Person Old Testament
Nergal-sar-ezer
Also known as Nergal-sar-ezer =ESV; Nergal-Sharezer =NIV; Nergal-shar-ezer =KJV
Nergal-sar-ezer was a Babylonian official present at the capture of Jerusalem in 587 BC and probably became king Neriglissar. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Jeremiah 39:3.
Why it matters. Future Babylonian king at Jerusalem's fall
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Nergal-sar-ezer
The first of the two people called Nergal-sar-ezer in Jer.39.3 is either "of Samgar" (an unknown place) or is "a Simmagir" (a high rank). His name is likely to be a version of Neriglissar, the person of Simmagir rank who usurped the throne from the son of Nebuchadnezzar II, Amel-Marduk (Evil-Merodach in (Jer.52.31; 2Ki.25.27). At this time, he was merely a representative of King Nebuchadnezzar. Ironically, the name Nergal-shar-ezer means "Nergal, protect the king!" referring to the Babylonian god of war, Nergal. Nergal-shar-ezer and the other officials took up residence in the Middle Gate of Jerusalem. They likely oversaw the destruction of the city, the burning of the temple, and the deportation of captives (2Ki.25.8-21).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Jeremiah (1 verse)