Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC)
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| Siege of Jerusalem | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Judea | Babylonia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jehoiakim | Nebuchadrezzar II | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Much fewer | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Many slain, others taken to captivity | Unknown | ||||||
In 601 BC Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, attempted unsuccessfully to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses. This failure lead to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant, including Judah, where the king, Jehoiakim, stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar.[1]
Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions. He lay siege to Jerusalem, which fell on the second day of Adar (March 16) 597 BC, according to the Babylonian Chronicle[1]. He destroyed both the city and the Temple and deported the new king Jehoiachin (Jehoiakim having died in the meantime)[2] and his court and other prominent citizens, along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judah, to Babylon. Among them were Ezekiel and Daniel. The Bible tells us that "None remained except the poorest people of the land."[2] Also taken to Babylon were the treasures and furnishings of the Temple.[3]
These events are described in the Nevi'im and Ketuvim, sections of the Tanakh, and the Hebrew Bible. This Babylonian captivity is referred to as 'The Exile'[3]. Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiakim's uncle, Zedekiah, as puppet-king of Judah.