The exile of Judah, known as the Babylonian exile, occurred due to a series of political and religious circumstances involving the southern kingdom of Judah and the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The events unfolded in three main stages:
- The first stage began during the reign of King Jehoiakim around 605 BCE. Jehoiakim allied with Egypt against Babylon, which prompted Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II to besiege Jerusalem. Jehoiakim eventually agreed to pay tribute and sent members of the Jewish nobility to Babylon as hostages (including the prophet Daniel).
- The second stage occurred around 597 BCE, after Jehoiakim's death when his son Jehoiachin took the throne briefly. Jehoiachin rebelled against Babylon, leading Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem again, capturing Jehoiachin and exiling thousands, including members of Judah's upper and middle classes and the prophet Ezekiel.
- The third and most catastrophic stage happened around 587 BCE under King Zedekiah, Jehoiachin's uncle. After Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem for about two years, culminating in the city's destruction, the burning of Solomon's Temple, and the exile of the remaining Jewish elite. Zedekiah was captured, witnessed the execution of his sons, was blinded, and taken to Babylon.
The underlying cause of these exiles was Judah's persistent idolatry, unfaithfulness, and rejection of God's prophets, which, according to biblical accounts, led God to allow the Babylonian conquest and exile as a punishment for their sins.
In summary, Judah's exile was caused by political rebellion against Babylonian dominance, compounded by religious disobedience and unfaithfulness, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the forced deportation of its people to Babylon over multiple waves between 605 and 582 BCE.
