So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

JEREMIAH 52:5KJV
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Jeremiah 52:5 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 52:5 mean?

Jeremiah 52:5 states that Jerusalem was surrounded and cut off by enemy forces until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign. This verse marks the duration of the Babylonian siege that eventually led to the city’s fall.

The book of Jeremiah records the prophet’s account of Jerusalem’s final days before its destruction by Babylon. Here, the focus is on the relentless siege that began under King Zedekiah, Judah’s last king, showing how long the city endured before it was overtaken. This detail sets the stage for the coming disaster and highlights the seriousness of the situation faced by the people inside the city.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 52:5

  • The word for "besieged" is מָצוֹר (matsor), which refers to a military blockade or encirclement. This term emphasizes that Jerusalem was completely surrounded, cutting off supplies and escape.
  • The word for "city" is עִיר (ʿir), pointing specifically to Jerusalem in this context, the central place of worship and national identity for Judah.
  • The phrase "eleventh year" uses two Hebrew numbers: עַשְׁתֵּי (ʿashtei, "eleven") and עָשָׂר (ʿasar, "ten"), combined to indicate the exact year of Zedekiah’s reign, giving a precise historical marker.

Why Jeremiah 52:5 matters

  • This verse clarifies the length and intensity of the Babylonian siege, helping readers understand the suffering and desperation inside Jerusalem before its fall.
  • By naming the eleventh year of Zedekiah, Jeremiah 52:5 ties the event to a specific moment in Judah’s history, connecting it to other biblical and historical records.
  • The verse sets up the following narrative, where the consequences of the siege—famine, breach of the walls, and exile—are described, showing the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s earlier warnings.

Where else these words appear

“eleventh” Hebrew H6249 · used in 18 verses

  • Exodus 26:7 And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.
  • Numbers 29:20 And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish;
  • 1 Chronicles 27:14 The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.

“besieged” Hebrew H4692 · used in 25 verses

  • Deuteronomy 20:19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down(for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:
  • 2 Chronicles 11:5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.
  • Ezekiel 4:7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

“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 27:12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
  • Jeremiah 38:5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.