Man living at the time of Divided Monarchy
Nebuzaradan, the captain of the Babylonian guard, oversaw the destruction of Jerusalem, the exile of its inhabitants, and the release of Jeremiah.
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Nebuzaradan was a high-ranking Babylonian military officer who served as the captain of the guard under King Nebuchadnezzar II. He played a significant role in the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Judeans to Babylon in 586 BC.
According to 2Ki.25.8-12 and Jer.52.12-16, Nebuzaradan arrived in Jerusalem approximately one month after the city had been captured by the Babylonian army. He was responsible for overseeing the destruction of the city, including the burning of the temple, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan also directed the demolition of the city walls, effectively ending Jerusalem's ability to defend itself.
Under Nebuzaradan's command, the majority of the population of Jerusalem was exiled to Babylon (2Ki.25.11; Jer.39.9; 52.15). He carried away the treasures and valuable items from the temple and the royal palace, as well as the skilled craftsmen and artisans (2Ki.25.13-17; Jer.52.17-23). Only the poorest of the land were left behind to work as vinedressers and farmers (2Ki.25.12; Jer.39.10; 52.16).
Nebuzaradan was also involved in the fate of several prominent figures in Jerusalem. He executed Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and other officials, as recorded in 2Ki.25.18-21 and Jer.52.24-27. However, he showed favor to the prophet Jeremiah, releasing him from confinement and offering him the choice to either go to Babylon or remain in Judah (Jer.39.11-14; 40.1-6).
In the years following the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuzaradan returned to Judah and carried out additional deportations to Babylon (Jer.52.30). He also played a role in the events surrounding Gedaliah, the appointed governor of Judah, and the assassination plot against him (Jer.41.10; 43.6).
As the captain of the guard, Nebuzaradan was a powerful and influential figure in the Babylonian military hierarchy. His actions in Jerusalem, including the destruction of the city, the exile of its inhabitants, and the treatment of key individuals, had a profound impact on the history of Judah and the Jewish people. His role in the biblical narrative serves to illustrate the severity of God's judgment against Judah and the fulfillment of prophetic warnings about the consequences of disobedience.
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“the captain of the guard,” in rank next to the king, who appears prominent in directing affairs at the capture of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:8-20; Jer. 39:11; 40:2-5). He showed kindness toward Jeremiah, as commanded by Nebuchadnezzar (40:1). Five years after this he again came to Jerusalem and carried captive seven hundred and forty-five more Jews.
(chief whom Nebo favors), the Rab-tabbachim i.e. chief of the slaughterers (Authorized Version “captain of the guard”), a high officer in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. On the capture of Jerusalem he was left by Nebuchadnezzar in charge of the city. Comp. (Jeremiah 39:11) He seems to have quitted Judea when he took down the chief people of Jerusalem to his master at Riblah. (2 Kings 25:18-20) In four years he again appeared. (Jeremiah 52:30) Nebuchadnezzar in his twenty-third year made a descent on the regions east of Jordan, including the Ammonites and Moabites, who escaped when Jerusalem was destroyed. Thence he proceeded to Egypt, and, either on the way thither or on the return, Nebuzaradan again passed through the country and carried off more captives. (Jeremiah 52:30)
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
15 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H5018
On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzarʼs reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried away to Babylon the remnant of the people who had remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to him.
But Nebuzaradan left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who had no property, and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, saying,
So Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and all the captains of the king of Babylon
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had released him at Ramah, having found him bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.
Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people of Mizpah—the daughters of the king along with all the others who remained in Mizpah—over whom Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set off to cross over to the Ammonites.
the men, the women, the children, the kingʼs daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had allowed to remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as well as Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah.
On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzarʼs reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the craftsmen.
But Nebuzaradan captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
in Nebuchadnezzarʼs twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried away 745 Jews. So in all, 4,600 people were taken away.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.