Jeremiah 39:2
And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up.
Original Language Analysis
עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה
H6240
עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה
Strong's:
H6240
Word #:
2 of 10
ten (only in combination), i.e., -teen; also (ordinal) -teenth
Historical Context
The siege began in January 588 BC (Jeremiah 39:1, 52:4) and lasted 18 months. Jerusalem's population faced starvation (Lamentations 4:9-10). The summer breach came during the month of Tammuz, later commemorated in Jewish fasting. Babylonian siege tactics involved building ramps and battering rams against fortified walls until structural collapse.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's precise fulfillment of prophecy strengthen your confidence in His promises?
- What 'protective walls' in your life might God allow to be breached to bring you back to covenant faithfulness?
- How does the fall of Jerusalem point forward to Christ as the true and final Temple (John 2:19-21)?
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Analysis & Commentary
In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up (הָעִיר הָבְקָעָה, ha'ir hovqe'ah)—The precise dating (July 18, 586 BC) underscores the historical reliability of Scripture and the exactness of God's prophetic timetable. The verb baqa (בָּקַע) means 'to split, breach, cleave'—Jerusalem's walls were literally ripped open after an 18-month siege. This fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecies (21:10, 32:28-29, 34:2) and Moses' covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:52).
Zedekiah's eleventh year parallels Nebuchadnezzar's nineteenth year (52:12), marking the end of the Davidic monarchy until Christ. The breach of Jerusalem's walls symbolizes the breach of covenant—Israel's protective hedge removed due to persistent rebellion against God's word through His prophets.