Nebuzaradan (Neb´uh-zuh-ray´duhn)

A Babylonian high official who, in 586 BCE, oversaw the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple (2Kgs 5:8-22). He supervised personally the disposition of the captured property and population in Judah: vessels used in worship and appurtenances of precious metals were carried off as spoil to Babylon. Nebuzaradan also exiled the bulk of the city’s populace, though an exception was made in the case of the prophet Jeremiah, who was permitted to stay behind as counselor to the new governor, Gedaliah (Jer 40:1-6).