And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:

2 KINGS 25:20KJV
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2 Kings 25:20 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 25:20 mean?

2 Kings 25:20 describes how Nebuzaradan, the captain of the Babylonian guard, took certain people and brought them to the king of Babylon at a place called Riblah. This verse shows the process of Babylonian officials gathering important captives after Jerusalem’s fall.

The setting is after the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan, a high-ranking Babylonian officer, is carrying out orders to collect leaders and officials from the defeated city. Riblah was a military headquarters for the Babylonians, where the king of Babylon judged or dealt with prisoners. This verse highlights the organized removal of Judah’s leaders, marking a key moment in the exile.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 25:20

  • נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן (Nebuzaradan): This is the name of the Babylonian commander. His role as "captain of the guard" shows he had significant authority in Babylon’s military and administrative actions.
  • רַב (rav, "captain"): This word often means "chief" or "great one," emphasizing Nebuzaradan’s high rank.
  • טַבָּחִים (tabbachim, "guard"): Literally "butchers" or "slaughterers," this term is often used for the king’s bodyguard or executioners, suggesting these were not ordinary soldiers but elite guards responsible for important tasks.
  • רִבְלָה (Riblah): The location where the captives were brought. Riblah was a strategic site on the Orontes River, used by the Babylonians as a command center during their campaigns.

Why 2 Kings 25:20 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the removal of Judah’s leaders was not random violence but an organized process under Babylonian authority, showing the thoroughness of the conquest.
  • The mention of Riblah connects this event to earlier judgments and executions carried out there, making it a place of decision and often doom for captured leaders.
  • Understanding the roles and titles in the verse helps readers see the power structure at work and the seriousness of the Babylonian exile for Judah.

Where else these words appear

“Riblah” Hebrew H7247 · used in 11 verses

  • Numbers 34:11 And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:
  • 2 Kings 25:21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.
  • Jeremiah 52:9 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.

“Nebuzaradan” Hebrew H5018 · used in 15 verses

  • 2 Kings 25:8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
  • Jeremiah 39:11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,
  • Jeremiah 52:12 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,

“guard” Hebrew H2876 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 37:36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
  • 2 Kings 25:11 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 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.
  • Jeremiah 40:5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.