And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
Parallel translations
- WEB The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold;
- BSB The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.
- NKJV And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.
- NASB Then the captain of the bodyguards took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three doorkeepers.
- NLT Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took with him as prisoners Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three chief gatekeepers.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Babylonians seized the chief priest, his deputy, and the temple gatekeepers. The leaders of Israel's worship were taken for execution.
Overview
Nebuzaradan arrested Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold—those entrusted with guarding the holiness of the temple. Their capture signals the dismantling of the priestly order that mediated between God and His people. This collapse of the old priesthood points forward to the need for a greater, permanent High Priest, fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Chr 6:14And Azariah begat Seraiah, and Seraiah begat Jehozadak,
- Ezra 7:1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
- Jer 29:25Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
- Jer 21:1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
- Jer 29:29And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
- Jer 52:24And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
- 2 Kgs 25:24–26And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 25:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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