 17; Ruth iv. 11; Job xx. 15; and elsewhere. This enumeration is of great importance, as shewing that, under such deportations as have been mentioned, the land was by no means depopulated; the flower of the population only being carried into captivity. Reason indeed might shew this, as a depopulated country could be of little value to its conqueror. Those only were taken whose influence or wealth might enable them to organize a revolt or opposition; or whose property or skill rendered their presence an important acquisition to the dominant country.

CHAPTER XXV.

1 Jerusalem is besieged. 4 Zedekiah taken, his sons

slain, and his eyes put out. 8 Nebuzar-adan defaceth the city, carrieth the remnant, except a few poor labourers, into captivity, 13 spoileth and carrieth away the treasures. 18 The nobles are slain at

Riblah. 22 Gedaliah, who was set over them that remained, being slain, the rest flee into Egypt. 27 Evil-merodach advanceth Jehoiachin in his court.

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.

2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the

land.

4 T And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.

5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho and all his army were scattered from him.

6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.

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7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and 'put out the eyes of

Jer. 39. 1, and 52. 4.
2 Jer. 52, 6.
6 Heb. fallen away.

Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

8 ¶ And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, 'captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:

9 And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.

10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.

11 Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carry away.

12 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

13 And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.

14 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.

15 And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.

Heb. spake judgment with him.

7 Chap. 20. 17. Jer. 27. 22.

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16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

17 The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work.

18 T And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the 1° door:

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vernor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

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26 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.

27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;

29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.

30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.

19 Heb. threshold. 14 Jer. 40. 3, 9. 15 Jer. 40. 7. 18 Heb. good things with hin.

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CHAP. XXV.-A very brief summary of the leading facts of this chapter is given in five verses (17-21) of the last chapter of 2 Chron. But the whole chapter is repeated, almost identically, in the last chapter of Jeremiah, to which we may refer for some illustrative notes. The passage, however, contained in verses 22--26, is not in that chapter; but these verses are found in other parts of Jeremiah, to which the margin refers, with other particulars not found in this place, and for which therefore we reserve such elucidatory statements as may be necessary.

Verse 7. Put out the eyes of Zedekiah.'-See the notes on Judges ix. 5; and Ezek. xii. 13. This was no doubt not only to punish him, as in the case of Samson (Judg. xvi. 21), but to incapacitate him from ever again ascending the throne. It was an ancient and still subsisting law in Persia that no blind person can reign, and it seems to have been the practice, if not dictated by law, in other aucient countries. It is on this account that it has long in

Persia been the custom to deprive of sight the brothers and near relatives of a new king whom the odious policy of the government desires to exclude from all chance and hope of mounting the throne. The present Shah has been almost the first to break through this custom, as a matter of state, although his succession was not altogether unstained by some instances of this behaviour; but blinding is still a common punishment for offences, especially such as are of a political character. In Turkey the princes were formerly on the same grounds put to death instead of being blinded: and the Persians have been known to vindicate the humanity and policy of their own usage by the comparison which the custom of their neighbours afforded; as they thus avoided the sin of shedding innocent blood; and the danger was obviated of rendering the dynasty extinct in case those who were not slain should die without children-a danger to which certainly the Ottoman dynasty has more than once been exposed. From the phrases employed it would seem as if, in the Scriptural

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