Jeremiah 21:7

Analysis & Commentary

And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine—the phrase 'and afterward' (ve'acharei-chen, וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן) indicates sequential judgment: first pestilence will devastate the population (v. 6), then survivors will face captivity. Those who survive the siege's horrors—sword, famine, pestilence—face an even more specific fate. Into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life—the triple repetition 'into the hand' (beyad, בְּיַד) emphasizes complete subjugation with no escape. The phrase 'those that seek their life' (mevakshei naphsham, מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם) indicates active pursuit to kill, not merely imprison.

And he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy—the Hebrew piles up negatives: lo yachmol (לֹא־יַחְמֹל, no sparing), velo yachus (וְלֹא־יָחוֹס, no pity), velo yerachem (וְלֹא יְרַחֵם, no mercy). Three terms for compassion are systematically denied. This reverses God's self-description as compassionate and merciful (Exodus 34:6-7) by declaring His chosen instrument—pagan Nebuchadnezzar—will show none. This was precisely fulfilled: Zedekiah witnessed his sons' execution before his eyes were gouged out, then was taken in chains to Babylon (2 Kings 25:6-7). Judah's leadership who rejected mercy from God received no mercy from Babylon.

Historical Context

The prophecy's fulfillment is documented in 2 Kings 25:6-21. After Jerusalem's walls were breached in 586 BC, Zedekiah fled but was captured near Jericho. Nebuchadnezzar executed Zedekiah's sons at Riblah (a Babylonian military headquarters in Syria), then blinded Zedekiah and took him to Babylon, where he died in prison (Jeremiah 52:11). The nobility and priests were systematically executed—2 Kings 25:18-21 lists specific officials killed at Riblah. Archaeological evidence from Tel Lachish and other Judean sites shows widespread destruction circa 586 BC, with burn layers, arrowheads, and evidence of violent conquest. The Babylonian policy was harsh toward rebels: Zedekiah had sworn loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar but broke his oath, making his punishment exemplary. The brutality served Babylon's imperial strategy—deterring other vassal states from rebellion. Ezekiel 17:16-20 emphasizes that Zedekiah's oath-breaking, not merely political rebellion, triggered God's judgment: covenant fidelity mattered even in international treaties.

Questions for Reflection

• How does the systematic denial of mercy (no sparing, no pity, no mercy) illustrate the principle that those who reject God's mercy ultimately face judgment without mercy (James 2:13)?
• What does the specific fulfillment of Zedekiah's fate teach about the certainty of God's prophetic word, even when it pronounces judgment?