For because of the anger of the LORDThe anger of the LORD is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, often associated with the covenant relationship between God and Israel. This anger is not arbitrary but is a response to the people's persistent idolatry and disobedience. In
Deuteronomy 29:24-28, the LORD's anger is described as a consequence of breaking the covenant. The prophets, including Jeremiah and Ezekiel, frequently warned of God's impending judgment due to the people's sins.
all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah
The phrase "all this" refers to the calamities that befell Jerusalem and Judah, including the Babylonian siege, destruction of the temple, and exile. Jerusalem, the capital city, held significant religious and political importance as the location of the temple, the center of Jewish worship. Judah, the southern kingdom, was the remnant of the once-united Israelite monarchy. The events fulfilled prophecies such as those inJeremiah 25:9-11, which foretold the Babylonian captivity.
until He finally banished them from His presence
The banishment from God's presence signifies the loss of divine favor and protection. This expulsion is reminiscent of Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden (Genesis 3:23-24) and Cain's punishment (Genesis 4:14). Theologically, it represents a severe consequence of sin, where the people are removed from the land God promised to their ancestors. The exile to Babylon is a pivotal moment in Jewish history, marking a period of reflection and transformation.
And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon
Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, was installed by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon but later rebelled, leading to the final siege of Jerusalem. His rebellion is documented in2 Chronicles 36:13 andJeremiah 52:3. This act of defiance against Babylon was politically motivated but spiritually misguided, as it went against the prophetic counsel of Jeremiah, who advised submission to Babylon as God's instrument of judgment. Zedekiah's rebellion ultimately led to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, fulfilling the warnings of the prophets and demonstrating the futility of resisting God's ordained plans.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The LORDThe sovereign God of Israel, whose anger is kindled against Jerusalem and Judah due to their persistent disobedience and idolatry.
2.
Jerusalem and JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, which is under divine judgment for its sins, leading to its eventual exile.
3.
ZedekiahThe last king of Judah, who reigned during the final siege of Jerusalem by Babylon. His rebellion against Babylonian rule is a key event leading to the fall of Jerusalem.
4.
The King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar II, the Babylonian king who besieged Jerusalem and ultimately destroyed it, leading to the exile of the Jewish people.
5.
ExileThe event of the Jewish people being taken captive to Babylon, marking a significant moment of judgment and transformation in Israel's history.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of DisobedienceGod's anger is not arbitrary but a response to persistent sin and rebellion. The exile serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commands.
The Sovereignty of GodDespite human actions, God's sovereign plan unfolds. The exile was part of His divine judgment and a means to bring about eventual restoration.
The Importance of Heeding Prophetic WarningsThe prophets repeatedly warned Judah of impending judgment. Ignoring God's messengers leads to dire consequences, emphasizing the need to listen and respond to God's Word today.
Rebellion Against AuthorityZedekiah's rebellion against Babylon illustrates the futility of resisting God's ordained authority. Believers are called to respect and submit to authority, as long as it does not contradict God's commands.
Hope Beyond JudgmentWhile the exile was a period of judgment, it also set the stage for renewal and hope. God's discipline is ultimately redemptive, aiming to restore His people to a right relationship with Him.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 2 Kings 24:20?
2.How does 2 Kings 24:20 illustrate God's response to persistent disobedience?
3.What lessons can we learn about divine judgment from 2 Kings 24:20?
4.How does 2 Kings 24:20 connect with God's warnings in Deuteronomy?
5.How should believers respond when facing consequences of sin, as seen in 2 Kings 24:20?
6.What role does repentance play in avoiding outcomes like those in 2 Kings 24:20?
7.Why did the LORD's anger lead to Jerusalem's destruction in 2 Kings 24:20?
8.How does 2 Kings 24:20 reflect God's justice and mercy?
9.What historical evidence supports the events described in 2 Kings 24:20?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 2 Kings 24?
11.Why does Ezra 1 conflict with accounts in 2 Kings 24-25 that suggest more extensive destruction of Jerusalem's treasures than implied here?
