Chapter 25 is the closing chapter of Sefer Melachim, and it is also the closing chapter of Israel's dwelling in the Land ever since they came up from Egypt. Until now we have seen several exiles: first the two and a half tribes were exiled, then Shomron was exiled, then came the exile of the craftsmen and the smiths together with Yehoyachin, and those who remained in the Land were only the "poorest of the land," the simple people who were lower in their spiritual level. Now the verse describes for us the final blow: the complete exile, the exile of Bavel, which also included within it the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash.
The Beginning of the Calamity: the Tenth of Tevet
וַיְהִי בִשְׁנַת הַתְּשִׁיעִית לְמׇלְכוֹ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ בָּא נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל הוּא וְכׇל־חֵילוֹ עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וַיִּחַן עָלֶיהָ וַיִּבְנוּ עָלֶיהָ דָּיֵק סָבִיב׃ - And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, that Nevuchadnetzar king of Bavel came, he and all his army, against Yerushalayim, and encamped against it, and they built a siege wall around it.
"In the ninth year of his reign" - the reign of Tzidkiyahu. The tenth month is the month of Tevet, and on the tenth of the month, on the tenth of Tevet, Nevuchadnetzar came against Yerushalayim. A "dayek" is a tower that they would build opposite the city in order to capture it.
The tenth of Tevet is the beginning of the calamity, for from here everything began. For this reason it is more severe than the other fasts, and it is the only fast that, had it fallen on Shabbat, we would fast on it even on Shabbat. In practice, according to our calendar it falls at the latest on Friday, but theoretically, had it fallen on Shabbat, we would fast on it, because the beginning of the calamity is very severe.
Three Years of Siege and Famine
וַתָּבֹא הָעִיר בַּמָּצוֹר עַד עַשְׁתֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ׃ - And the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Tzidkiyahu.
The siege began in the ninth year of Tzidkiyahu's reign and continued until the twelfth year, that is, about three years of siege.
בְּתִשְׁעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ וַיֶּחֱזַק הָרָעָב בָּעִיר וְלֹא־הָיָה לֶחֶם לְעַם הָאָרֶץ׃ - On the ninth of the month the famine grew severe in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
Here it does not state which month is meant, but in Sefer Yirmeyahu it is explicit: "in the fourth month, on the ninth of the month" - the fourth month is Tammuz, this is the ninth of Tammuz on which the city was breached in the First Temple.
The Breaching of the City and the Flight of Tzidkiyahu
וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר וְכׇל־אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה הַלַּיְלָה דֶּרֶךְ שַׁעַר בֵּין הַחֹמֹתַיִם אֲשֶׁר עַל־גַּן הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכַשְׂדִּים עַל־הָעִיר סָבִיב וַיֵּלֶךְ דֶּרֶךְ הָעֲרָבָה׃ - And the city was breached, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls, which is by the king's garden, while the Kasdim were around the city, and he went by way of the Arava.
"And all the men of war fled by night" - all the fighting men fled and left the city during the night, as is described more fully in Sefer Yirmiyahu. The Malbim explains that Yerushalayim had three walls, and the Chaldeans came and sat in the middle gate, in the gate of the outer wall that had been breached, beside the king's garden, with the Chaldeans surrounding the city.
Chazal say that Tzidkiyahu had a special tunnel, a cave that ran from his house in Yerushalayim all the way to the plains of Yericho. When Tzidkiyahu saw that the siege had been breached and the enemy was already inside, he decided to flee, and he went out through that tunnel with a group of men. But the Holy One, Blessed be He, had already prophesied that he would be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. What did He do? He summoned a deer that walked along the roof of the cave outside the city. The Chaldeans saw the deer, were hungry, and chased after it to hunt it, and arrived exactly at the mouth of the cave in the plains of Yericho. At that very moment Tzidkiyahu emerged from there and fell into their hands like ripe fruit. This is what is said in Yechezkel chapter 12: "וּפָרַשְׂתִּי רִשְׁתִּי עָלָיו וְנִתְפַּשׂ בִּמְצוּדָתִי" - "And I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare" - the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it were, spread a snare at his feet, and there they seized him.
