Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 24:2

"And Jehovah sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servants the prophets." — 2 Kings 24:2 (ASV)

And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees. —Jehoiakim’s revolt was no doubt instigated by Egypt. While Nebuchadnezzar himself was engaged elsewhere in his great empire, predatory bands of Chaldeans, along with the neighboring peoples, ravaged the Judean territory (compare Jeremiah 12:8-17, concerning Judah’s “evil neighbors”). These neighboring peoples were the hereditary enemies of Judah; they had submitted to Nebuchadnezzar and were not at all reluctant to make reprisals for the power Josiah had, perhaps, exercised over them.

According to the word of the Lord. —Isaiah, Micah, Urijah (Jeremiah 26:20), Huldah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and doubtless others whose names and writings have not been transmitted, had foretold the fate that was now closing in upon Judah.