Babylonian captivity
Sign in to saveperiod in Jewish history during which a number of people from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon
AI overview
The Babylonian Captivity was a period when people from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were held as captives in Babylon, marking a significant disruption to Jewish society and homeland. This event is important in Jewish history as a pivotal moment that shaped the community's identity, religious practices, and historical memory.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
The Flight of the Prisoners (1896) by James Tissot; the exile of the Jews from Canaan to Babylon The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile was the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were exiled to Babylonia by the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The expulsions occurred in multiple waves: After the siege of Jerusalem in 597 BCE, around 7,000 individuals were exiled to Mesopotamia. Further expulsions followed the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple in 587 BCE.
Although the dates, numbers of expulsions, and numbers of exiles vary in the several biblical accounts, the following is a general outline of what occurred. After the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II besieged Jerusalem, which resulted in tribute being paid by the Judean king Jehoiakim. In c. 601 BCE, Jehoiakim refused to pay further tribute, which led in 598/597 BCE to another siege of the city by Nebuchadnezzar II and culminated in the death of Jehoiakim and the exile to Babylonia of his successor Jeconiah, Jeconiah's court, and many others. In 587 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem and exiled Jeconiah's successor Zedekiah and others. In 582 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar II exiled another group.