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The Exiles

  1. Kingdom of Israel’s exile

    also known as: the Assyrian exile and the Assyrian captivity

    This involved the Assyrian kings Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmaneser V.

    In the time of Pekah, the king of Assyria carried away the Kingdom of Israel captive into Assyria (2 Kings 15:29; compare Isaiah 10:5-6) a part of the inhabitants of Galilee and of Gilead (741 BC).

    After the destruction of Samaria (720 BC) by Shalmaneser and Sargon, there was a general deportation of the Israelites into Mesopotamia and Media (2 Kings 17:6; 18:9; 1 Chronicles 5:26).

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  2. Kingdom of Judah’s exile

    1. This kingdom of the two tribes, the Kingdom of Judah was carried away by Nebuchadnezzar, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 25:1).

      He invaded Judah, and carried away some royal youths, including Daniel and his companions (606 BC), together with the sacred vessels of the temple (2 Chronicles 36:7; Dan. 1:2).

    2. In 598 BC (Jeremiah 52:28; 2 Kings 24:12), in the beginning of Jehoiachin’s reign (2 Kings 24:8), Nebuchadnezzar further carried away captive 3,023 eminent Jews, including the king (2 Chronicles 36:10), with his family and officers (2 Kings 24:12), and a large number of warriors, with very many persons of note, and artisans, leaving behind only those who were poor and helpless.

      This was the first general deportation to Babylon.

    3. In 588 BC, after the revolt of Zedekiah, there was a second general deportation of Jews by Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 52:29; 2 Kings 25:8), including 832 more of the principal men of the kingdom. He carried away also the rest of the sacred vessels (2 Chronicles 36:18).

      From this period, when the temple was destroyed (2 Kings 25:9), to the complete restoration, B.C. 517 (Ezra 6:15), is the period of the “70 years.”

    4. In 582 BC occurred the last and final deportation. The entire number Nebuchadnezzar carried captive was 4,600 heads of families with their wives and children and dependants (Jeremiah 52:30; 43:5-7; 2 Chronicles 36:20, etc.). Thus the exiles formed a very considerable community in Babylon.

      When Cyrus later granted permission to the Jews to return to their own land (Ezra 1:5; 7:13), only a comparatively small number at first availed themselves of the privilege.

      It cannot be questioned that many belonging to the kingdom of Israel ultimately joined the Jews under Ezra, Zerubbabel, and Nehemiah, and returned along with them to Jerusalem (Jeremiah 50:4, 5, 17-20, 33-35).

      However, large numbers had settled in the land of Babylon, and formed numerous colonies in different parts of the kingdom. Their descendants very probably have spread far into Eastern lands and become absorbed in the general population—even as far as China.

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Article Version: October 24, 2024