An Overview of the Jewish Captivity and Return From Exile
The long road home.
Although God’s people were facing discipline for their sin by being sent into captivity, He did not abandon them.
God had a plan from “the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 3:8-12), and it involved the Jewish people returning from Babylonian captivity.
What God Tells the Captives
Jeremiah wrote to all the people who were carried into captivity in the second carrying away in 597/596 BC (Jeremiah 29:1-2). The letter gave them instructions on what to do while in captivity.
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace. (Jeremiah 29:4-7)
God sent them into captivity.
First, the letter emphasizes that the LORD God of Israel was the one who caused them to be taken away into captivity (Jeremiah 24:5; Isaiah 47:6). We’re also reminded of this at the beginning of Daniel (Daniel 1:1-2).
They were there in Babylon because of their own sin and refusal to repent, not because the LORD was too weak to overcome Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:14-17).
Be productive, good citizens.
Then, Jeremiah tells them to establish themselves in this foreign land. They needed to build houses to live in and plant gardens to feed themselves (Jeremiah 29:5). He told them to get married and have children, as well as arrange for their children to marry and have families, so that the nation could grow and not dwindle away (Jeremiah 29:6).
They were going to be in Babylonian captivity for several generations (Jeremiah 27:7), so they needed to “settle in” and live their lives in this foreign land the best they could.
They were not to become a despondent, dependent citizenry needing a constant handout from their rulers. Neither were they to engage in rebellious, contentious agitation against the Babylonian government. -John Humphries, Truth Commentaries: Jeremiah, 310
They were to “work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the LORD for it. For as it prospers you will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7, NET).
God commanded the Jews to pray for the very nation that had carried them into captivity - to work for and pray for their peace and prosperity! As Babylon prospered and enjoyed peace, so would the Jewish people in Babylonian exile.
As Christians, we consider ourselves “sojourners and pilgrims” in this world, and we too should conduct ourselves honorably (1 Peter 2:11-12), honoring our rulers and governments (1 Peter 2:13-17), praying for our nation and rulers (1 Timothy 2:1-4), and living as good citizens (Romans 13:1-7). Perhaps, even like Daniel, we may find ourselves in positions of authority in government. When this occurs, we must serve with integrity and loyalty to God (Daniel 6).
Captivity Timeline
Let’s consider the timeline for captivity and the Jews’ return from captivity.
First captivity - 606/605 BC
This first carrying away of the Jewish people took place during the third year of Jehoiakim. Daniel was included in this first group that was taken to Babylon (Daniel 1).
This round of captivity mostly included members of the “royal family” and family members of Jewish nobles, as well as articles from the temple.
Second captivity - 597/596 BC
The second carrying away took place during King Jehoiachin’s reign. This captivity included more family members of the nobility and articles from the temple, as well as all the courageous warriors and skilled workers (2 Kings 24:12-14).
Third captivity - 586 BC
The third round of captivity occurred under Judah’s final king of the divided kingdom, King Zedekiah. This was the most brutal carrying away, as Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed and burned with fire (2 Chronicles 36:19). While many people were taken into captivity, many were also killed (2 Chronicles 36:17, 20).
What was captivity like for the Jews?
The book of Daniel is set between the first round of captivity and ends right before the first round of captives return to Jerusalem. From Daniel, we get an idea about what it was like for the Jewish people while they were exiles.
They took Jeremiah’s command to seek the welfare of where they lived seriously.
They had followed the advice of Jeremiah (chap. 29, which became something of a charter to dispersion Judaism) and settled down and sought “the welfare of the city” to such an extent that they prospered, some even becoming high government officials (as were Daniel, Mordecai, and Nehemiah). The Babylonian Jewish community grew in influence over the centuries. - Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 376
Babylon actually presented unique opportunities for people to become wealthy, and quite a few of the Jewish people did. Unlike their time of captivity in Egypt, for the most part, the Jewish people were not slaves subject to heavy, forced labor. They were free to make a living, and Babylon was an ideal place to do that.
Babylon as an international centre of trade, industry and commerce, was the great school for the cities and capitals of the world. - Werner Keller, The Bible As History, 289
Despite the many opportunities that came their way, the Jewish people still longed for home.
However much the Jews may have sought “the peace of the city” and found it; however much they may have learned in the cities of Babylonia which would profit future generations, broaden their own outlook and raise their standard of living, all of which would benefit future generations in many ways - nevertheless their heart-yearnings for their distant little homeland on the Jordan left them no inward peace. They could not forget the city of David, their beloved Jerusalem (Psalm 137). - Werner Keller, The Bible As History, 292-293
Return Timeline
Just as there were three main rounds of the Jewish people going into exile, so there would be three main rounds of the Jewish people returning home.
First return with Zerubbabel in 536 BC
Cyrus, king of Persia, proclaimed that the Jewish people could return to their homeland. Ezra 1-6, Haggai 1-2, and the book of Zechariah cover this first return and the people’s work on the temple.
The temple would be rebuilt around 516/515 BC, seventy years after the temple was destroyed. This begins the period of the “Second Temple.”
The book of Esther likely takes place during the 470s BC, between the first and second returns of the Jews.
Second return with Ezra in 458 BC
While the date is debated, Ezra arrives in Jerusalem with the second group to return from captivity. He focuses on beautifying the temple and restoring the law and its observance among the people (Ezra 7-10).
Ezra also marks a shift that will be important once we get into the time of Christ.
Ezra is termed “a scribe skilled in the law of Moses” (7:6), and with him we are introduced to a new class of religious leaders who were to assume great importance in the subsequent period. Previously the religious leaders were the priests, prophets, and wise men; but prophecy was soon to cease, and while there were still priests, they were concerned with the temple ritual and its affairs. A different kind of “wise men” arose - scholars in the sacred writings. Scribes replaced priests as the interpreters of the law, and in the absence of prophetic revelation, scribal interpretation became the authority. - Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 377
Third return with Nehemiah in 445 BC
With the temple rebuilt and the law restored, the people needed protection against external threats. Nehemiah returns, rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem, and renews the covenant. The book of Nehemiah ends around 432 BC.
The final book of the Old Testament before the “400 years of silence” between the Testaments is Malachi, which is written around 430 BC. Malachi will address several problems among the people that are still issues—much bigger issues—during the Lord’s ministry.
Lord willing, my plan with these articles is to continue the “King’s Story” by studying in more detail what happens as the nation returns from captivity.
We don’t often spend much time in books like Ezra and Nehemiah, but this is a valuable part of Scripture, and “sets the scene” for what’s happening when Matthew 1:1 begins.
I look forward to continuing this study with you!
