2 Kings 24:14

“And he carried away all Jerusalem, etc.] The inhabitants of it; not every individual of them, but the chief of them, the more honourable, rich, and useful; for the poorer sort were left, as afterwards expressed: and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives; which was the number of them in the whole; the particulars are after delivered: and all the craftsmen and smiths; besides the nobles and the soldiers, he took all the artificers that exercised any handicraft trade or business; carpenters and blacksmiths, as some interpret these two words; so that there were none left to make arms for them; the last word may be rendered “enclosers”, and are by some…”

“The entire number of the captives was not more than 11,000. They consisted of three classes: (1) the “princes” or “mighty of the land,” i. e., courtiers, priests, elders, and all who had any position or dignity - in number 3,000 (compare 2 Kings 24:14, 2 Kings 24:16). (2) the “mighty men of valor” or “men of might,” i. e., the soldier class, who were 7,000. And (3) craftsmen or artisans, who numbered 1,000. The word here translated “craftsmen” denotes artisans in stone, wood, or metal, and thus includes our “masons, carpenters, and smiths.” The word translated “smiths” means strictly “lock-smiths.” The object of carrying off these persons was twofold: (1) it deprived the conquered city of…”

“All - Not simply all, but the best and most considerable part, as the following words explain it. Captives - Which are more particularly reckoned up, Kg2 24:16, where there are seven thousand mighty men, and a thousand smiths; and those mentioned Kg2 24:15, make up the other two thousand. Craftsmen and smiths - Who might furnish them with new arms, and thereby give him fresh trouble. 4 Kings (2 Kings) 24:17”

“24:14-16 In addition to Jehoiachin, the prophet Ezekiel was also taken into captivity (Ezek 1:1). Throughout the book of Ezekiel, events in Ezekiel’s life are dated in terms of the years since Jehoiachin had been taken captive. • The 10,000 taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar likely includes 7,000 . . . troops, 1,000 craftsmen and artisans, and a number of administrative officials and leading citizens of Jerusalem. In any case, 10,000 is probably a round figure (see also Jer 52:28).”

“all: That is, all the chief men, the nobles, and the artificers. Among these were 7,000 mighty men, and 1,000 craftsmen and smiths. Jerusalem: Ch2 36:9, Ch2 36:10; Jer 24:1-5, Jer 52:28; Eze 1:1, Eze 1:2 craftsmen: So, Sa1 23:19-22 the poorest sort: Kg2 25:12; Jer 39:10, Jer 40:7, Jer 52:16; Eze 17:14 4 Kings (2 Kings) 24:15”

“Beside these treasures, he carried away captive to Babylon the cream of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, not only the most affluent, but, as is evident from Jer 24:1-10, the best portion in a moral respect. In Kg2 24:14 the number of those who were carried off is simply given in a general form, according to its sum-total, as 10,000; and then in Kg2 24:15, Kg2 24:16 the details are more minutely specified. "All Jerusalem" is the whole of the population of Jerusalem, which is first of all divided into two leading classes, and then more precisely defined by the clause, "nothing was left except the common people," and reduced to the cream of the citizens. The king, queen-mother, and king's wives…”