וַיִּרְדְּפוּ חֵיל־כַּשְׂדִּים אַחַר הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּשִּׂגוּ אֹתוֹ בְּעַרְבוֹת יְרֵחוֹ וְכׇל־חֵילוֹ נָפֹצוּ מֵעָלָיו׃ - And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Yericho, and all his army was scattered from him.
The company that was with him saw the Chaldeans and fled, and Tzidkiyahu was left alone facing them and was captured by them.
"And they pronounced judgment upon him" - where was Nevuchadnetzar
וַיִּתְפְּשׂוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּעֲלוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל רִבְלָתָה וַיְדַבְּרוּ אִתּוֹ מִשְׁפָּט׃ - And they seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Rivlah, and they pronounced judgment upon him.
If it was already stated that Nevuchadnetzar had come against Yerushalayim, how is he now found at Rivlah? The Radak explains according to the plain meaning: the days of the siege dragged on for three years, and he did not have the strength to remain, so he returned to Rivlah in the land of Chamat and left his army to continue the siege. When Yerushalayim was conquered he was still at Rivlah, and therefore they brought Tzidkiyahu up to him there, so that he could judge him there.
According to the derash the Radak brings that in truth Nevuchadnetzar himself did not go up to Yerushalayim, but rather Nevuzaradan. And why is it said "Nevuchadnetzar came against Yerushalayim"? Because the image of Nevuchadnetzar's likeness was engraved on the chariot of Nevuzaradan his chief of executioners, and the dread of him lay upon him: when Nevuzaradan saw his likeness on the chariot he would tremble before him as though he were standing before him in actuality. Therefore when Nevuzaradan's chariot came to Yerushalayim, it was considered as though Nevuchadnetzar himself had come to Yerushalayim.
Tzidkiyahu's rebellion: the hare and the oath
What is "and they pronounced judgment upon him"? That they judged and sentenced him. And for what? The Gemara in Masechet Nedarim daf 65a explains, on the verse in Divrei HaYamim II chapter 36: "וְגַם בַּמֶּלֶךְ נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר מָרָד אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁבִּיעוֹ בֵּאלֹהִים" - "And he also rebelled against King Nevuchadnetzar, who had made him swear by God." What was the rebellion? Tzidkiyahu found Nevuchadnetzar as he was eating a live hare. Nevuchadnetzar felt uncomfortable, and said to him: swear to me that you will not reveal it about me and that the matter will not come out from you. Tzidkiyahu swore to him. In the end Tzidkiyahu regretted having sworn - I have such hot information about Nevuchadnetzar, sensational news, how can I keep silent? He went and had his oath annulled, and went and told.
And what was the matter of eating a live hare? There is no special taste in it, and it could have been roasted. Rather, they explain that they had an interest in performing acts of cruelty in order to develop courage within themselves: a person who sees blood is frightened and is considered weak, and one who is capable of tearing a live hare and biting into it thereby shows as if he is developing courage within himself and is not frightened by blood and cruelty. And certainly Nevuchadnetzar did not expect that anyone would see him in the act.
Nevuchadnetzar heard that they were disgracing him, that everyone was talking about the fact that he eats a live hare. He sent and brought the Sanhedrin and Tzidkiyahu, and said to them: did you see what Tzidkiyahu did? Did he not swear in the name of Hashem that he would not reveal it? They said to him: he was released from his oath. He said to them: does one seek release from an oath? They said to him: yes, such is the halachah. He said to them: in his presence, or even not in his presence? They said to him: one who swears by the intent of his fellow must do so in his presence. He said to them: and you, what did you do? Why did you not tell Tzidkiyahu that he cannot be released from his oath not in my presence? Immediately there was fulfilled in them what is written in Eichah: "יֵשְׁבוּ לָאָרֶץ יִדְּמוּ זִקְנֵי בַת־צִיּוֹן" - "The elders of the daughter of Tzion sit on the ground in silence." Rabbi Yitzchak said: that they slipped the cushions out from under them - that is, they lowered them from their greatness, because they permitted him something that is against the halachah.
