The Babylonian Exile of the 1%

The exile of major Judean figures to Babylon was not a single event, it was series of relatively small political and tactical erosions over several decades. If there is a single event one could point to that set Judah down the path of subjugation to Babylon, it would likely be the death of Josiah. After this, Judah became embroiled between the two major regional powers toward the end of the 6th century BC. At first, Josiah’s son Jehoiakim is placed on the throne by Pharaoh Neco. Just a few years later, Babylon captured nearby Ashkelon and inspired Jehoiakim to relent to their expanding hegemony and become a vassal of King Nebuchadnezzar. Three years later in 600 BC, following a defeat of the Babylonian forces by Egypt, Jehoiakim decides to stop sending tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and attempt a rebellion. He may have been counting on military support from Egypt, but this support never came as Egypt was more concerned with naval trade and had basically forfeited the control of the land by that point. This rebellion is what triggered the first direct assault on Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and the first deportation of Jews to Babylon.

In 597 Nebuchadnezzar marched on Jerusalem and captured King Jehoiachin. In II Kings, it is reported that Jehoiachin’s father Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, while in the CH it is said that he was bound with fetters and carried off to Babylon as well. Regardless, his son was King during the first deportation. Nebuchadnezzar placed yet another puppet on the throne named Zedekiah, uncle to Jehoiachin. He was made to swear an oath of fidelity to Babylon in the name of Yahweh and to not show friendliness to Egypt. During this first deportation, II Kings reports that 10,000 captives were carried off while 7,000 made it to Babylon along with 1,000 craftsmen. These exiles were primarily government officials, wealthy people, or other important figures. The land was redistributed to those Judeans who remained in the land.

Zedekiah reigned for 11 years while Nebuchadnezzar was occupied by his Eastern border. He rarely made an appearance in Judah during this period. There was still a remnant of people in Judah who hoped for liberation to come from Egypt. They won a few military victories and fanned those flames of hope. In the late 590s/ early 580s, Zedekiah failed to make his tribute to Babylon for reasons which are not entirely clear, but likely due to the political environment in Judah at that time. It is not entirely clear when exactly this happened and there is some debate among scholars about the year of this rebellion as well as the year when Jerusalem actually fell. When the Babylonians arrived to suppress the revolt they began a siege of Jerusalem which lasted for two years.

Ultimately it ended with Jerusalem running out of food and the wall being breached. Zedekiah was captured, his sons were slaughtered before his eyes which were then gouged out. He was then carted off to Babylon. There was a prophecy from Jeremiah that Zedekiah would meet Nebuchadnezzar and look at him eye to eye at the end of the war, so there is some disagreement about the exact nature of Zedekiah’s fate. A new ruler named Gedaliah was placed over Judah, likely as a King, and the rest of the city was carried off according to II Kings. Jeremiah places the number of exiles at 832.

Judah was now left without a Davidic monarch. This was shocking to a people who believed that the throne of David would go on forever. Additionally, Gedaliah probably was proclaimed King by Babylon, though this title is never used to describe him in either history. Day to day life was not that arduous for the average Judean left in the land. Much of the wealth was again redistributed and the administrative jobs were staffed by local population rather than Babylonian “carpet-baggers”. In spite of this, there was an attempt to restore the Davidic throne by force. A commander named Ishmael claimed to be of the Davidic line. He ordered his troops to kill Gedaliah and his Babylonian entourage at Mizpah. The Judeans apparently did not support this coup and Ishmael fled to Egypt to live among the other Jewish refugees, carrying the prophet Jeremiah with the. In response, Nebuchadnezzar deported another 745 Judeans in 581. What follows in Judean politics after this assassination is unknown to history. In spite of these deportations and the destruction of the temple, there is evidence that Yahwehistic cultic practices continued both in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Judah. There are references to an active priesthood in Jeremiah and it makes sense that when the Persians returned the temple artifacts, it was for some kind of ongoing cultic worship.

