Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

2 CHRONICLES 36:6KJV
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2 Chronicles 36:6 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 36:6 mean?

2 Chronicles 36:6 describes how Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came against the king of Judah and captured him, binding him in chains to take him away to Babylon. This verse records a turning point where the Babylonian empire asserts control over Judah by removing its king.

The verse is part of a summary of the final days of the kingdom of Judah. The Chronicler, writing to the people of Israel, is recounting how King Jehoiakim was overpowered by Nebuchadnezzar. The mention of being bound in "fetters" and carried to Babylon highlights the humiliation and loss of independence for Judah at the hands of a foreign power.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 36:6

  • "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר, nᵊvukhadnetzar): This is the famous Babylonian king known for his conquests and for taking captives from Judah. His name signals the shift in power from Judah to Babylon.
  • "bound" (אָסַר, ʼasar): This word means to tie up or imprison. It emphasizes that Jehoiakim was not just defeated but physically restrained, showing total loss of power.
  • "fetters" (נְחֻשְׁתַּיִם, nᵊkhushtayim): This word refers specifically to bronze or copper shackles. The use of metal chains underlines the harshness of Jehoiakim’s captivity.
  • "carry" (יָלַךְ, yalak): This verb means to go or to bring. Here, it stresses the forced removal of the king from his land to Babylon, not a voluntary journey.

Why 2 Chronicles 36:6 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Judah’s downfall was not just political but involved personal humiliation for its king, showing the seriousness of Babylon’s dominance.
  • The detail about binding in "fetters" helps readers picture the severity of exile and the loss of royal dignity, not just a change in leadership.
  • By naming Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon, the verse connects Judah’s story to the larger history of empires and sets up the context for the exile, which is a major theme in the rest of the chapter and the Hebrew Bible.

Where else these words appear

“Nebuchadnezzar” Hebrew H5019 · used in 59 verses

  • 2 Kings 24:1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.
  • Jeremiah 25:9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
  • Jeremiah 44:30 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.

“bound” Hebrew H631 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 39:20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
  • Judges 15:13 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
  • 2 Chronicles 13:3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.

“fetters” Hebrew H5178 · used in 119 verses

  • Genesis 4:22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
  • Deuteronomy 8:9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.
  • 1 Chronicles 22:16 Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be with thee.