And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

2 KINGS 25:7KJV
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2 Kings 25:7 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 25:7 mean?

2 Kings 25:7 describes the harsh punishment of Zedekiah, Judah’s king, after the Babylonians captured him. His sons were killed in front of him, and he was blinded, bound, and taken to Babylon. The verse marks the end of his rule and his removal from Judah.

The order of events is especially cruel: Zedekiah was forced to watch his sons die before his eyes were put out. Coming after the sentence pronounced against him in verse 6, the account shows that the Babylonians carried out their judgment against both the king and his family.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 25:7

  • “fetters of brass” — נְחֻשְׁתַּיִם (neḥushtayim): The Hebrew word refers to bronze or copper restraints. The single Hebrew term can describe a pair of shackles, while the KJV uses “fetters of brass” to make the restraint and its material clear.

Why 2 Kings 25:7 matters

  • The punishment reached beyond Zedekiah himself. The death of his sons meant that his immediate family also suffered when he lost his throne.
  • The account distinguishes capture from exile. Zedekiah was judged at Riblah in verse 6, but verse 7 ends with his being carried away to Babylon.
  • The verse helps explain two later descriptions of Zedekiah’s fate. Jeremiah 32:4 says he would see Babylon’s king, while Ezekiel 12:13 says he would be brought to Babylon but would not see it. In 2 Kings, Zedekiah meets the king before being blinded and taken away.

Where else these words appear

“out” Hebrew H5786 · used in 5 verses

  • Exodus 23:8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
  • Deuteronomy 16:19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
  • Jeremiah 39:7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.

“Zedekiah” Hebrew H6667 · used in 62 verses

  • 1 Kings 22:11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.
  • Jeremiah 28:1 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,
  • Jeremiah 38:14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

“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 33:11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

“slew” Hebrew H7819 · used in 70 verses

  • Genesis 22:10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
  • Leviticus 9:8 Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.
  • 2 Kings 10:7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.