Tzidkiyahu's Punishment
וְאֶת־בְּנֵי צִדְקִיָּהוּ שָׁחֲטוּ לְעֵינָיו וְאֶת־עֵינֵי צִדְקִיָּהוּ עִוֵּר וַיַּאַסְרֵהוּ בַּנְחֻשְׁתַּיִם וַיְבִאֵהוּ בָּבֶל׃ - And they slaughtered the sons of Tzidkiyahu before his eyes, and they blinded the eyes of Tzidkiyahu, and bound him with bronze chains, and brought him to Bavel.
A terrible and dreadful punishment: first they slaughtered his sons before his eyes, and then they blinded his eyes. Through this the words of the prophet were fulfilled, that he would go down to Bavel yet would not see it - he was brought down to Bavel, but he could not see it because his eyes had been blinded.
The Malbim notes a change in wording: here it says "and they spoke judgment with him," whereas in Yirmiyahu it says "and they spoke judgments with him." "Judgment" implies that they judged him over a single matter, while "judgments" implies that there were several charges. He explains: in truth there were two things here. The king's officers spoke with him only a single judgment - why did you rebel against the kingdom of Nevuchadnetzar, and therefore there it says the plural "and they spoke" together with "judgment" in the singular. But the king himself had several judgments against him, for he also had a personal grievance: how did you publicize that I ate a rabbit. Therefore regarding the king it says "and he spoke" in the singular with "judgments" in the plural.
The Seventh of Av, the Ninth of Av, the Tenth of Av
וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי בְּשִׁבְעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הִיא שְׁנַת תְּשַׁע־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל בָּא נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים עֶבֶד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nevuchadnetzar king of Bavel, Nevuzaradan the chief executioner, servant of the king of Bavel, came to Yerushalayim.
The fifth month is Av, and the seventh of the month is the seventh of Av, in the nineteenth year of Nevuchadnetzar. If so, how did we arrive at the ninth of Av? Here it is written on the seventh, and in Yirmiyahu it is written on the tenth of the month, yet we fast on the ninth - neither like here nor like there.
Chazal resolve this: on the seventh the gentiles entered the Heichal, and they ate and drank and defiled it on the seventh, eighth, and ninth; and on the ninth toward nightfall they set fire to it, and it went on burning until the end of the tenth. It turns out that everything began on the seventh, and the main burning was on the tenth. So why do we not observe the fast on the tenth? The Gemara says: "the beginning of the calamity is preferable" - it is preferable to mark the beginning of the calamity, which is the start of the burning of the House of our God on the ninth of the month. And Rabbi Yochanan said that had he been there, he would have set the fast on the tenth. In practice, even though we prefer the beginning of the calamity, we are careful about several matters on the tenth day as well, after the ninth of Av, as explained in halachah.
And to understand the sequence of events: the exile of Yehoyachin was seven years after Yehoyakim was conquered - they conquered Yehoyakim, Yehoyachin reigned, and after seven years he was exiled. And eleven years after the exile of Yehoyachin, Tzidkiyahu was exiled, that is, eighteen years from the conquest of Yehoyakim.
The Burning of the House and "Every Great House"
וַיִּשְׂרֹף אֶת־בֵּית־יְהֹוָה וְאֶת־בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֵת כׇּל־בָּתֵּי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וְאֶת־כׇּל־בֵּית גָּדוֹל שָׂרַף בָּאֵשׁ׃ - And he burned the House of Hashem and the house of the king, and all the houses of Yerushalayim, and every great house he burned with fire.
