Melakhim II Chapter 25 | The Destruction

Sefer Melakhim’s narrative is a frustrating one. The book begins with Shlomo's glorious reign, the construction of Jerusalem and the Temple adorned with its magnificent bronze vessels, but ends in our chapter with the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, the exile of the people, and the breaking of the bronze pillars, the Molten Sea, and the stands. In between, there is a gradual and relentless process of deterioration in both kingdoms of the Israelites, culminating in the exile of each in turn. Yet, the book concludes on a note of faint optimism: Evvil Merodakh, the king of Babylon after Nevukhadnetzar, releases Yehoyakhin from prison and grants him honor in his royal court.

Let us recall the situation during the reign of Tzidkiyahu: Yehoyakhin and Jerusalem's leadership had already been exiled to Babylon. Tzidkiyahu (Yehoyakhin's uncle, the brother of Yehoyakim, and the son of Yoshiyahu) was appointed king by the Babylonian king, who even changed his name. The implication is clear: Tzidkiyahu was meant to be a puppet ruler under the Babylonian Empire.

When examining Sefer Yirmeyahu, we find that during this period, a central debate between the prophets and the people revolved around the attitude toward subjugation to the Babylonian king. Through Yirmeyahu, God tells the people to submit to the king of Babylon and accept his rule. Meanwhile, the false prophets urge resistance and rebellion against Babylon, convinced that its downfall is imminent. Avraham Malamat (see the full article here) suggests that Jerusalem was divided into two factions at the time. The anti-Babylon faction refused to accept Yehoyakhin's exile as a reality, considering him the true king of Yehuda despite his exile to Babylon. They believed in Babylon's imminent fall and Yehoyakhin's return to the throne. This perspective is reflected, for example, in the words of Chanania ben Azur, the false prophet: “I will return Yekhonya son of Yehoyakim, king of Yehuda, and all of Yehuda’s exiles who have gone to Babylon, to this place – declares the Lord” (Yirmeyahu 28:4).

Yirmeyahu, in contrast, emphasizes that the remaining hope for the Kingdom of Yehuda lies specifically through Tzidkiyahu. In the chapter where Yirmeyahu reviews the crimes of Yehuda's last kings, he concludes with hope through Tzidkiyahu: “Days are soon approaching, declares the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous scion for David. He will reign as king and prosper and dispense justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Yehuda will be saved, and Israel will dwell in safety. And this is the name by which the Lord will call him: ‘Our Righteous One’” (Yirmeyahu 23:5–6). This aligns with the prophetic message: the people must submit to the king of Babylon, and thus any salvation — if it comes — will be through Babylon’s puppet king, Tzidkiyahu. Even after the significant exile of Yehoyakhin, there may have been hope for new growth among those remaining in the land, under Tzidkiyahu’s leadership. Ultimately, however, Tzidkiyahu defied the prophet’s command and rebelled against the king of Babylon, resulting in his exile as well. (Rav Yossi Elitzur examines how Tzidkiyahu transitioned from a harbinger of hope to one whose kingdom is completely destroyed.).

A very similar process unfolds in the story of Gedalya: the Babylonians leave a remnant of the population in the land under Gedalya’s leadership. God expected them to accept the rule of Babylon, which might have led to some form of salvation. In Sefer Yirmeyahu, we hear that Gedalya’s leadership did indeed stir hope among the people: “Gedalyahu son of Achikam son of Shafan promised them and their men... Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and all will be well for you... Likewise, when all the people of Yehuda who were in Moav and among the Amonites and in Edom and in all other lands heard that the king of Babylon had granted a remnant in Yehuda... all the people of Yehuda returned from all the places where they had been dispersed and came to land of Yehuda, to Gedalyahu in Mitzpa” (Yirmeyahu 40:9–12). The assassination of Gedalya extinguished even this hope. After Gedalya’s murder, Yirmeyahu, in God’s name, commanded the remaining people to stay in the land, but they did not heed his warning and fled to Egypt. Thus, the final chapter of Yehuda’s residents in the land of Israel came to an end.

Interestingly, at the conclusion of Sefer Melakhim, it is Yehoyakhin who receives a small measure of salvation, while Tzidkiyahu’s lineage is cut off. The salvation of Yehoyakhin would carry great significance for future generations: at the beginning of the Second Temple period, we encounter the leader Zerubavel son of She’altiel, who is a descendant of Yehoyakhin (see Divrei HaYamim I 3:10–20).