Jeremiah 52:29-30
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The relatively small number of 832 people deported in the 18th year might seem insignificant, but it highlights the devastating impact of famine and disease that preceded this final exile. This wasn't a mass deportation of a thriving population, but rather the scant remnant of a city already ravaged by destruction.
in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage details further exiles from Jerusalem following its destruction. It records a specific deportation of 832 people in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, likely representing the remaining Jewish leadership and defenders after the initial siege. This event is presented within a chapter that functions as a historical appendix, summarizing the devastating outcome of Jerusalem's fall and concluding with a glimpse of hope in the eventual release of King Jehoiachin.
Why does the text focus on such a specific, small group of captives after Jerusalem fell?
Jeremiah 52:29 mentions 832 persons carried away in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year. This number might seem insignificant compared to the city's population, but it speaks volumes.
A City Devastated
This specific count, detailed in a chapter that feels like a stark historical record, highlights the immense devastation. The ravages of war, famine, and disease had taken their toll long before this deportation. The 832 were likely the last remaining defenders or prominent figures, a fraction of those who had once lived vibrantly in Jerusalem.
A Glimpse of Judgment
Rather than a mass deportation, this number signifies the end of an era, a chilling testament to God's judgment falling on a disobedient people. It’s a precise, almost brutal, accounting that underscores the severity of the consequences for turning away from the Lord.
Was this deportation right after the city fell, or did it happen later?
The timing of this deportation in Jeremiah 52:29 is a crucial detail.
End of the Eighteenth Year
Scholars note that while chapter 52:15 refers to the 'nineteenth year' for Nebuzaradan's actions, verse 29 specifies the 'eighteenth year.' This suggests the event likely occurred at the transition between these years—towards the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign.
Ask a follow-up
A Final Sweep?
This implies it might have been an earlier sweep of captives taken before the final destruction and sacking of the city, or perhaps a clearing out of remaining important figures. It wasn't necessarily the largest group taken, but a distinct and recorded deportation that adds to the grim tally of exile.
Understand the original words
Yerushalayim · Hebrew Noun
The holy city chosen by God as the place of His name and the location of the Temple, symbolizing the center of worship and the focal point of God's earthly dealings with His people.
nephesh · Hebrew Noun
A term for a human being, emphasizing their individual existence and their accountability before God, often used in census or judgment records to denote the total tally of those affected by divine or royal decree.
This verse captures a specific, grim detail from the final stages of Jerusalem's destruction. The relatively small number of captives taken in Nebuchadnezzar's 18th year, compared to earlier deportations, highlights the devastation caused by war, famine, and disease that had already ravaged the city.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation of Jews to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar begins his reign and carries away many Judeans, including members of the royal family like Daniel. This marks the start of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation: Jehoiachin Captured
Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem and deports King Jehoiachin and many other Judeans. The temple is partially looted.
c. 587/586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar's forces destroy Jerusalem and its temple. The remaining population is largely deported, though some are left behind.
c. 587/586 BC
Executions of Judean Leaders
After Jerusalem's fall, Nebuchadnezzar executes prominent Judean officials, including priests and military leaders, as a display of power and justice.
c. 582 BC
Fourth Deportation from Judah
Nebuzaradan conducts another deportation of Jews, possibly from areas outside Jerusalem or those who had fled and returned.
c. 562 BC
Jehoiachin Released from Prison
Evil-Merodach, Nebuchadnezzar's successor, releases the captive King Jehoiachin from prison after decades of confinement, showing a shift in Babylonian policy.
This verse immediately precedes Jeremiah 52:29 and describes a larger deportation by Nebuzaradan, hinting that the 832 individuals mentioned here might represent a specific group or a later, distinct wave of exiles.
2 Kings 25:8-12This parallel account describes the same event of Jerusalem's fall and the subsequent destruction and exile, reinforcing the historical context of Nebuchadnezzar's actions against Judah.
Ezekiel 1:1-2This passage shows that Ezekiel was among the exiles deported in an earlier event (in the fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity), highlighting that the deportations described in Jeremiah 52 were part of a series, not a single event.
Jeremiah 29:5-7These verses contain Jeremiah's prophecy to the exiles, instructing them to build houses and seek the welfare of Babylon, demonstrating God's plan even amidst captivity and providing context for the exiles' experience.
ellicottJeremiah 52:29: "In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:"
(29) Eight hundred thirty and two persons. —The comparatively small number indicates the ravages of the sword, the pestilence, and the famine to which Jeremiah so often refers. The captives were probably the scanty remnant of the defenders of the city, and the deportation that by Nebuzar-adan narrated in Jeremiah 52:15 . Jeremiah 52:30In the three and twentieth…
pooleJeremiah 52:29: "In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:"
That was the year when the city was broken up.
The relatively small number of 832 people deported in the 18th year might seem insignificant, but it highlights the devastating impact of famine and disease that preceded this final exile. This wasn't a mass deportation of a thriving population, but rather the scant remnant of a city already ravaged by destruction.
This passage details further exiles from Jerusalem following its destruction. It records a specific deportation of 832 people in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, likely representing the remaining Jewish leadership and defenders after the initial siege. This event is presented within a chapter that functions as a historical appendix, summarizing the devastating outcome of Jerusalem's fall and concluding with a glimpse of hope in the eventual release of King Jehoiachin.
This passage details further exiles from Jerusalem following its destruction. It records a specific deportation of 832 people in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, likely representing the remaining Jewish leadership and defenders after the initial siege. This event is presented within a chapter that functions as a historical appendix, summarizing the devastating outcome of Jerusalem's fall and concluding with a glimpse of hope in the eventual release of King Jehoiachin.
"in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons…" — The relatively small number of 832 people deported in the 18th year might seem insignificant, but it highlights the devastating impact of famine and disease that preceded this final exile. This wasn'…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
