The Meaning of 2 Chronicles 36:20 Explained

2 Chronicles 36:20

KJV: And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

YLT: And he removeth those left of the sword unto Babylon, and they are to him and to his sons for servants, till the reigning of the kingdom of Persia,

Darby: And them that had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they became servants to him and his sons, until the reign of the kingdom of Persia;

ASV: And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And them that had escaped  from the sword  carried he away  to Babylon;  where they were servants  to him and his sons  until the reign  of the kingdom  of Persia: 

What does 2 Chronicles 36:20 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Chronicles 36:11-23 - Defeat And Exile
It is expressly stated in Ezekiel 17:13 that Nebuchadnezzar administered to Zedekiah an oath of fealty in the presence of Jehovah. Hence by his rebellion, he not only broke his promise to the king of Babylon, but profaned the name of God. It is in reference to this profanation of his oath that Zedekiah is addressed in Ezekiel 21:25, r.v., as "thou deadly wounded wicked one"¦ whose day is come."
It also appears from Ezekiel 8:1 that toward the close of this reign idolatrous rites of various kinds intruded upon the sacred precincts of the Temple. Hebrew women bewailed Tammuz; elders burned incense to the forms of beasts portrayed on the walls; and men, turning their backs on the sanctuary, worshiped the sun. There was no remedy but exile.
It had been distinctly predicted that if the Hebrew people disobeyed, their land should become a desolation, and their cities a waste, until the soil had enjoyed the rest which they had failed to give it. Compare Leviticus 25:4 with 26:34, 35. There was a point beyond which the divine judgment would not go. God loved the people whom he chastened; and since He hates putting away, the recreant nation, at the instigation of Cyrus, had one further opportunity of fulfilling their great mission to mankind.
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Chapter Summary: 2 Chronicles 36

1  Jehoahaz succeeding, is deposed by Pharaoh, and carried into Egypt
5  Jehoiakim reigning ill, is carried bound into Babylon
9  Jehoiachin succeeding, reigns ill, and is brought into Babylon
11  Zedekiah succeeding, reigns ill, despite the prophets, and rebels against Nebuchadnezzar
14  Jerusalem, for the sins of the priests and the people, is wholly destroyed
22  The proclamation of Cyrus

What do the individual words in 2 Chronicles 36:20 mean?

And he carried away those who escaped from the sword to Babylon and where they became to him and his sons servants until the rule of the kingdom of Persia
וַיֶּ֛גֶל הַשְּׁאֵרִ֥ית מִן־ הַחֶ֖רֶב אֶל־ בָּבֶ֑ל וַֽיִּהְיוּ־ ל֤וֹ וּלְבָנָיו֙ לַעֲבָדִ֔ים עַד־ מְלֹ֖ךְ מַלְכ֥וּת פָּרָֽס

וַיֶּ֛גֶל  And  he  carried  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּלָה  
Sense: to uncover, remove.
הַשְּׁאֵרִ֥ית  those  who  escaped 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
הַחֶ֖רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
בָּבֶ֑ל  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.
וַֽיִּהְיוּ־  and  where  they  became 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
ל֤וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
וּלְבָנָיו֙  and  his  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
לַעֲבָדִ֔ים  servants 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
עַד־  until 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
מְלֹ֖ךְ  the  rule 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: מָלַךְ 
Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
מַלְכ֥וּת  of  the  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מַלְכוּת  
Sense: royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom, sovereign power.
פָּרָֽס  of  Persia 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: פָּרַס  
Sense: the empire Persia; encompassed the territory from India on the east to Egypt and Thrace on the west, and included, besides portions of Europe and Africa, the whole of western Asia between the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Caspian and the Jaxartes on the north, the Arabian desert, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean on the south.