12.Who were Josiah's sons?
13.Who was King Zedekiah in the Bible?
14.Ezekiel 11:1–3 mentions city leaders plotting “evil” against Jerusalem; are there any external historical or archaeological sources confirming such conspiracies?What Does 2 Kings 24:20 Mean
The anger of the LORD“For because of the anger of the LORD…”
• God’s wrath here is personal, righteous, and the inevitable response to covenant treachery (Exodus 34:6-7;Deuteronomy 29:25-28).
• Judah had piled up idolatry and injustice for generations (2 Kings 21:11-15;Jeremiah 32:30-35). The anger described is not a flare-up but a settled, holy opposition to sin that had reached its limit (Romans 2:4-5).
All this happened in Jerusalem and Judah“…all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah…”
• “All this” includes the Babylonian sieges, the loss of national sovereignty, famine, and the deportations already underway (2 Kings 24:2;2 Chronicles 36:14-17).
• The capital and the countryside share the same fate; no pocket of disobedience is overlooked (Lamentations 1:8-9).
• Every stage of the downfall fulfills the warnings spoken centuries earlier (Leviticus 26:27-33).
He finally banished them from His presence“…until He finally banished them from His presence.”
• The exile is pictured as being driven from God’s face—much like Adam and Eve from Eden (Genesis 3:24).
• Losing the temple meant losing the visible sign of God’s dwelling (Ezekiel 10:18-19;2 Kings 25:21).
• The word “finally” shows patient forbearance had ended; the covenant curses fell in full (Deuteronomy 28:36, 63).
And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon“And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.”
• Zedekiah had sworn allegiance in the LORD’s name (Ezekiel 17:15-18) yet broke that oath—rebellion against both Babylon and God.
• Prophets like Jeremiah urged submission as God’s appointed discipline (Jeremiah 27:12-15), but the king trusted political maneuvering instead.
• His revolt provoked Babylon’s final assault (2 Chronicles 36:13), sealing the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
summary2 Kings 24:20 traces Judah’s collapse to one root: persistent sin that stirred the LORD’s anger. Every calamity on Jerusalem, the heartbreaking exile, and Zedekiah’s ill-fated revolt all unfold under God’s sovereign hand. The verse reminds us that divine patience has an endpoint, covenant faithfulness matters, and human schemes cannot overturn the purposes of the Almighty.
(20)
For through . . . in Jerusalem.--Literally,
for upon the anger of Jehovah it befel Jerusalem. That which fell upon Jerusalem and Judah like a ruinous disaster was
the evil doing of Zedekiah, mentioned in
2Kings 24:19. That such a prince as Zedekiah was raised to the throne was itself a token of Divine displeasure, for his character was such as to hasten the final catastrophe.
Until he had cast them out.--See Note on2Kings 17:23.
That Zedekiah rebelled.--Rather,and Zedelciah rebelled. There should be a full stop after "presence." Zedekiah expected help from Pharaoh Hophra (Apries), king of Egypt, to whom he sent ambassadors (Ezekiel 17:15; comp.Jeremiah 37:5;Jeremiah 44:30.) Moreover the neighbouring peoples of Edom, Ammon, and Moab, as well as Tyre and Zidon, were eager to throw off the Babylonian yoke, and had proposed a general rising to Zedekiah (Jeremiah 27:3seq.) The high hopes which were inspired by the negotiations may be inferred from the prophecy of Hananiah (Jeremiah 28). Jeremiah opposed the project of revolt to the utmost of his power; and the event proved that he was right. In the early part of his reign Zedekiah had tried to procure the return of the exiles carried away in the last reign (Jeremiah 29:3); and in his fourth year he visited Babylon himself, perhaps with the same object, and to satisfy Nebuchadnezzar of his fidelity (Jeremiah 51:59). The date of his open revolt cannot be fixed. . . .
