Nebusaradan

Destruction of the temple and palace by Nebusaradan in a medieval book illustration

Nebusaradan ( Hebrew נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן nəvûzar'ǎdān ) was according to the 2nd book of kings  25, 8  LUT chief of the bodyguard of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar . In this function he led the Babylonian army, which was founded in 587 BC. BC conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and deported the upper class of Judah to Babylon .

Mention in the Bible

At the end of the 2nd Book of Kings the destruction of Jerusalem in the time of Zedekiah , the last king of Judah by Babylonian troops under the leadership of Nebusaradan is reported:

“On the seventh day of the fifth month, that is, the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, the servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and burned the house of the Lord and the house of the king and all Houses in Jerusalem; he burned all the big houses with fire. And the whole army of the Chaldeans, which was with the chief of the bodyguard, tore down the walls of Jerusalem. "

- 2 Kings 25,8-10  LUT

In the following it is reported how Nebusaradan deported the remnants of the upper class of Judah and only left a part of the poor people in the country as wine and arable farmers. The sacred objects of the temple were looted and broken. According to 2 Kings 25.15 LUT, Nebusaradan himself took everything from it that was made of gold or silver.

In addition to the second book of kings, Nebusaradan is also mentioned in the book of the prophet Jeremiah . In Jeremiah 39, 11–14  LUT and 40, 1–5  LUT it is reported how Nebusaradan received the order from the king after the conquest of Jerusalem to not harm Jeremiah. Thereupon Nebusaradan had Jeremiah fetched from the guard yard, where the prisoners were being held, and went to Gedaliah , where he gave him food and presents. At the end of the Book of Jeremiah, Nebusaradan is briefly mentioned again as the chief of the bodyguard, who led 745 people away from Judah as the third group of deportees during the conquest of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 52,30 LUT ).