8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month (it 'is' the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), hath Nebuzaradan chief of the executioners, servant of the king of Babylon, come to Jerusalem, 9 and he burneth the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem, yea, every great house he hath burned with fire; 10 and the walls of Jerusalem round about have all the forces of the Chaldeans, who 'are' with the chief of the executioners, broken down. 11 And the rest of the people, those left in the city, and those falling who have fallen to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude, hath Nebuzaradan chief of the executioners removed; 12 and of the poor of the land hath the chief of the executioners left for vine-dressers and for husbandmen. 13 And the pillars of brass that 'are' in the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the sea of brass, that 'is' in the house of Jehovah, have the Chaldeans broken in pieces, and bear away their brass to Babylon. 14 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they minister they have taken, 15 and the fire-pans, and the bowls that 'are' wholly of silver, hath the chief of the executioners taken. 16 The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases that Solomon made for the house of Jehovah, there was no weighing of the brass of all these vessels; 17 eighteen cubits 'is' the height of the one pillar, and the chapiter on it 'is' of brass, and the height of the chapiter 'is' three cubits, and the net and the pomegranates 'are' on the chapiter round about—the whole 'is' of brass; and like these hath the second pillar, with the net. 18 And the chief of the executioners taketh Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold, 19 and out of the city he hath taken a certain eunuch who is appointed over the men of war, and five men of those seeing the king's face who have been found in the city, and the head scribe of the host, who mustereth the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who are found in the city, 20 and Nebuzaradan chief of the executioners taketh them, and causeth them to go unto the king of Babylon, to Libnah,
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 2 Kings 25:8-20
Commentary on 2 Kings 25:8-21
(Read 2 Kings 25:8-21)
The city and temple were burnt, and, it is probable, the ark in it. By this, God showed how little he cares for the outward pomp of his worship, when the life and power of religion are neglected. The walls of Jerusalem were thrown down, and the people carried captive to Babylon. The vessels of the temple were carried away. When the things signified were sinned away, what should the signs stand there for? It was righteous with God to deprive those of the benefit of his worship, who had preferred false worships before it; those that would have many altars, now shall have none. As the Lord spared not the angels that sinned, as he doomed the whole race of fallen men to the grave, and all unbelievers to hell, and as he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, we need not wonder at any miseries he may bring upon guilty nations, churches, or persons.