He carried away all Jerusalem: all the officers and all the warriors, ten thousand captives, and all the artisans and the smiths; none remained, except the poorest people of the land — Nebuchadnezzar's deportation policy, following Assyrian precedent, removes the leadership class, military personnel, and skilled craftspeople: a systematic removal of Judea's capacity for future resistance or recovery. The phrase 'ten thousand captives' (עֶשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים, *aseret alafim*) represents the magnitude of deportation. The note 'except the poorest people of the land' (רַק דַּלַּת־הָאָרֶץ, *rak dallat ha-aretz*) indicates that the socially and economically marginal population remains, incapable of organized resistance or economic recovery.

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