Verse 20. -
For through the anger of the Lord it came to pus in Jerusalem and Judah. It was "through the anger of the Lord" at the persistent impenitence of the people, that that came to pass which actually came to pass - the rejection of the nation by God and the casting of it out of his presence. In his anger he suffered the appointment of another perverse and faithless monarch, who made no attempt at a reformation of religion, and allowed him to run his evil course unchecked, and to embroil himself with his suzerain, and to bring destruction upon his nation. God's anger, long provoked (
2 Kings 21:10-15;
2 Kings 23:26, 27;
2 Kings 24:3, 4), lay at the root of the whole series of events, not causing men's sins, but allowing them to go on until the cup of their iniquities was full, and the time had arrived for vengeance.
Until he had east them out from his presence (comp.
2 Kings 17:18, 20;
2 Kings 23:27;
2 Kings 24:3). To be "cast out of God's presence" is to lose his protecting care, to be separated off from him, to be left defenseless against our enemies. When Israel was once finally cast off, its fate was sealed; there was no further hope for it; the end was come.
That Zedekiah rebelled against the King of Babylon; rather, And
Zedekiah rebelled, etc. The sentence is a detached one, and would, perhaps, better commence
2 Kings 25. than terminate, as it does,
2 Kings 24. Zedekiah, when he received his investiture at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (ver. 17), took a solemn oath of allegiance and fidelity (
2 Chronicles 36:13;
Ezekiel 17:13) to him and to his successors; but almost immediately afterwards he began to intrigue with Egypt, sent a contingent of troops to help Psamatik II. in his wars (Wiediemann, 'Geschichte AEgyptens,' p. 159), and thus sought to pave the way for an Egyptian alliance, on the strength of which he might venture upon a revolt. It was probably owing to the suspicions which these acts aroused that, in the fourth year of his reign,
B.C. 594, he had to visit Babylon (
Jeremiah 51:59), where, no doubt, he renewed his engagements and assured the Babylonian monarch of his fidelity. But these proceedings were nothing but a blind. On the accession of Hophra (Apries) to the throne of Egypt in
B.C. 591, Zedekiah renewed his application to the Egyptian court, openly sending ambassadors (
Ezekiel 17:15), with a request for infantry and cavalry. Thus was his rebellion complete, his "oath despised," and his "covenant broken" (
Ezekiel 17:15, 16). The war with Babylon, and the siege of Jerusalem, were the natural consequences.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Forכִּ֣י ׀(kî)Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunctionbecauseעַל־(‘al-)Preposition
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstof the angerאַ֣ף(’ap̄)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 639:The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ireof the LORD,יְהוָ֗ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel[all this] happenedהָיְתָ֤ה(hā·yə·ṯāh)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961:To fall out, come to pass, become, bein Jerusalemבִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙(ḇî·rū·šā·lim)Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389:Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israeland Judah,וּבִ֣יהוּדָ֔ה(ū·ḇî·hū·ḏāh)Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3063:Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelitesuntilעַד־(‘aḏ-)Preposition
Strong's 5704:As far as, even to, up to, until, whileHe finally banishedהִשְׁלִכ֥וֹ(hiš·li·ḵōw)Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7993:To throw out, down, awaythemאֹתָ֖ם(’ō·ṯām)Direct object marker | third person masculine plural
Strong's 853:Untranslatable mark of the accusative casefromמֵעַ֣ל(mê·‘al)Preposition-m
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstHis presence.פָּנָ֑יו(pā·nāw)Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6440:The faceAnd Zedekiah alsoצִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ(ṣiḏ·qî·yā·hū)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6667:Zedekiah -- 'Yah is righteousness', six Israelitesrebelledוַיִּמְרֹ֥ד(way·yim·rōḏ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4775:To rebelagainst the kingבְּמֶ֥לֶךְ(bə·me·leḵ)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428:A kingof Babylon.בָּבֶֽל׃(bā·ḇel)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 894:Babylon -- an eastern Mediterranean empire and its capital city
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OT History: 2 Kings 24:20 For through the anger of Yahweh did (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg) 
