Chapter 24

Melachim ב (Kings II (A Teachers' Guide

 

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Chapter 24

Verse 1:

בימיו עלה נבוכדנאצר מלך בבל ויהי לו יהויקים עבד שלוש שנים וישב וימרוד בו

בימיו עלה נבוכדנאצר

This was in the fourth year of the reign of Yehoyakim, which was the first year of the reign of Nevuchadnetzar. (Malbim)

Verse 2:

וישלח ה' בו את גדודי כשדים ואת גדודי ארם ואת גדודי מואב ואת גדודי בני עמון וישלחם ביהודה להאבידו כדבר ה' אשר דיבר ביד עבדיו הנביאים

וישלח ה'

1.    Hashem gave these phalanxes of Casdim, Aram, Moav and Amon, the idea of attacking Yehudah. (Metzudat David)

 

2.*  These groups came at the request of Nevuchadnetzar, and Hashem encouraged them to agree to this request. (Radak)

וישלחם ביהודה להאבידו

1.*  After listing the participants in the war, the main point of the sentence is repeated - that Hashem sent all these nations to destroy Yehudah. (Metzudat David)

 

2.*  The destruction wrought by these gedudim was a punishment for all the evil Yehudah had committed. Hashem no longer wanted to forgive. (Radak)

Verse 3:

אך על פי ה' היתה ביהודה להסיר מעל פניו בחטאות מנשה ככל אשר עשה

אך על פי ה' היתה להסיר מעל פניו בחטאות מנשה

1.    The impending victory of the enemies of Israel was due to Hashem willing it - and not to the strength of the enemies. (Metzudat David)

 

2.*  The destruction was decreed before the time of Yehoyakim - in the time of Menasheh. (Radak)

Verse 4:

וגם דם הנקי אשר שפך וימלא את ירושלים דם נקי ולא אבה ה' לסלוח

וגם דם הנקי אשר שפך וימלא את ירושלים דם נקי

1.    In the time of Menasheh, the people became indifferent to the spilling of innocent blood, and treated the idea of murder lightly. Thus, Menasheh was the one who had caused the people to become murderers. (Metzudat David)

 

2.    This verse is a referring to Yehoyakim, not to Menasheh. Yehoyakim wore kil'ayim (wool and linen together), had relations with his mother and with his mother-in-law, killed the prophets of the Baal, raped their wives and stole their money. (Me'am Lo'ez)

ולא אבה ה' לסלוח

Hashem could not forgive the people when they continued the terrible practices of Menasheh. (Metzudat David)

Verse 6:

וישכב יהויקים עם אבותיו וימלוך יהויכין בנו תחתיו

וישכב יהויקים עם אבותיו

It does not say that he was buried, as it says with the other kings. In Divrei Hayamim II 36:6 we learn that he was dragged to Babylon in chains and died on the way, never receiving a proper burial. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Yirmiyahu (see Yirmiyahu 22:18-19). (Rashi, Metzudat David)

Verse 7:

ולא הוסיף עוד מלך מצרים לצאת מארצו כי לקח מלך בבל מנחל מצרים עד נהר פרת כל אשר היתה למלך מצרים

ולא הוסיף עוד מלך מצרים לצאת מארצו

The king of Egypt did not come to appoint a new king, as he had appointed Yehoyakim (see Melachim II 23:34). (Metzudat David)

 

In the popular imagination, the destruction of the kingdom of Yehudah is a one-time, cataclysmic event, involving the burning of the Temple. In this chapter, we see that it was a process of decline that went on for many years, with Yehudah losing its independence and its riches in several stages.

 

The students can list the stages as a homework assignment.

Verses 8-12:

בן שמונה עשרה שנה יהויכין במלכו ושלושה חודשים מלך בירושלים... ויעש הרע בעיני ה'... בעת ההיא עלו עבדי נבוכדנאצר מלך בבל ירושלים ותבוא העיר במצור...

