Exile to Babylon

597, 586, 582 B.C.

It appears that there were three separate deportations of Jude­ans to Bab­ylon under the rule of Neb­u­chad­nez­zar (see also Jer. 52:28–30). The first came in 597 B.C. during the reign of Jehoi­a­chin, when Ne­bu­chad­nez­zar besieged Je­­ru­salem and carried away many of the treasures of the temple and the royal palace. The second occurred after the fall of Je­­ru­salem in 586 B.C., when the walls of the city were leveled and the temple was completely destroyed. The third appears to have occurred around 582 B.C. while King Neb­u­chad­nez­zar was reasserting his control over the general region of Palestine (see note on Jer. 52:28–30).