If it already said "all the houses of Yerushalayim," what does the addition "and every great house" come to add? Two explanations: the Radak explains according to the plain meaning that these are the houses of the great ones, the homes of the important people and the officers. And the Gemara in Masechet Megillah expounds: "every great house" - these are the synagogues in which Torah and prayer are made great, a house in which people are raised, synagogues and study halls.
וְאֶת־חוֹמֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם סָבִיב נָתְצוּ כׇּל־חֵיל כַּשְׂדִּים אֲשֶׁר רַב־טַבָּחִים׃ - And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.
"who were with the captain of the guard" - the word "with" is missing here, meaning all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard. The Malbim has already taught us the difference between "to shatter" (leshaber) and "to break down" (lintotz): to shatter means that from one stone you made two or three, while to break down means that you turned it into gravel. After so many years of siege and very difficult wars - anyone who studies the book of Yosippon and the descriptions in the Midrashim will see just how far from simple this war against the people of Jerusalem was - the Chaldeans came out of a desire for revenge and crushed the wall to dust.
The Exile and Those Who Remained
וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בָּעִיר וְאֶת־הַנֹּפְלִים אֲשֶׁר נָפְלוּ עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְאֵת יֶתֶר הֶהָמוֹן הֶגְלָה נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים׃ - And the rest of the people who remained in the city, and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude, Nevuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile.
"the rest of the people who remained in the city" - these are the ones who had not been exiled beforehand. "and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon" - these are the ones who went out of Jerusalem in order to go to the king of Babylon and make peace with him. "and the rest of the multitude" - the remaining people. All of them Nevuzaradan carried into exile.
וּמִדַּלַּת הָאָרֶץ הִשְׁאִיר רַב־טַבָּחִים לְכֹרְמִים וּלְיֹגְבִים׃ - But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
"the poorest of the land" are the most destitute of the people, not the important men. Vinedressers are those who work the vineyards, and farmers are those who work the fields, as the Targum renders: "to be laborers in the vineyards and in the fields." Nevuzaradan wanted the land not to be left waste and desolate, and therefore he left the farmers. Some interpret "yogvim" as related to yekavim (wine presses), those who work at the wine presses in which they made the wine. And Chazal expound: Rav Yosef taught, "to be vinedressers" - these are the gatherers of balsam from Ein Gedi to Ramta, "and farmers" - these are the hunters of the chilazon from the Ladder of Tyre to Haifa.
Dismantling the Vessels of the Temple
וְאֶת־עַמּוּדֵי הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר בֵּית־יְהֹוָה וְאֶת־הַמְּכֹנוֹת וְאֶת־יָם הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית־יְהֹוָה שִׁבְּרוּ כַשְׂדִּים וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־נְחֻשְׁתָּם בָּבֶלָה׃ - And the pillars of bronze that were in the House of Hashem, and the stands, and the bronze sea that was in the House of Hashem, the Chaldeans broke into pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon.
After they entered the Temple they began to dismantle it. The pillars of bronze were two tall pillars overlaid with bronze. The stands were the lavers in which they washed their hands. The bronze sea was an enormous basin made of bronze that stood upon twelve oxen, a very large pool. Since it was impossible to remove the sea as it was because of its immense size, the Chaldeans broke it in order to take its precious bronze, and they carried their bronze to Babylon.
וְאֶת־הַסִּירֹת וְאֶת־הַיָּעִים וְאֶת־הַמְזַמְּרוֹת וְאֶת־הַכַּפּוֹת וְאֵת כׇּל־כְּלֵי הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר יְשָׁרְתוּ־בָם לָקָחוּ׃ - And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of bronze with which they ministered, they took away.
The pots are cooking pots. The shovels are the brooms and rakes with which they lifted the ashes from upon the altar. The snuffers are the musical instruments with which they made music. And the spoons and all the vessels of bronze that were used for the incense, for the bowls, for the frankincense, and for everything they did in the Temple - all of it they took.
