The Bible Book

128

SO JUDAH WENT

INTO CAPTIVITY,

AWAY FROM

HER LAND

2 KINGS 25:21, THE FALL

OF JERUSALEM

I

n 586 bce, after a long siege,

the Babylonians under King

Nebuchadnezzar II, capture

Jerusalem, holy city of the Israelites

and capital of the kingdom of Judah.

The utter destruction of both the

city and the Temple of Solomon mark

the start of a dark period for the

Israelites: a punishment from God

for their misdeeds. It is nearly

50 years before they are able to

return and rebuild their city.

These dramatic events are

related at the end of 2 Kings, a

tumultuous book, which recounts

a litany of bad rulers, catastrophe,

and the ultimate loss of the two

Jewish nations (the Assyrians had

conquered the northern kingdom,

Israel, in 722 bce). Jerusalem’s

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

2 Kings 24–25

THEME

Exile

SETTING

6th century bce Jerusalem,

central Judah.

KEY FIGURES

Nebuchadnezzar II The

conquering King of Babylon,

who invades Jerusalem.

Jehoiakim Puppet-king

of Judah installed by the

Egyptians from 609–597 bce.

Father and predecessor

of Jehoiachin.

Jehoiachin King of Judah for

three months in 598–597 bce.

Zedekiah King of Judah from

597 bc up until the time of the

Babylonian siege in 586 bce.

Uncle of Jehoiachin.

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129

See also: Entering the Promised Land 92–93 ■ The Fall of Jericho 98–99 ■

The Wisdom of Solomon 120–23 ■ Rebuilding Jerusalem 133

fortunes have ebbed and flowed

over the centuries, but the death

of the virtuous King Josiah while

battling the Egyptians in 609 bce

prompts a dramatic downturn.

Josiah is a great reformer and

a devoutly religious man, who

serves the Lord “with all his heart

and with all his soul and with all

his strength” (2 Kings 23:25). His

successors fall short of this

standard and their weak and

impious actions have devastating

consequences for Judah.

Power struggle

After Josiah’s death, the kingdom

of Judah becomes a pawn in the

struggle between the warring

nations of Egypt and Babylon.

Jehoahaz, Josiah’s son and heir,

is deposed and imprisoned by

the Egyptian pharaoh, who then

installs Jehoiakim, a younger son

of Josiah, on the throne of Judah

THE HISTORICAL BOOKS

as his puppet. Egypt’s power soon

begins to wane, however, largely

as a result of the threat posed

by the Babylonians led by the

conqueror Nebuchadnezzar II. He

and his rampaging armies present

a far greater danger to Jerusalem.

As the Babylonian army approaches

the walls of the holy city, Jehoiakim

switches allegiances and pledges

his support to Nebuchadnezzar

in an attempt to appease him and

persuade him to spare Jerusalem.

The arrangement works and

for three years Jerusalem is

unmolested. However, when a

planned Babylonian invasion of

Egypt fails, Jehoiakim rebels and

incurs Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath.

In 598 bce, the Babylonian armies

attack Jerusalem and Jehoiakim

then dies, possibly during the

ensuing conflict.

The last days of Judah

Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim,

becomes the new king of Judah

at only 18 years of age. He rules

for just three months before

Nebuchadnezzar and his armies

besiege Jerusalem once more,

forcing the young king to surrender.

Although on this occasion he

spares Jerusalem from destruction,

Nebuchadnezzar carries off the

king, all his family and officials,

and a further 10,000 Israelites,

marking the start of what is

known as the Babylonian Exile

or Babylonian Captivity. He also

seizes treasures from the royal

palace and the Temple of Solomon.

Nebuchadnezzar installs

Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, on

the throne of Judah, where “Only the

poorest people of the land were left”

(2 Kings 24:14). The Bible makes

it explicitly clear that God is ❯❯

The Two Nations

Nebuchadnezzar II was an

Assyrian King of Babylon who

ruled from c.605–562 bce. During

this time, Assyria was incorporated

into the Neo-Babylonian empire.

Assyria and the

divided kingdom

Dating back as early as the

25th century bce, Assyria

was a huge empire and an

amalgamation of numerous

Middle Eastern states that

continually changed in size

and influence until its

eventual collapse between

612 and 599 bce. At its peak,

Assyria stretched from the

eastern Mediterranean to Iran,

as well as into Egypt, Libya,

and the Arabian Peninsula.

Assyria played a key part

in Israelite history between

734 and 724 bce, when the

10-tribe kingdom of northern

Israel (called Israel) was

conquered by several Assyrian

monarchs and many of the

inhabitants were taken

captive. During this 10-year

period – known as the

Assyrian Exile – the groups

exiled by Assyria became

known as the Ten Lost Tribes

of Israel as, unlike those in

the Kingdom of Judah, the

northern Israelite tribes were

never allowed to return to

their homeland.

Jerusalem

JUDAH

(Southern

Kingdom)

586 BCE

ISRAEL

(Northern

Kingdom)

722 BCE

Dead Sea

Sea

of Galilee

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