25:27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-seventh 6 day of the twelfth month, 7 King Evil-Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned 8 King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him 9 from prison.
1 tn Or “against.”
2 sn This would have been Jan 15, 588
3 sn It is not altogether clear whether this is in the same year that Jerusalem fell or not. The wall was breached in the fourth month (= early July; Jer 39:2) and Nebuzaradan came and burned the palace, the temple, and many of the houses and tore down the wall in the fifth month (= early August; Jer 52:12). That would have left time between the fifth month and the seventh month (October) to gather in the harvest of grapes, dates and figs, and olives (Jer 40:12). However, many commentators feel that too much activity takes place in too short a time for this to have been in the same year and posit that it happened the following year or even five years later when a further deportation took place, possibly in retaliation for the murder of Gedaliah and the Babylonian garrison at Mizpah (Jer 52:30). The assassination of Gedaliah had momentous consequences and was commemorated in one of the post exilic fast days lamenting the fall of Jerusalem (Zech 8:19).
4 tn Heb “[was] from the seed of the kingdom.”
5 tn Heb “and they struck down Gedaliah and he died.”
6 sn The parallel account in Jer 52:31 has “twenty-fifth.”
7 sn The twenty-seventh day would be March 22, 561
8 tn Heb “lifted up the head of.”
9 tn The words “released him” are supplied in the translation on the basis of Jer 52:31.