וְאֶת־הַמַּחְתּוֹת וְאֶת־הַמִּזְרָקוֹת אֲשֶׁר זָהָב זָהָב וַאֲשֶׁר־כֶּסֶף כָּסֶף לָקַח רַב־טַבָּחִים׃ - And the fire pans and the basins, whatever was of gold in gold and whatever was of silver in silver, the chief executioner took.
The fire pans (machtot) are vessels with which they would rake the fire. The basins (mizrakot) are the bowls in which they would receive the blood from the slaughtered animal and throw it onto the altar, and from this comes their name. This has nothing to do with what we today call a syringe. The bottom of the vessel was rounded and not flat, so that the kohen would not be able to set it on the ground and busy himself with something else while in the meantime the blood congealed. And so that it would not congeal, they would stir the blood, for they had a special vessel with which they would swirl the blood, so that if there were a delay until the throwing of the blood it would not congeal inside the vessel. And this is what we read in the morning: that he would go around the altar, the southeastern corner, then the eastern northern, and he would continue going around and throwing on the corners of the altar.
הָעַמּוּדִים שְׁנַיִם הַיָּם הָאֶחָד וְהַמְּכֹנוֹת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה שְׁלֹמֹה לְבֵית יְהֹוָה לֹא־הָיָה מִשְׁקָל לִנְחֹשֶׁת כׇּל־הַכֵּלִים הָאֵלֶּה׃ - The two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Shlomo had made for the House of Hashem: there was no weight to the copper of all these vessels.
The pillars were two, and their names were Yachin and Boaz. The sea was one, standing on the oxen. And the stands were ten lavers, and they were called "stands" (mechonot) because they were on wheels and could be moved from place to place. "There was no weight to the copper" - it was impossible to calculate their weight, so great was it.
שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה קוֹמַת הָעַמּוּד הָאֶחָד וְכֹתֶרֶת עָלָיו נְחֹשֶׁת וְקוֹמַת הַכֹּתֶרֶת שָׁלֹשׁ אַמּוֹת וּשְׂבָכָה וְרִמֹּנִים עַל־הַכֹּתֶרֶת סָבִיב הַכֹּל נְחֹשֶׁת וְכָאֵלֶּה לַעַמּוּד הַשֵּׁנִי עַל־הַשְּׂבָכָה׃ - Eighteen cubits was the height of the one pillar, and a capital of copper was upon it, and the height of the capital was three cubits, and a net and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of copper; and like these had the second pillar upon the net.
Eighteen cubits was the height of the pillar, about nine meters - an enormous height. And upon it was a copper capital for decoration, whose height was three cubits, about a meter and a half. And a netlike lattice work for adornment was at the top of the pillar, and around the net it was decorated with pomegranates, and all of it copper. And so too for the second pillar. All of this we already learned at the beginning of Sefer Melachim when we dealt with the Temple that Shlomo built.
The Killing of the Nation's Leaders in Rivla
וַיִּקַּח רַב־טַבָּחִים אֶת־שְׂרָיָה כֹּהֵן הָרֹאשׁ וְאֶת־צְפַנְיָהוּ כֹּהֵן מִשְׁנֶה וְאֶת־שְׁלֹשֶׁת שֹׁמְרֵי הַסַּף׃ - And the chief executioner took Serayah the chief kohen and Tzefanyahu the second kohen and the three keepers of the threshold.
Serayah the chief kohen is the Kohen Gadol, the head of all the kohanim. Tzefanyahu the second kohen is the deputy. And the three keepers of the threshold are the guardians of the vessels of the Temple.
