◄ 2 Kings 24:13 ►
As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD.
Study Bible
As the LORD had declared
This phrase emphasizes the fulfillment of God's prophetic word. The destruction and plundering of Jerusalem were foretold by prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 39:6; Jeremiah 25:9). It underscores the sovereignty of God in history and His faithfulness to His word, even in judgment. This serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the certainty of divine prophecy.

Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was used as an instrument of God's judgment against Judah. The treasures of the temple and the royal palace represented the wealth and glory of Israel, now taken as spoils of war. This act fulfilled the warnings given to Hezekiah by Isaiah (2 Kings 20:17). The loss of these treasures symbolizes the departure of God's blessing and presence from the nation due to their unfaithfulness.

and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD
The gold articles crafted by Solomon were significant, representing the height of Israel's spiritual and material prosperity (1 Kings 7:48-50). Their destruction signifies the end of an era and the dismantling of the temple's sanctity. This act of desecration highlights the severity of Judah's fall and serves as a type of Christ, as Jesus later speaks of the temple's destruction and His own body as the true temple (John 2:19-21). The cutting into pieces of these sacred items also reflects the complete and utter devastation brought upon Jerusalem, fulfilling the dire prophecies of judgment.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Nebuchadnezzar
The king of Babylon who besieged Jerusalem and carried away its treasures. His actions were a fulfillment of God's judgment against Judah.

2. The House of the LORD
Refers to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, a central place of worship for the Israelites, which was desecrated and plundered by Nebuchadnezzar.

3. Solomon
The king of Israel who built the temple and crafted the gold articles for worship. His reign was marked by wisdom and prosperity, but also by eventual idolatry, which set the stage for future judgment.

4. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which faced God's judgment due to persistent idolatry and disobedience.

5. The Treasures
The valuable items from the temple and the king's palace, symbolizing the spiritual and material wealth of Judah, which were taken to Babylon.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Judgment
The fulfillment of God's declaration through Nebuchadnezzar's actions reminds us that God is sovereign over nations and history. His judgments are just and certain.

The Consequences of Disobedience
Judah's idolatry and failure to heed prophetic warnings led to severe consequences. This serves as a warning to remain faithful and obedient to God's commands.

The Temporary Nature of Earthly Treasures
The treasures of the temple, though once glorious, were taken and destroyed. This teaches us to value eternal spiritual riches over temporary material wealth.

The Importance of Repentance
Judah's downfall underscores the need for genuine repentance and turning back to God to avoid spiritual and physical ruin.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the plundering of the temple illustrate the consequences of Judah's disobedience, and what can we learn from this about the importance of obedience to God?

2. In what ways does the account of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Jerusalem demonstrate God's sovereignty over nations and history?

3. Reflect on the temporary nature of the treasures taken from the temple. How can this perspective influence our priorities and values today?

4. Considering the prophetic warnings given to Judah, how can we be more attentive to God's guidance and correction in our own lives?

5. How does the account of Judah's judgment and exile connect with the broader biblical account of redemption and restoration through Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Chronicles 36:18-19
This passage provides a parallel account of the plundering of the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem, emphasizing the fulfillment of prophetic warnings.

Jeremiah 25:8-11
Jeremiah prophesied the Babylonian captivity as a consequence of Judah's disobedience, highlighting God's sovereignty and justice.

Daniel 1:1-2
Describes the beginning of the Babylonian exile and the taking of temple articles to Babylon, setting the stage for Daniel's account.
Sermons
WickednessDavid Thomas, D. D.2 Kings 24:1-16
The First General CaptivityJ. Orr 2 Kings 24:10-20
People
Elnathan, Hamutal, Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim, Jeremiah, Manasseh, Mattaniah, Moabites, Nebuchadnezzar, Nehushta, Solomon, Syrians, Zedekiah
Places
Babylon, Brook of Egypt, Egypt, Euphrates River, Jerusalem, Libnah
Topics
Articles, Bringeth, Carried, Cut, Cutteth, Cutting, Foretold, Gold, Goods, King's, Lord's, Nebuchadnezzar, Palace, Pieces, Removed, Royal, Solomon, Spoken, Stored, Store-house, Temple, Thence, Treasures, Vessels, Wealth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Kings 24:13

     5437   palaces
     5558   storing
     5591   treasure
     5594   tribute
     7467   temple, Solomon's

2 Kings 24:10-14

     1305   God, activity of

2 Kings 24:10-16

     1429   prophecy, OT fulfilment
     5214   attack

2 Kings 24:10-17

     4215   Babylon
     5272   craftsmen

2 Kings 24:10-20

     6026   sin, judgment on

Library
The Iranian Conquest
Drawn by Boudier, from the engraving in Coste and Flandin. The vignette, drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a statuette in terra-cotta, found in Southern Russia, represents a young Scythian. The Iranian religions--Cyrus in Lydia and at Babylon: Cambyses in Egypt --Darius and the organisation of the empire. The Median empire is the least known of all those which held sway for a time over the destinies of a portion of Western Asia. The reason of this is not to be ascribed to the shortness of its duration: …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9

Extracts No. vi.
[Here twelve pages or more of the objector's manuscript are omitted, as the nature of his arguments will pretty fully appear in the reply; and as he has been obliged to rescind the ground he had taken, it is not expedient to publish his remarks. That the reader may see a little of the manner, however, in which he has given up his part of the argument, the following is inserted.] "Speaking however on the evidences of revelation, you have stated some things worthy of serious consideration; which if …
Hosea Ballou—A Series of Letters In Defence of Divine Revelation

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire from 745 to 722 B. C.
TIGLATH-PILESER III. AND THE ORGANISATION OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE FROM 745 to 722 B.C. FAILURE OF URARTU AND RE-CONQUEST Of SYRIA--EGYPT AGAIN UNITED UNDER ETHIOPIAN AUSPICES--PIONKHI--THE DOWNFALL OF DAMASCUS, OF BABYLON, AND OF ISRAEL. Assyria and its neighbours at the accession of Tiglath-pileser III.: progress of the Aramaeans in the basin of the Middle Tigris--Urartu and its expansion into the north of Syria--Damascus and Israel--Vengeance of Israel on Damascus--Jeroboam II.--Civilisation …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7

Whether Vengeance Should be Taken on those who have Sinned Involuntarily?
Objection 1: It seems that vengeance should be taken on those who have sinned involuntarily. For the will of one man does not follow from the will of another. Yet one man is punished for another, according to Ex. 20:5, "I am . . . God . . . jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation." Thus for the sin of Cham, his son Chanaan was curse (Gn. 9:25) and for the sin of Giezi, his descendants were struck with leprosy (4 Kings 5). Again the blood …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Greater Prophets.
1. We have already seen (Chap. 15, Nos. 11 and 12) that from Moses to Samuel the appearances of prophets were infrequent; that with Samuel and the prophetical school established by him there began a new era, in which the prophets were recognized as a distinct order of men in the Theocracy; and that the age of written prophecy did not begin till about the reign of Uzziah, some three centuries after Samuel. The Jewish division of the latter prophets--prophets in the more restricted sense of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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