The Great Invasion
The Babylonian Captivity
A tragedy of extraordinary proportion
At a time when Israel has been invaded and a massacre against her has been perpetrated, it is a good time to revisit one of the great tragedies in Israel's history and God's plan for her restoration. This Psalm, composer unknown, shows that the Captivity was a stain on the consciousness of the nation for generations.
By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion. Psalms 137:1
Tens of thousands of skilled people were taken prisoner in the first invasion (2 Kings 24:14,) and the second wave was far more violent and extensive in forced deportations. Many were left behind as vassals. There has always been a continuous presence of Jews in the Land. Yet this Tragedy of forced immigration and bloodshed was a gigantic scar on the psyche of the people of Israel
There are also similarities to the Oct 7th invasion which I can't help but note.
And from this horror came a verse, so profound in its impact that the Old and New Testaments are titled after it. And we learn of a pattern that is repeated over and over in the scriptures: Salvation is not a lifestyle choice. It's not a self-help program for a get-rich scheme. It's not a feel-good set of slogans congratulating you on your own set of values. It is a rescue from abject terror, imprisonment, death, and miserable and eternal separation from God, into the light of His presence.
Historical evidence
The Cyrus Cylinder is about 9” long. It tells the story of the Jews Captivity in Babylon and about him freeing them to return to Israel.
The text of the Cyrus Cylinder records Cyrus' policy of religious tolerance and his decree allowing the exiled peoples of various nations, including the Israelites, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples. This aspect is particularly relevant to the Bible's account of Cyrus' support for the Israelites' return to Jerusalem.
More historical evidence.
The event is recorded in the Bible, in the books of 2 Kings, Jeremiah, and Ezra, as well as in the cuneiform inscriptions of the Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar II and Cyrus the Great.The Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah in 597 BCE and again in 586 BCE, when they destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem and took many Israelites into exile in Babylon. This event is known as the Babylonian captivity.Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, conquered Babylon in 539 BCE and issued a decree allowing the exiled Israelites to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. This is recorded in the Bible in the book of Ezra, as well as in the Cyrus Cylinder, an ancient clay cylinder on which Cyrus recorded his conquest of Babylon and his policy of allowing conquered peoples to return to their homelands and restore their temples.Overall, the historical evidence for the Babylonian captivity and the support of Israel by Cyrus comes from both biblical and non-biblical sources, which gives it some credibility.
Good or Bad?
Jeremiah has a lengthy argument and says to STAY in Babylon and “plant gardens”. It Sounds nice. (haha) Custom homes, gardening, weddings, families, grandkids, civic involvement, and public projects.
4 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare. Jeremiah 29:4-7
But in point of fact, it was TERRIBLE. Invasion, murder, all property lost, imprisonment of a crushed Jewish people.
FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA
It sounds like the bloody massacre that Hamas and so many hipster-liberationists (and the terrorists they end up cheering on) envision in the slogan “from the River to the sea, Palestine will be free”, obliterating an autonomous Israel, with maybe a token Jewish population remaining.
In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 The LORD sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the command of the LORD it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood 2 Kings 24:1-4
How does Judaism continue without a Temple? Half of the law is about temple sacrifices. No temple… no Judaism. Babylonian captivity changed that, into a system of observances and dedications.
The Babylonian captivity, also known as the Babylonian exile, took place in several stages, beginning in 597 BCE and culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple in 586 BCE. These events marked the initial phase of the captivity.
In 597 BCE, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem and deported a significant number of Jews, including King Jehoiachin and members of the royal court, as well as skilled craftsmen and other influential individuals. This deportation is often referred to as the First Captivity.
The second and more extensive phase of the Babylonian captivity occurred in 586 BCE. Following a rebellion in Judah, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Jerusalem, besieged the city, and ultimately destroyed it, including the First Temple. Many more Jews were deported to Babylon, and the city of Jerusalem was left in ruins.
The captivity lasted for approximately 70 years, until the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BCE. Cyrus issued a decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. The return and rebuilding period that followed marked the end of the Babylonian captivity and the beginning of a new phase in Jewish history.
WHEN AND HOW LONG?