וּמִן־הָעִיר לָקַח סָרִיס אֶחָד אֲשֶׁר־הוּא פָקִיד עַל־אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה וַחֲמִשָּׁה אֲנָשִׁים מֵרֹאֵי פְנֵי־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר נִמְצְאוּ בָעִיר וְאֵת הַסֹּפֵר שַׂר הַצָּבָא הַמַּצְבִּא אֶת־עַם הָאָרֶץ וְשִׁשִּׁים אִישׁ מֵעַם הָאָרֶץ הַנִּמְצְאִים בָּעִיר׃ - And from the city he took one official who was in charge of the men of war, and five men of those who saw the king's face who were found in the city, and the scribe, the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.
"Saris" here means an appointed officer, and he was in charge of the men of war. "Five men of those who saw the king's face" are important men. And in Yirmiyahu it is written seven men, and the Radak explains that there were two more who were not as important as the five, and therefore here it counts the more important ones and there gives the total. And the Malbim explains that at first he took five and at a second stage took two more, seven in all. "The scribe" is the one who would write down at the king's word all the king's affairs, and with him the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land.
וַיִּקַּח אֹתָם נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים וַיֹּלֶךְ אֹתָם עַל־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל רִבְלָתָה׃ - And Nevuzaradan the chief executioner took them and brought them to the king of Bavel at Rivla.
וַיַּךְ אֹתָם מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וַיְמִיתֵם בְּרִבְלָה בְּאֶרֶץ חֲמָת וַיִּגֶל יְהוּדָה מֵעַל אַדְמָתוֹ׃ - And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Rivlah in the land of Chamat. So Yehudah was exiled from its land.
The king of Babylon was staying in Rivlah, and therefore they brought them to him there. He strikes and kills them, for there had been a rebellion against him: he had appointed Tzidkiyahu, and Tzidkiyahu rebelled against him. Therefore he took all the prominent ones and killed them for defying his word.
The Appointment of Gedalyahu ben Achikam
וְהָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָר בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁאִיר נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וַיַּפְקֵד עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן׃ - And over the people that remained in the land of Yehudah, whom Nevuchadnetzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedalyahu ben Achikam ben Shafan.
We have already explained that Nevuchadnetzar would conquer a place and bring another nation there. So that the place would not become desolate in the meantime, for if he were to exile everyone it would be neither worked nor guarded, he left there a few of the poorest of the people, those vinedressers and field workers mentioned above, and appointed over them Gedalyahu ben Achikam ben Shafan.
וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כׇל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים הֵמָּה וְהָאֲנָשִׁים כִּי־הִפְקִיד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָהוּ הַמִּצְפָּה וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה וְיוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וּשְׂרָיָה בֶן־תַּנְחֻמֶת הַנְּטֹפָתִי וְיַאֲזַנְיָהוּ בֶּן־הַמַּעֲכָתִי הֵמָּה וְאַנְשֵׁיהֶם׃ - And when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedalyahu, they came to Gedalyahu at Mitzpah: Yishmael ben Netanyah, and Yochanan ben Kareach, and Serayah ben Tanchumet the Netofati, and Yaazanyahu ben HaMaachati, they and their men.
At the first stage, when the king of Babylon arrived, everyone who could flee fled, for they understood that the end would not be good: we rebelled against the king, and the king would surely put everyone to death. Therefore they hid in caves and holes, so long as they would not be caught by the king of Babylon. But when they heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedalyahu, they came out of their hiding places, for they understood that from now on the situation would be relatively quiet, since there was an appointee on behalf of the king of Babylon to govern them.
וַיִּשָּׁבַע לָהֶם גְּדַלְיָהוּ וּלְאַנְשֵׁיהֶם וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אַל־תִּירְאוּ מֵעַבְדֵי הַכַּשְׂדִּים שְׁבוּ בָאָרֶץ וְעִבְדוּ אֶת־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְיִטַב לָכֶם׃ - And Gedalyahu swore to them and to their men, and said to them: Do not fear the servants of the Kasdim. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.
