Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC)

Infobox Military Conflict


caption= A clay tablet of the Babylonian Chronicles which mentions the Jerusalem Siege of 597 BC
conflict=Siege of Jerusalem
partof=
date=c. 597 BC
place=Jerusalem
result=Babylonia takes and despoils Jerusalem; Babylonian Victory
combatant1=Judea |combatant2=Babylonia
commander1=Jehoiakim
commander2=Nebuchadrezzar II
strength1= Much fewer
strength2= Unknown
casualties1=Many slain, others taken to captivity
casualties2=UnknownIn 601 BC, in the fourth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, unsuccessfully attempted to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses. This failure lead to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant which owed allegiance to Babylon, including Judah, where the king, Jehoiakim, stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar [http://www.drshirley.org/hist/hist05.html] and took a pro-Egyptian position.

Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions. According to the Babylonian Chronicles [Geoffrey Wigoder, The Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible Pub. by Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. (2006)] , he lay siege to Jerusalem, which eventually fell on the second day of Adar (March 16) 597 BC. The Chronicles state:

In the seventh month (of Nebuchadnezzar-599 BC.) in the month Chislev (Nov/Dec) the king of Babylon assembled his army, and after he had invaded the land of Hatti (Syria/Palestine) he laid siege to the city of Judah. On the second day of the month of Adara ( 16th of March) he conquered the city and took the king (Jehoiachin) prisoner. He installed in his place a king (Zedekiah) of his own choice, and after he had received rich tribute, he sent (them) forth to Babylon." [No 24 WA21946, The Babylonian Chronicles, The British Museum]

Nebuchadnezzar pillaged both the city and the Temple and deported the new king Jehoiachin (Jehoiakim having died in the meantime) [http://www.rbvincent.com/BibleStudies/captivit.htm] and his court and other prominent citizens, along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judah, numbering about 10,000 [The Oxford History of the Biblical World, ed. by Michael D Coogan. Pub. by Oxford University Press, 1999. pg 350] , to Babylon. Among them were Ezekiel and Daniel. The Bible tells us that "None remained except the poorest people of the land" [2 Kings 24:11] and that also taken to Babylon were the treasures and furnishings of the Temple, including golden vessels dedicated by King Solomon. [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=For%202%20Chronicles%2036:9,%2010,%20%202%20Kgs%2024:8-17&version=47]

These events are described in the Nevi'im and Ketuvim, sections of the Tanakh, and the Hebrew Bible, known to non-Jews as the Old Testament. This Babylonian captivity is referred to as 'The Exile' [2 Kings 24:10-16] . Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiachin's uncle, Zedekiah [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/656213/Zedekiah] , as puppet-king of Judah.

ee also

References

External links

* [http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press_releases/press_releases/2007/biblical_archaeology_find.aspx The Siege on the British Museum website]
* [http://www.britanica.com/EBchecked/topic/656213/Zedekiah The Siege on the Encyclopædia Britannica website]
* [http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc5/jerusalem.html The Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nebuchadnezzar II]