Salvation: Israelite Captivities Curses for Disobedience - Babylonian Captivity

The Babylonian Captivity of the Jews: Origins

The Babylonian Captivity occurred when the Jewish people faced exile from Israel. Being forced to leave Judah, they lived in Babylon between 597 BCE and 538 BCE. This captivity lasted until they were freed by Persian leader Cyrus the Great. While the Babylonian Captivity is described in the Torah and the Christian Bible, it is also described by other sources. These historical sources include Persian documents that corroborate the Babylonian captivity and prove its occurrence. The term was first coined by Renaissance scholar Francesco Petrarch, who used it to describe the movement of the pope's court to France.

The Babylonian Captivity: the Conquest of Judah

In 600 BCE the king of Judah decided for 3 years to stop paying taxes to Babylonia. This led to the Jewish-Babylonian War. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar laid Siege to Judah by 597 BC. After the city of Jerusalem was captured, tens of thousands of Jewish people were exiled from Judah. Historians disagree about the exact date that the Babylonian Captivity began. Some sources say that it began as soon as King Nebuchadnezzar began to attack the city in 597 BCE, but others say it occurred in 586 CE, when Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylonian forces. Regardless of the exact date, sources show that the Jews were forcibly moved to Babylon.