You have nothing to fear from the Kasdim taking you captive, nor from the nations surrounding Yerushalayim harming you, for they are called "the servants of the Kasdim." Since the king gave an order to leave the poorest of the people here, and appointed me as governor over you, as long as we do his will he will not harm us. And concerning this he even swore to them.
The Murder of Gedalyah
וַיְהִי בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בָּא יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה בֶּן־אֱלִישָׁמָע מִזֶּרַע הַמְּלוּכָה וַעֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים אִתּוֹ וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ וַיָּמֹת וְאֶת־הַיְּהוּדִים וְאֶת־הַכַּשְׂדִּים אֲשֶׁר־הָיוּ אִתּוֹ בַּמִּצְפָּה׃ - And it came to pass in the seventh month that Yishmael ben Netanyah ben Elishama, of the royal seed, came with ten men, and they struck down Gedalyahu so that he died, along with the Jews and the Kasdim who were with him at Mitzpah.
The seventh month is Tishrei. The verse emphasizes that Yishmael was "of the royal seed," to tell you what troubled him: here they were appointing a man as governor, while he, Yishmael ben Netanyah, was of the royal seed. It was hard for him to accept such a thing, and therefore he went and killed Gedalyahu ben Achikam. And he was not content with killing him, but also murdered the Jews who were with him and the Kasdim who were there appointed on behalf of the king of Babylon at Mitzpah. For the killing of Gedalyah ben Achikam we fast on the Fast of Gedalyah. Here the verse does not go into the warnings that Gedalyahu received and all the details connected with this, and we will read the detailed account soon in Sefer Yirmiyahu.
וַיָּקֻמוּ כׇל־הָעָם מִקָּטֹן וְעַד־גָּדוֹל וְשָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים וַיָּבֹאוּ מִצְרָיִם כִּי יָרְאוּ מִפְּנֵי כַשְׂדִּים׃ - And all the people, from small to great, and the captains of the armies, arose and came to Egypt, for they feared the Chaldeans.
Once again they had rebelled against the king of Bavel, and now they were afraid of what he would do. They had struck at his appointee and killed Gedaliah, and they had also killed his Chaldean subjects. They understood that a heavy price would be paid for such a thing, and so they all fled to Egypt. In Sefer Yirmiyahu we see that a prophecy came to Yirmiyahu from Hashem to remain with the people who were left in Yerushalayim, for they too needed him no less than those who went into exile, and so he stayed with them, and later we see that he even went down with them to Egypt.
The End of Yehoyachin
וַיְהִי בִשְׁלֹשִׁים וָשֶׁבַע שָׁנָה לְגָלוּת יְהוֹיָכִין מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה בִּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְשִׁבְעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ נָשָׂא אֱוִיל מְרֹדַךְ מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל בִּשְׁנַת מׇלְכוֹ אֶת־רֹאשׁ יְהוֹיָכִין מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה מִבֵּית כֶּלֶא׃ - And it came to pass in the thirty seventh year of the exile of Yehoyachin king of Yehudah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty seventh of the month, that Evil Merodach king of Bavel, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Yehoyachin king of Yehudah out of prison.
The verse does not go on to describe what happened following the murder of Gedaliah - that we read in Sefer Yirmiyahu - but instead turns to describe the fate of Yehoyachin in Bavel after the exile. Until then Yehoyachin had been imprisoned, and in the thirty seventh year of his exile Evil Merodach lifted up his head and brought him out of prison.
And who was Evil Merodach? Some say the son of Nevuchadnetzar and some say his grandson, and the plain reading is that he was his son. Concerning Nevuchadnetzar it is written that it was decreed upon him to live for seven years like a beast of the field: to dwell in deserts and forests, to eat the grass of the field, and to grow nails like an animal. Whoever wishes can listen on Kol HaLashon to shiurim on Sefer Daniel, where the entire prophecy that was told to him about what would happen to him is brought. During those seven years Evil Merodach arose and reigned, for Nevuchadnetzar had simply vanished and they were certain he had died. When the decree ended, Nevuchadnetzar returned to his land and saw that his son had seized the kingship, and his anger flared. He imprisoned him and returned to reign. After Nevuchadnetzar died, Evil Merodach came out of prison and returned to reign.
