Jeremiah 39:3: Meaning Explained
And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo,...
All the Babylonian princes and officials came and sat in the city gate to show they had conquered Jerusalem.
What’s Happening Here
The Babylonian leadership took control of the city and sat in its central position of power.
Key Words
Why It Matters
The Babylonians symbolically took control by sitting in the place of power.
Did You Know?
In Bible times, sitting in the gate meant you had authority over the city.
Tradition Spectrum
Word Study
Frequently asked questions
What does Jeremiah 39:3 mean?
All the Babylonian princes and officials came and sat in the city gate to show they had conquered Jerusalem.
What is the context of Jeremiah 39:3?
The Babylonian leadership took control of the city and sat in its central position of power.
Why does Jeremiah 39:3 matter?
The Babylonians symbolically took control by sitting in the place of power.
What's a surprising detail about Jeremiah 39:3?
In Bible times, sitting in the gate meant you had authority over the city.
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]
People in Jeremiah 39:3
Places in Jeremiah 39:3
Commentary on Jeremiah 39:3
[Daniel 7:1] "In the first year of Belshazzar, King of Babylon, Daniel beheld a dream. And a vision of his head upon his bed. And when he wrote the dream down, he comprehended it in a few words and gave a brief summary of it, saying..." This section which we now undertake to explain, and also the subsequent section which we are going to discuss, is historically prior to the two previous sections. For this present section and that which follows it are recorded to have taken place in the first and third years of the reign of King Belshazzar (Jeremiah 39) [Jerome's citation of Jeremiah 39 seems quite pointless in this connection]. But the section which we read previously to the one just precedi…