Lyrics · 2 Kings
Jerusalem Was Broken Up
2 Kings 23:31-25:30
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About this song
This song belongs to the 2 Kings collection. One recording is available to play here, with the complete lyrics below.
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Named in this songNebuchadnezzarJerusalemZedekiahBabylonEgypt
About the passage
2 Kings 23: A covenant renewed before the judgment falls
Josiah takes the book out of the palace and makes its words public. King, priests, prophets, elders, and people hear the covenant, and the response becomes visible across the land. Temple vessels for rival worship are burned, high places are defiled, Topheth is disabled, solar objects and old royal altars are removed, and the reform reaches Bethel, where an oracle from 1 Kings 13 is fulfilled. Passover then shows the positive side of the covenant response, not merely the destruction of forbidden things. Josiah receives exceptional praise for turning to the LORD with heart, soul, and might. Then comes the chapter's terrible hinge: “Notwithstanding.” Judgment on Judah remains. Josiah dies at Megiddo, and his sons quickly fall under Egyptian control, ending the chapter with tribute, renaming, and a return to adverse royal assessments.
Study 2 Kings 23 in depth2 Kings 24: The treasures leave, and another king is renamed
Babylon takes Egypt's place as the power controlling Judah's political horizon. Jehoiakim serves Nebuchadnezzar, rebels, and faces destructive pressure that the Book of 2 Kings explicitly connects to earlier prophetic judgment and Manasseh's innocent blood. Jehoiachin inherits the throne for only three months before Jerusalem is surrounded and he surrenders with the royal household. This capture does not yet burn the city, but it empties it of treasure, soldiers, craftsmen, officials, and much of its governing capacity. Babylon installs Jehoiachin's uncle, changes his name to Zedekiah, and leaves a reduced kingdom in place. Zedekiah receives the same adverse moral assessment and eventually rebels too. The chapter ends at the edge of the final siege, with royal succession still visible but meaningful independence almost gone.
Study 2 Kings 24 in depth2 Kings 25: The city burns, but the final king is fed
Jerusalem's final siege is measured in dates, hunger, breached defenses, and failed escape. Zedekiah is captured, his sons are killed before him, his eyes are put out, and he is taken to Babylon. The destruction then becomes systematic: the temple, palace, and major houses burn, the walls are broken, people are deported, temple furnishings are dismantled for metal, and leading priests, military officers, and court figures are executed at Riblah. A poor remnant remains under Gedaliah, but even that fragile settlement fractures when Ishmael assassinates him and fear drives the people toward Egypt. Then the book jumps thirty-seven years forward. Jehoiachin is released from prison, given new garments, honored at the Babylonian table, and fed continually. The city is gone, but the final image is bread for a living Davidic king.
Study 2 Kings 25 in depth