But he still had his fears: had Nevuchadnetzar this time gone for good, or would he perhaps return again? Once already he had returned, and they had suffered greatly from it. What did he do? Chazal say that he took Nevuchadnetzar out of his grave and dragged his bones, and through this was fulfilled in him "וְאַתָּה הָשְׁלַכְתָּ מִקִּבְרְךָ כְּנֵצֶר נִתְעָב" (And you were cast out of your grave like an abhorred branch). Others say that he did this in order to nullify his decrees, for the moment everyone saw Nevuchadnetzar dragged like a carcass thrown in the marketplace, his corpse dragged through the city, they all understood that all his decrees were void. The Gemara says that Nevuchadnetzar instilled a terrible dread, and everyone who saw him was seized with fear and trembling, so that when he arrived in Gehinnom, the inhabitants of Gehinnom trembled before him. In other words, Gehinnom is Gan Eden compared to Nevuchadnetzar, and even there they entered in fear and dread at the sight of him.
וַיְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ טֹבוֹת וַיִּתֵּן אֶת־כִּסְאוֹ מֵעַל כִּסֵּא הַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בְּבָבֶל׃ - And he spoke kindly with him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Bavel.
"And he spoke kindly with him" - words of comfort. And there were other kings with him in Bavel, and he raised Yehoyachin's throne above the throne of them all.
וְשִׁנָּא אֵת בִּגְדֵי כִלְאוֹ וְאָכַל לֶחֶם תָּמִיד לְפָנָיו כׇּל־יְמֵי חַיָּיו׃ - And he changed his prison garments, and he ate bread continually before him all the days of his life.
וַאֲרֻחָתוֹ אֲרֻחַת תָּמִיד נִתְּנָה־לּוֹ מֵאֵת הַמֶּלֶךְ דְּבַר־יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ כֹּל יְמֵי חַיָּו׃ - And his allowance was a continual allowance given to him from the king, a daily portion every day, all the days of his life.
At first he had prisoner's garments, and therefore he needed to change his prison clothing for garments of importance, royal garments. And if it already says "and he ate bread continually before him," what does "and his allowance was a continual allowance" add? The Ralbag explained: "and he ate bread continually before him" was said about Yehoyachin himself, while the members of his family would receive a continual allowance from the king, a daily portion every day.
"All the days of his life" - whose life? The Gemara brings a dispute between Rav and Levi: one says all the days of the life of Evil Merodach the king, and one says all the days of the life of Yehoyachin. In essence they argued over who lived longer. And the Radak says that it stands to reason like the one who says all the days of Yehoyachin's life, for when the Holy One, blessed be He, grants tranquility to the righteous He does not take it from them, rather it goes with them all the way to Gan Eden.
Summary:
Chapter 25 concludes Sefer Melachim with the description of the destruction: from the Tenth of Tevet, the beginning of the calamity, through the three years of the siege, the breaching of the city on the Ninth of Tammuz, the flight of Tzidkiyahu and his capture in the plains of Yericho by the army, and up to the burning of the Temple from the seventh to the tenth of Av. We saw the trial of Tzidkiyahu and his terrible punishment, the breaking of the Temple vessels and their being taken to Bavel, the killing of the leaders of the people at Rivlah, and the appointment of Gedalyah ben Achikam who was murdered by Yishmael ben Netanyah - and as a result the remnant of the people fled to Egypt. And the book concludes with a small consolation: Yehoyachin is released from prison, elevated above all the kings, and eats bread continually all the days of his life, to teach us that the tranquility the Holy One, blessed be He, grants to the righteous is not taken from them but accompanies them to Gan Eden.