It was not a moment… it was a lifetime. Jeremiah says this captivity must last 70 years. Here is a complete timeline…
Jeremiah never saw the end of it. The Babylonian captivity is generally considered to have lasted from
the initial deportation in 597 BCE until the return of the exiles and
Cyrus defeats Babylon in 539
538 the exiles return
516 BCE. the completion of the Second Temple in (of course that is 81 years from #1 to #4)
GOD’S TIMING
For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ Jeremiah 29:11-14
Many believers think "God knows the PLANS He has for you., a future and a hope" means PLANS FOR ME
First, that is a mistranslation. it says "I know the THOUGHTS (מחשבות MACHSEVOT I have ABOUT you..." God THINKING deeply, compassionately, about us, but the PLANS are for us to make... (says the architect. haha). God also uses an unusual pronoun there when he says "I" KNOW. He uses the royal "I", which only God says. In modern Hebrew, "ANOCHI" means self-centered. In Hebrew, there is no separate word for the first-person pronoun. It is a suffix added onto verb. EXCEPT when God uses it to highlight who HE is.
Jeremiah 29.11 says: God is answering prayer by NOT NOW.
Another real prophet, Hananaih, at the same time, was saying Jeremiah was wrong, to rise up against Babylon and RETURN NOT TO ISRAEL. Jeremiah said, Hananaih, you are wrong, and you will DIE as a result. Jer 28:16-17
NEVER FORGET
We say “Never Forget”. But we’ve forgotten this fundamental turning point in the history of God’s People… The Captivity in Babylon. It completely shaped the psyche of Judaism for centuries.
WHAT ARE JEREMIAH’S 70 YEARS ABOUT
SEVENTY YEARS OF CAPTIVITY
10 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. Jeremiah 29:10
Daniel believed it…
I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, Daniel 9:2
The ANGELS recognized it
12 Then the angel of the LORD said, “O LORD of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?” Zechariah 1:12
(timing: Zecharaih wrote after the return)
THE JEWISH NATION REBUILT
3 For behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The LORD says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.’” Jeremiah 30:3
4 “Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
Again you will take up your tambourines,
And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers. Jeremiah 31:4
TERROR
5 “For thus says the LORD,
‘I have heard a sound of terror,
Of dread, and there is no peace. Jeremiah 30:5
FREED FROM BONDAGE TO SERVE GOD
‘that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. 9 But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. Jeremiah 30:8-9
A RENEWED HEART FOR GOD
1 “At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.” Jeremiah 31:1
REGATHERED FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH
Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,
And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Jeremiah 31:8
And say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him
And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.” Jeremiah 31:10
WORSHIP
6 “For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the LORD our God.’”
7 For thus says the LORD,
“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
‘O LORD, save Your people,
The remnant of Israel.’ Jeremiah 31:6-7
JOY
12 “They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion,
And they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD— Jeremiah 31:12
13 “Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance,
And the young men and the old, together,
For I will turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow. Jeremiah 31:13
THE LAND - the RIGHT OF RETURN
The way by which you went.
Return, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities. Jeremiah 31:21
THE NEW COVENANT
GOD WRITES HIS LAW ON OUR HEART
31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34
extra inofo
More history and background… internet sources.
The historical evidence for the Babylonian captivity of the Israelites. The event is recorded in the Bible, in the books of 2 Kings, Jeremiah, and Ezra, as well as in the cuneiform inscriptions of the Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar II and Cyrus the Great.The Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah in 597 BCE and again in 586 BCE, when they destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem and took many Israelites into exile in Babylon. This event is known as the Babylonian captivity.Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, conquered Babylon in 539 BCE and issued a decree allowing the exiled Israelites to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. This is recorded in the Bible in the book of Ezra, as well as in the Cyrus Cylinder, an ancient clay cylinder on which Cyrus recorded his conquest of Babylon and his policy of allowing conquered peoples to return to their homelands and restore their temples.Overall, the historical evidence for the Babylonian captivity and the support of Israel by Cyrus comes from both biblical and non-biblical sources, which gives it some credibility.
The Cyrus Cylinder is an ancient clay cylinder that dates back to the 6th century BCE. It is considered one of the most important archaeological artifacts from the ancient Near East. The cylinder was discovered in 1879 during excavations in Babylon (modern-day Iraq) by a British archaeologist named Hormuzd Rassam.
The cylinder measures about 22.9 centimeters (9 inches) in length and is inscribed with cuneiform writing. It contains a proclamation issued by Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, following his conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE. The inscription on the cylinder is written in Akkadian, the official language of the Babylonian Empire.
The text of the Cyrus Cylinder records Cyrus' policy of religious tolerance and his decree allowing the exiled peoples of various nations, including the Israelites, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples. This aspect is particularly relevant to the Bible's account of Cyrus' support for the Israelites' return to Jerusalem.
The Cyrus Cylinder is often seen as an important historical artifact because it provides evidence for the policies of Cyrus and his approach to ruling conquered territories. It is considered an early example of a declaration of human rights, as it emphasizes religious freedom and the restoration of displaced peoples.
