The Meaning of 2 Kings 25:1 Explained

2 Kings 25:1

KJV: And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.

YLT: And it cometh to pass, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth of the month, come hath Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, he and all his force, against Jerusalem, and encampeth against it, and buildeth against it a fortification round about.

Darby: And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built turrets against it round about.

ASV: And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass in the ninth  year  of his reign,  in the tenth  month,  in the tenth  [day] of the month,  [that] Nebuchadnezzar  king  of Babylon  came,  he, and all his host,  against Jerusalem,  and pitched  against it; and they built  forts  against it round about. 

What does 2 Kings 25:1 Mean?

Study Notes

tenth
i.e. January.

Context Summary

2 Kings 25:1-12 - The Captivity Made Complete
As the final catastrophe approaches, the historian becomes more minute in his dates, marking the month and the day. From Ezekiel 24:1 we gather that on the very day when the foe made his appearance before Jerusalem, the fact was revealed to Ezekiel in Babylon, and the fate of the city made clear. Jeremiah besought Zedekiah to submit, but to no purpose, Jeremiah 38:17. The siege lasted eighteen months, and its calamities may be gathered from Lamentations 2:20-21; Lamentations 4:3-20. Finally famine triumphed, Lamentations 4:8; Lamentations 4:10; Ezekiel 5:10. A third of the population perished of hunger and plague, Ezekiel 5:12.
Such is the divine judgment upon sin. God pleads long with man, but if man will not turn, then God whets His sword, and becomes terrible in His retribution. Amid all this catastrophe, however, we recall the tears of the book of Lamentations, like those of Jesus afterward. There is that in God which sorrows as He chastises, and causes Him to say, "How shall I make thee as Admah, and set thee as Zeboim?" Deuteronomy 29:23; Hosea 11:8. Notice how, in putting out the eyes of Zedekiah, two prophecies which appeared to be contradictory were reconciled and fulfilled, Jeremiah 32:5; Jeremiah 34:3; and Ezekiel 12:13. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 25

1  Jerusalem is besieged
4  Zedekiah taken, his sons slain, his eyes put out
8  Nebuzaradan defaces the city, exiles the remnant, except a few poor laborers;
13  and carries away the treasures
18  The nobles are slain at Riblah
22  Gedaliah, who was over those who remained, being slain, the rest flee into Egypt
27  Evil-Merodach advances Jehoiachin in his court

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 25:1 mean?

And it came to pass in year the ninth of his reign in the month tenth on the tenth [day] of the month [that] came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon he and all his army against Jerusalem and encamped against it and they built against it a siege wall all around
וַיְהִי֩ בִשְׁנַ֨ת הַתְּשִׁיעִ֜ית לְמָלְכ֗וֹ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי֮ בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ֒ בָּ֠א נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֨ר מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶ֜ל ה֧וּא וְכָל־ חֵיל֛וֹ עַל־ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם וַיִּ֣חַן עָלֶ֑יהָ וַיִּבְנ֥וּ עָלֶ֖יהָ דָּיֵ֥ק סָבִֽיב

וַיְהִי֩  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בִשְׁנַ֨ת  in  year 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
הַתְּשִׁיעִ֜ית  the  ninth 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal feminine singular
Root: תְּשִׁיעִי  
Sense: ninth (as ordinal number).
לְמָלְכ֗וֹ  of  his  reign 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מָלַךְ 
Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ  in  the  month 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
הָעֲשִׂירִי֮  tenth 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: עֲשִׂירִי  
Sense: ordinal number.
בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר  on  the  tenth  [day] 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָשֹׂור  
Sense: ten, decade.
לַחֹדֶשׁ֒  of  the  month 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
בָּ֠א  [that]  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֨ר  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר 
Sense: the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בָּבֶ֜ל  of  Babylon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
חֵיל֛וֹ  his  army 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חַיִל 
Sense: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
וַיִּ֣חַן  and  encamped 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָנָה  
Sense: to decline, incline, encamp, bend down, lay siege against.
עָלֶ֑יהָ  against  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וַיִּבְנ֥וּ  and  they  built 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּנָה  
Sense: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.
עָלֶ֖יהָ  against  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
דָּיֵ֥ק  a  siege  wall 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּיֵק  
Sense: bulwark, siege-wall, sidewall.
סָבִֽיב  all  around 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מוּסָב 
Sense: places round about, circuit, round about adv.