Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 25:19

"and out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war; and five men of them that saw the king`s face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the city." — 2 Kings 25:19 (ASV)

The city.—Thenius is probably right in explaining it as the city of David.

An officer who was set over the men of war—that is, a royal officer commanding the garrison of the city of David. He was probably not a eunuch (2 Kings 20:18; 2 Kings 24:12), though in the Byzantine empire, in any case, eunuchs were sometimes great soldiers—for example, the heroic Narses.

And five men of them...—See margin. The phrase is explained by the seclusion practiced by Oriental sovereigns.

The Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read five; the Targum, fifty. Jeremiah 52:25 and the Arabic read seven.

The numeral letter denoting five had probably become partially obliterated in the manuscript used by the writer of Jeremiah 52:25.

The persons in question were royal counselors. They may have dissuaded the king from flight and so held out to the last (Thenius).

The principal scribe of the host.—See margin. This scribe was an officer on the staff of the commander-in-chief, who had himself either fallen fighting or accompanied the king in his flight.

Who mustered the people of the land—that is, enrolled the names of those who were bound to serve in the army.

Sixty men of the people of the land...—that is, apparently the remains of the garrison of the citadel. Keil thinks these were those who had distinguished themselves above others in the defense, or had been ringleaders in the rebellion.

That were found...—This expression seems to imply that they were the few survivors of a much larger force.

In the city.—Jeremiah 52:25 states, in the midst of the city; this is an expression that seems to point to the city of David, which was the strategic center of Jerusalem.