Nergal-sharezer

Biblical Record

Nergal-sharezer is a high-ranking Babylonian official who appears only in Jeremiah 39. In the Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul), his name appears in two verses.

• Jeremiah 39:3: In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, when the walls of Jerusalem were breached, "all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate." The list includes both "Nergalsharezer" and "Nergalsharezer, Rabmag." The same name thus appears twice in this verse.
• Jeremiah 39:13–14: At the command of Nebuchadnezzar, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag sent men, together with Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (the commander of the king's bodyguard) and Nebushasban the Rabsaris (chief of the eunuchs). They took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.

"Rabmag" renders a high title of the Babylonian court, though the precise meaning of the original term is uncertain. Scripture records nothing further about his origins or later career.

Significance in Scripture

Nergal-sharezer belongs to a list of officials that depicts the fall of Jerusalem and the beginning of the Babylonian exile. The Book of Jeremiah uses the scene of Babylonian officials sitting in the city gate to show that Judah's destruction had actually come to pass. Its account of these officials releasing Jeremiah also portrays the prophet's protection. The New Testament does not mention him.

Interpretation and Issues

• Meaning of the name: The name is generally regarded as a rendering of the Akkadian (Babylonian) Nergal-šarra-uṣur, commonly interpreted as "Nergal, protect the king." Nergal was a Babylonian deity who also appears in 2 Kings 17:30 as the god worshiped by the men of Cuth.
• One person or two?: Interpreters differ on why the same name appears twice in Jeremiah 39:3. Some see two different men with the same name, while others regard the repetition as a scribal duplication introduced during copying. Some English translations take "Samgar" as a place name or title and read "Nergal-sharezer of Samgar."
• Identification with Neriglissar: Many scholars identify Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag with Neriglissar, who is known from Babylonian sources. Neriglissar is known as the son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar and is said to have succeeded Evil-merodach, occupying the Babylonian throne for a brief period. This identification is a strong possibility, but the biblical text does not state it directly.
• A distinct figure: He should be distinguished from Sharezer, the son of the Assyrian king Sennacherib, mentioned in 2 Kings 19:37.

In the Korean Church

There are no widely known instances of Nergal-sharezer being treated as a sermon topic in his own right or as the subject of Sunday school curriculum. He is generally mentioned only as one of the Babylonian officials when expositions of Jeremiah 39 explain the fall of Jerusalem and the release of Jeremiah.