Breaking idols

Nebuchadnezzar “broke” ( shavar ) the bronze furnishings of the temple and carried the bronze away to Babylon.

“Breaking” is just what Israel was supposed to do to the idols of the land ( shavar is used in Exodus 23:24; 24:13; Deuteronomy 7:5). It is what faithful kings did to the idols that popped up around the land (2 Kings 18:4; 23:14).

Solomon’s temple had become a den of brigands, no better than the Baal temple. Like a new Joshua and a Babylonian Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar “broke” it in pieces.