This series of deportations created two major population centers of Jews outside of Judah: the exiles in Babylon and the refugees in Egypt. This was known as the diaspora and has been a feature of Jewish life and culture ever since. Little is known about the daily lives of Jews living in Egypt during this time, but Rabbis in Egypt would produce the first non-Hebrew translation of the Jewish scriptures known as “the Septuagint” centuries later. In Babylon, the Jews would develop many of the customs and the theology that would greatly influence Judaism from that day forward. They developed an ethic of tension between “home-born” and the exiled Jew. They began to think of themselves as a community of people that shared a common religion and not necessarily a nation with defined borders. This ethic would prove advantageous for Jewish cultural cohesion in the coming 25 centuries. Life for the Babylonian exiles was not overly harsh and they were treated relatively well. Jeremiah paints a picture of a life which allowed for the flourishing of families and gardens. The royal family was allowed to remain intact and Jewish religious practices continued. This isolated Jews and kept them from assimilating too greatly into Babylonian culture, though some assimilation took place. Jews began to write in Aramaic, which was very important development for the writing of the Christian scriptures. Idolatry also continued and was condemned by Ezekiel and “2nd Isaiah”. In spite of this, the Jews in exile were seen as the “good figs”, the hope of Israel. 2nd Isaiah declared all other gods to be delusional and impotent.

The Chronicler’s history of this period is succinct and focused. They are concerned with making sure the message as to why the exile came is driven home again and again. It is told entirely in one chapter, Chronicles 36. Very little text is spent on Jehoiakim and Jehoichin, they simply did evil in the site of the Lord. More text is devoted to the evil of Zedekiah whose main offense was his rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar. The priests were also practicing idolatry under Zedekiah. Ultimately, it is made clear that Jerusalem fell due to the disobedience of the Judean as a people, there was “no remedy” for the Lord’s wrath. Lastly, it is communicated that it was the Lord who stirred Nebuchadnezzar to invade and it was the Lord who stirred Cyrus to liberate the Jews. The Deuteronomists are more detailed in their coverage, they devote two chapters. The Kings are still said to have done what was evil, but specifically the sins of Manasseh are cited at the reason Babylon came and dominated. No mention of Manasseh is made in Chronicles. Interestingly, he was said to have been redeemed earlier in Chronicles. Twice the Ds make note that nobody was left in the land after the deportations except “poor people”. This was likely the majority of the Judean population, giving the reader a window into who the Deuteronomists considered to be “somebody”. Gedaliah is actually discussed in this passage whereas he is entirely omitted from the Cs. The DH ends with a passage informing the reader that Jehoiachin was given a seat of honor at the King of Babylon’s table where “Every day of his life, he dined regularly in the king’s presence”. This is likely to inform the reader that while the Davidic dynasty is under Babylonian subjugation, it has by no means been blotted out. It is sort of a “to be continued” ending.

Sam Bolton - April 9th, 2014 

Sources:

• II Kings, II Chronicles, Ezekial, Jeremiah 
• II Chron. 36:13, Josephus, Flavius, William Whiston, and Charles F. Pfeiffer. The works of Flavius Josephus. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1974. 
• Young, Rodger C. "WHEN DID JERUSALEM FALL?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 47, no. 1 (03, 2004)
• Miller, J. Maxwell, and John H. Hayes. A history of ancient Israel and Judah. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986. 
• Pakkala, Juha. "Zedekiah's Fate and the Dynastic Succession." Journal of Biblical Literature 125, no. 3 (Fall, 2006): 443-452. 
• Blenkinsopp, Joseph. "The Judaean Priesthood during the Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid Periods: A Hypothetical Reconstruction." The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 60, no. 1 (01, 1998) Rodger C. 
• Coogan, Michael David. The Oxford history of the biblical world. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. 
• Bernard-Donals, Michael. ""by the Rivers of Babylon": Deterritorialization and the Jewish Rhetorical Stance." College English 72, no. 6 (07, 2010)
• Hooker, Paul K.. First and Second Chronicles. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.
• Fretheim, Terence E.. First and Second Kings. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999.