The queen. — This was probably the queen-mother, Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan (2 Kings 24:8). The name probably indicates a connection with the Elnathan the son of Achbor, of Jeremiah 26:22, but we cannot assert with any confidence the identity of the one with the other.
The carpenters, and the smiths. — See Note on Jeremiah 24:1. Among the exiles thus referred to as “princes” we have to think of Daniel, and those who are best known to us by their Babylonian names as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Daniel 1:6-7). The conduct, we may well believe, was in accordance with Jeremiah’s teaching.