The cylinder itself is housed in the British Museum in London, where it is displayed as part of the museum's collection. It has been widely studied by historians, archaeologists, and scholars interested in the ancient Near East, providing valuable insights into the reign of Cyrus the Great and the events surrounding the fall of Babylon.
Apart from the biblical accounts and the Cyrus Cylinder, there are other historical sources that provide support for the Babylonian captivity. These include:
Babylonian Chronicles: These are ancient Babylonian texts that record various events during the reigns of Babylonian kings. They mention the conquest of Jerusalem and the exile of the Israelites. One example is the Babylonian Chronicle known as the "Chronicle of Nebuchadnezzar II," which briefly mentions the capture of Jerusalem.
Babylonian and Persian Inscriptions: Inscriptions found on various artifacts and monuments from the Babylonian and Persian periods provide additional evidence. For example, the Taylor Prism, an Assyrian clay prism, contains an account by the Assyrian king Sennacherib, who preceded the Babylonian period, mentioning his capture of numerous cities, including Babylon.
Jewish Exilic Literature: In addition to the biblical texts, there are other Jewish writings from the exilic period that refer to the Babylonian captivity. These include the Book of Daniel, which depicts the experiences of Daniel and his companions during the exile, and the Book of Esther, which is set during the Persian period but refers to the Babylonian captivity.
Archaeological Evidence: Archaeological discoveries in the ancient Near East have provided further confirmation of the Babylonian captivity. Excavations at sites such as Jerusalem, Babylon, and other locations have unearthed artifacts and structures that align with the historical accounts, including evidence of destruction and exile.
While the available evidence may not provide a comprehensive and detailed historical record, it does offer multiple sources that support the general historical account of the Babylonian captivity.
Yes, there are several historical events and sources that support the Bible's account of the Babylonian captivity. Here are a few examples:
Babylonian Chronicles: These are a series of Babylonian historical texts that provide accounts of major events during the reigns of Babylonian kings, including Nebuchadnezzar II. These chronicles mention the capture of Jerusalem, the exile of King Jehoiachin, and the appointment of Zedekiah as a vassal king in Judah, which align with the biblical narrative.
Nebuchadnezzar's Siege of Jerusalem: The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II is widely acknowledged as having conducted military campaigns against the Kingdom of Judah, culminating in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Archaeological evidence, such as the remains of destroyed buildings and defensive walls, supports the occurrence of this event.
Babylonian Captivity Inscriptions: Several clay tablets and inscriptions from the Babylonian period mention the deportation of various peoples, including Israelites, to Babylon. These inscriptions provide additional evidence for the Babylonian captivity.
Return of the Exiles: The return of the exiled Israelites from Babylon to their homeland under the decree of Cyrus the Great is recorded in the Bible (the books of Ezra and Nehemiah) and is also supported by archaeological evidence. Excavations in Jerusalem and other areas have revealed artifacts and structures dating to the period of the return, indicating a resettlement of the land following the captivity.
While the Babylonian captivity is primarily documented in biblical texts, the convergence of these historical events, inscriptions, and archaeological findings provides additional support for the authenticity of the captivity as described in the Bible.
The Babylonian captivity, also known as the Babylonian exile, was a challenging and transformative period for the Jewish people. Here are some key aspects of the captivity:
Deportation: After the Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah, they deported a significant number of Jews from Jerusalem and other areas to Babylon. The first deportation took place in 597 BCE, and a larger deportation occurred in 586 BCE after the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple.
Loss of Homeland: The Jews were forcibly removed from their homeland and taken to a foreign land. This separation from their ancestral land, Jerusalem, and the Temple had profound religious, cultural, and emotional implications for the Jewish people.
Exile in Babylon: During the captivity, the Jews lived as exiles in Babylon for several decades. They settled in various cities and were subject to Babylonian authority. The Babylonians allowed them to maintain some semblance of their cultural and religious practices, although they were under the dominion of a foreign power.
Cultural Interaction: The Jewish exiles came into contact with the advanced Babylonian civilization and its culture. This interaction influenced aspects of Jewish thought, religious practices, and literature. For example, during this period, the Jews encountered ideas such as monotheism and apocalypticism, which would later shape Jewish theology.
Prophetic Hope: Despite the difficult circumstances, the prophets, such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel, offered hope and encouragement to the exiles. They prophesied the eventual return to their homeland and the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple.
Return and Rebuilding: The Babylonian captivity came to an end when Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon in 539 BCE. Cyrus issued a decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. This marked the beginning of a new phase in Jewish history.
The Babylonian captivity was a formative period for the Jewish people, shaping their religious, cultural, and national identity. It laid the foundation for later developments, including the Second Temple period and the emergence of Judaism as a distinct religious tradition.