In 605 B.C. the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar decisively defeated the Egyptian army at the battle of Carchemish (Jer 46.1-12). See the introductory comments on this section.

The king of Egypt did not come again out of his land: What is implied in this statement is that the king of Egypt did not leave his territory for the purpose of military conquest.

The king of Babylon; that is, the king of Babylonia. See the comments at verse 1.

Had taken may be rendered “had taken control of” or “had taken over” (New Revised Standard Version).

All that belonged to the king of Egypt …: This seems to refer primarily to territory (mainly Syria and Palestine), but would have included everything that was on the land, including the people as well as the animals and crops.

The Brook of Egypt: As in 1 Kgs 8.65, this wadi formed the northern boundary marker of Egypt. This same expression is used in Num 34.5; Josh 15.4, 47; Isa 27.12; Ezek 47.19; 48.28.

The river Euphrates: See 1 Kgs 4.21 and 2 Kgs 23.29.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .