ירמיהו, פרק נ״ב, פסוק י״ב

About a month after the walls of Jerusalem were breached, the city remained in a state of chaos. While the conquering army continued to loot and spread ruin, a senior Babylonian official arrived to impose final order and carry out the ultimate destruction of the city [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This official, Nebuzaradan, held a title indicating he was the chief executioner. His role was primarily about maintaining strict order and overseeing capital punishments, rather than directly managing the executioners themselves [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He arrived in Jerusalem acting under strict orders from the king of Babylon. Although the king was far away, Nebuzaradan operated exactly as if he were standing right in front of him, ready to serve and execute his exact commands without acting on his own initiative [מצודת דוד], [ביאור שטיינזלץ], [רד״ק].

The destruction was carried out in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign. This timeline is calculated from the earlier conquest of King Jehoiachin, which occurred in Nebuchadnezzar's eighth year, followed by the eleven-year reign of King Zedekiah, bringing the total to nineteen years [מצודת דוד].

The final blow occurred in the fifth month, specifically on the tenth day of Av [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another Biblical account presents a slight timeline difference, placing this event on the seventh day of the month. To resolve this, commentators explain that Nebuzaradan actually arrived in Jerusalem on the seventh, but he waited until the tenth to receive full authority and officially issue the command to burn everything to the ground [מלבי״ם].