What is the significance of writing the day?
Radak, Malbim citing Mahari: It was the 10th of Teves. He should write it and show it to Bnei ha'Golah, that on that day Melech Bavel was Somech to Yerushalayim. Afterwards when they will hear reports that it began that day, they will know that there is a Navi among them, and his words are Emes. They will cease to heed the false Nevi'im.
Malbim citing Mahari: There are 914 days from this day until the city will be breached two and a half years later, on the ninth of Tamuz 1 . This is the number of years that they were free from when they left Egypt in the year 2448 until the Churban in 3358. (This is only 910;) the extra four days are for partial years 2 .
Why is it two and a half years later? The years of Jewish kings are counted from Nisan, so there are only one and a half years from Teves of Tzidkiyah's ninth year until Av of his 11th year! And so Malbim said above (9:4)! (PF)
I.e. we break up the time, and count partial years as full years. E.g. 41 years from Yetzi'as Mitzrayim until entering Eretz Yisrael, 384 years when the Mishkan was in Gilgal and Shilo, 58 in Nov and Giv'on, and 411 of the Beis ha'Mikdash. This adds four years. However, this is only 894 in all! Bayis Rishon began 480 years after Yetzi'as Mitzrayim, and it stood 410 years, so there were really 890 years (Zevachim 118b); the Churban was in 3338. I cannot explain Malbim's calculation. (PF)
Why does it say "Es Shem ha'Yom Es Etzem ha'Yom"?
Radak, Malbim citing Mahari: They are, respectively, the day of the week and the day of the month (the 10th of the 10th month).
Malbim: Shem ha'Yom is the word Asor; Etzem ha'Yom is the number 10. The Gematriya of Asor is 576, and with 10 it is 586, the Gematriya of Yerushalayim written here lacking the latter Yud. The Kasdim attribute the night to the previous day; they considered it the 11th of Teves 1 . They call the month Teves in their language; Yisrael took the names of the months with them from Bavel (Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah 1:2). The Gematriya of Nebuchadnetzar (422) equals that of Shem ha'Yom (11) and Etzem ha'Yom (Teves 2 , 411). Etzem ha'Yom is the strength of the day, and the hint in it.
I.e. what we call the night of Rosh Chodesh, they agree that it is the first, just they say count also the previous day as the first. (PF)
For Yisrael, he explained Etzem ha'Yom to be 10 (for the 10th month), since Yisrael did not have names for the months. For the Kasdim, Etzem ha'Yom is the name of the month. (PF)
What is the meaning of "Smach Melech Bavel"?
Rashi: He besieged.
Radak: He came close to the city with his army, and built a bulwark against it.
