The Meaning of Jeremiah 39:3 Explained

Jeremiah 39:3

KJV: And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.

YLT: and come in do all the heads of the king of Babylon, and they sit at the middle gate, Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, chief of the eunuchs, Nergal-Sharezer, chief of the Mages, and all the rest of the heads of the king of Babylon.

Darby: and all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebu, Sarsechim, chief chamberlain, Nergal-sharezer, chief magian, and all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.

ASV: that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, to wit , Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And all the princes  of the king  of Babylon  came in,  and sat  in the middle  gate,  [even] Nergalsharezer,  Samgarnebo,  Sarsechim,  Rabsaris,  Nergalsharezer,  Rabmag,  with all the residue  of the princes  of the king  of Babylon. 

What does Jeremiah 39:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

All the officials of the Babylonian army entered the city and eventually took their places at a gate in the middle of the city, in fulfillment of Jeremiah"s prophecy in Jeremiah 21:4. This Middle Gate was evidently an opening in a wall that separated two parts of Jerusalem. This is the only reference to this gate in the Bible.
The writer mentioned two, three, or four of the Babylonian officials by name: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the Rab-saris or chief official, and perhaps another Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag or chief magi. Nergal-sar-ezer was probably Nebuchadnezzar"s Song of Solomon -in-law who ascended the throne of Babylon in560 B.C. The writer may have described him with two different titles in this verse, or there may have been two men with the same name. Samgar may be the title of Nergal-sar-ezer, and Nebu may describe a geographical district that he ruled. [1]
"In its context Jeremiah 39:3 is a parenthesis describing one of the things that was done soon after the fall of Jerusalem. Its true context is at Jeremiah 39:13, where it is inserted again in the first account of Jeremiah"s release." [2]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 39

1  Jerusalem is taken
4  Zedekiah is made blind and sent to Babylon
8  The city laid in ruins,
9  and the people captivated
11  Nebuchadrezzar's charge for the good usage of Jeremiah
15  God's promise to Ebed Melech

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 39:3 mean?

And came in all the princes of the king of Babylon and sat in Gate the Middle - - Nergal-sarezer - Samgar-nebo Sarsechim - Rabsaris Nergal-sarezer Rabmag and with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon
וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ כֹּ֚ל שָׂרֵ֣י מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶ֔ל וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַתָּ֑וֶךְ נֵרְגַ֣ל שַׂר־ אֶ֠צֶר סַֽמְגַּר־ נְב֞וּ סְכִ֣ים רַב־ סָרִ֗יס אֶ֙צֶר֙ מָ֔ג וְכָל־ שְׁאֵרִ֔ית שָׂרֵ֖י מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל

וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ  And  came  in 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
שָׂרֵ֣י  the  princes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  of  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בָּבֶ֔ל  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.
וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ  and  sat 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בְּשַׁ֣עַר  in  Gate 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הַתָּ֑וֶךְ  the  Middle 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
נֵרְגַ֣ל  - 
Parse:
שַׂר־  - 
Parse:
אֶ֠צֶר  Nergal-sarezer 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֵרְגַל שַׂר־אֶצֶר  
Sense: chief soothsayer and a ruler in the army of Nebuchadnezzar.
סַֽמְגַּר־  - 
Parse:
נְב֞וּ  Samgar-nebo 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּ שַׂר־סְכִים 
Sense: one of the princes or generals of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
סְכִ֣ים  Sarsechim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׂר־סְכִים  
Sense: a ruler or general of Nebuchadnezzar at the taking of Jerusalem.
רַב־  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
סָרִ֗יס  Rabsaris 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רַב־סָרִיס 
Sense: chief eunuch.
אֶ֙צֶר֙  Nergal-sarezer 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֵרְגַל שַׂר־אֶצֶר  
Sense: chief soothsayer and a ruler in the army of Nebuchadnezzar.
מָ֔ג  Rabmag 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָג 
Sense: soothsayer, magician, chief soothsayer.
וְכָל־  and  with 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
שְׁאֵרִ֔ית  the  rest 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
שָׂרֵ֖י  of  the  princes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
מֶ֥לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בָּבֶֽל  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.

What are the major concepts related to Jeremiah 39:3?

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