ויצא יהויכין מלך יהודה על מלך בבל הוא ואמו ועבדיו ושריו וסריסיו ויקח אותו מלך בבל בשנת שמונה למלכו

ויצא יהויכין מלך יהודה על מלך בבל

Yehoyachin surrendered to Nevuchadnetzar, assuming that a submissive attitude would cause him to deal with him mercifully. (Metzudat David)

ויקח אותו מלך בבל

Nevuchadnetzar removed Yehoyachin from his throne, because he was afraid that he would rebel against him, like his father Yehoyakim had. (Radak)

Verse 13:

ויוצא משם את כל אוצרות בית ה' ואוצרות בית המלך ויקצץ את כל כלי הזהב אשר עשה שלמה מלך ישראל בהיכל ה' כאשר דיבר ה'

ויקצץ את כל כלי הזהב

Nevuchadnetzar stripped away all the gold in the temple. (Metzudat David)

Verse 14:

והגלה את כל ירושלים ואת כל השרים ואת כל גיבורי החיל עשרת אלפים גולה וכל החרש והמסגר לא נשאר זולת דלת עם הארץ

וכל החרש והמסגר

1.         These were the craftsmen and the guards of the gates. (Metzudat David)

           

       Masger is understood as coming from the verb sagar - to close - meaning the ones who would close the gates at the appropriate times. (Metzudat David)

 

2.    These were the scholars and sages of that generation. (Rashi)

      

       When a sage would open his mouth to speak, everyone would be silent, in order to listen to his words of wisdom. Hence, the sage is called harash, from the root heresh - to be silent. The lesson would be so thorough that once  it was completed, the subject was closed. Hence - masger. (Rashi)

 

It was a chesed of Hashem that he exiled the scholars before the rest of the people. They were able to establish vibrant centers of Torah, and have them ready for the rest of the people when they were exiled later. (Me'am Lo'ez)

Verse 15:

ויגל את יהויכין בבלה ואת אם המלך ואת נשי המלך ואת סריסיו ואת אילי הארץ הוליך גולה מירושלים בבלה

ואת אילי הארץ

These were the powerful officers of the king. (Metzudat Zion)

Verse 16:

ואת כל אנשי החיל שבעת אלפים והחרש והמסגר אלף הכל גיבורים עושי מלחמה ויביאם מלך בבל גולה בבלה

ואת כל אנשי החיל שבעת אלפים

In verse 14 it said that there were ten thousand exiled. The contradiction between these two verses is resolved by a third verse - in Yirmiyahu 52:28: The total number of the exiled was ten thousand. Three thousand were from the tribe of Yehudah, and the other seven thousand were from the tribe of Binyamin and from other tribes. (Rashi)

והחרש והמסגר אלף

These one thousand people were not included in the overall figure of ten thousand mentioned before. (Radak)

הכל גיבורים עושי מלחמה

It is difficult to understand what acts of valor these people could have performed as they were being exiled. So we can only say that it must mean that they were strong in their Torah studies (see Tehillim 103:20). (Mussar Hanevi'im, Radak)

Verse 17:

וימלך מלך בבל את מתניה דודו תחתיו ויסב את שמו צדקיהו

ויסב את שמו צדקיהו

1.    By renaming Matanyah Tzidkiyahu (from tzedek - justice), Nevuchadnetzar was warning him that Hashem would judge him harshly if he would contemplate rebelling against Babylon. (Rashi)

 

2.*  The name Matanyah hints that his kingship comes from Hashem. Nevuchadnetzar wanted him to realize that his kingship was coming from Nevuchadnetzar. (Me'am Lo'ez)

Verse 19:

ויעש הרע בעיני ה' ככל אשר עשה יהויקים

ויעש הרע בעיני ה'

Tzidkiyahu was a righteous person (tzadik), but his generation was wicked. His only fault was that he did not listen to Yirmiyahu the prophet, and therefore rebelled against Babylon (see Divrei Hayamim 36:12). (Malbim)

Verse 20:

כי על אף ה' היתה בירושלים וביהודה עד השליכו אותם מעל פניו וימרוד צדקיהו במלך בבל

כי על אף ה' היתה בירושלים

1.    Hashem was so angry at the people, that he encouraged them to rebel against Babylon, so that the city would be destroyed. (Metzudat David)

 

2.*  The decree of destruction was sealed because of the sins of the people of that generation. (Malbim)

וימרוד צדקיהו במלך בבל

1.* Tzidkiyahu's act of rebellion was that he had dined once with Nevuchadnetzar and had watched with disgust while Nevuchadnetzar ate a live rabbit. Nevuchadnetzar made Tzidkiyahu swear never to reveal this secret. Tzidkiyahu did indeed swear, but later he had his oath annulled, and told other kings of what he had seen. (Mussar Hanevi'im)

 

       Tzidkiyahu told the other kings of this, not in order to ridicule Nevuchadnetzar, but in order to warn them about his cruel personality. (Mussar Hanevi'im)

 

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