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But Nebuzaradan allowed some of the poorest people to stay behind to care for the vineyards and fields.
Jeremiah 52:16 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.
  • KJV But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
  • BSB But Nebuzaradan captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
  • NKJV But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
  • NASB But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

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

Nebuzaradan left some of the poorest in the land to tend vineyards and fields. A remnant remained to work the soil.

Overview

Babylon's policy kept the land productive by leaving behind laborers, but this also quietly preserved a remnant in Judah. God's judgment, though severe, was not total annihilation, for He always keeps a seed for His purposes. This preserved remnant testifies to the mercy woven through judgment, a pattern fulfilled in the faithful remnant ultimately gathered in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • Jer 39:9–10Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the residue of the people who remained in the city, the deserters also who fell away to him, and the residue of the people who remained.
  • Jer 40:5–7Now while he had not yet gone back, “Go back then,” he said, “to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wherever it seems right to you to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him food and a present, and let him go.
  • 2 Kgs 25:12But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
  • Ezek 33:24Son of man, they who inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Jeremiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Jeremiah 52:16YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JeremiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.

How Jeremiah 52:16 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

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.