“‘I will appoint over them
Four kinds of destroyers.’
Says Yahweh.
‘The sword is to kill.
The dogs are to drag away.
The birds of the air are to devour.
The animals of the earth are to destroy.
I will make them a horror
To all the kingdoms of the earth,
Because of what King Manasseh,
Son of King Hezekiah of Judah,
Did in Jerusalem.’”
Yahweh once again spoke about 4 different ways that he would destroy the people. While the sword was the only common one from the preceding verses, famine, pestilence, and captivity have given way to dogs, birds, and animals. The sword would kill. The dogs would drag them away. The birds of the air would devour them, while the other earth animals would destroy them. They would become a horror to the all countries on earth. This was all done because of what King Manasseh (687-642 BCE), the son of King Hezekiah (716-687 BCE) had done in Judah and Jerusalem. However, this captivity was nearly a century later in 587 BCE. Why did Yahweh wait so long? The son of King Manasseh was the good king Josiah (640-609 BCE) who led a religious reform. All this is based on 2 Kings, chapters 21-23.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 