Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)

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Siege of Jerusalem
Date c. 587 BC Location Jerusalem Result Babylonia takes and destroys Jerusalem; Babylonian Victory
Belligerents
Judea	Babylonia
Commanders
Zedekiah	Nebuchadrezzar II
Strength
Much fewer	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Many slain, others taken to captivity	Unknown

About 2600 years ago, Jerusalem, the sacred city of the Jews, was still not a widespread metropolis as it is today. Protected inside the city walls, several thousand Judeans lived around a small mound on which the temple stood. Nebuchadrezzar II destroyed that stone ring and ruined the sacred city to its foundations. The Babylonians crossed the city walls with the help of defensive towers used during sieges. No defender of the city was able to cope with such an advanced technique. Metal military equipment, catapults, and the well planned tactic of attack, all made Jerusalem an easy target, and short work of its defenders. The siege tactic was just as effective as a penetrable force of arrows unleashed by thousands of archers. Nebuchadrezzar led a war terror effectively and ruthlessly. Thousands of people were slain and most of the survivors were taken to Babylon as prisoners of war. For the Jews, this was the ultimate misfortune, the wrath of God, and Babylon, the place of the so hated oppression become a biblical trauma. In fact, the bad reputation of Babylonians in the Bible was gained because of this pivotal event in history.

Contents 1 Historical background 2 Siege 3 Bible 4 References

[edit] Historical background

Judean king Zedekiah ascended the throne at the age of twenty-one and became a strong leader. The kingdom was at that time tributary to Nebuchadnezzar II. Nebuchadrezzar engaged in several military campaigns designed to increase Babylonian influence in Syria and Judah. An attempted invasion of Egypt in 601 BC was met with setbacks, however, leading to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant, including Judah. Nebuchadrezzar soon dealt with these rebellions, capturing Jerusalem in 597 BC deposing King Jehoiakim. These events are described in Nevi'im and Ketuvim, sections of Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, known to non-Jews as the Old Testament. Despite the strong remonstrances of Jeremiah and others, as well as the example of Jehoiakim, Zedekiah revolted against Babylon, and entered into an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt.

[edit] Siege

This brought up Nebuchadnezzar, "with all his host"^[1], against Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar began a siege of Jerusalem 589 BCE. During this siege, which lasted about eighteen months, "every worst woe befell the devoted city, which drank the cup of God's fury to the dregs" (2 Kings 25:3; Lamentations 4:4, 5, 9). In the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, Nebuchadnezzar succeeded in conquering Jerusalem. The city was plundered and reduced to ruins. Zedekiah and his followers attempted to escape, making their way out of the city, but were captured on the plains of Jericho, and were taken to Riblah.

There, after seeing his own sons put to death, his own eyes were put out, and, being loaded with chains, he was carried captive (587 BCE) to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-7; 2 Chronicles 36:12; Jeremiah 32:4,5; 34:2, 3; 39:1-7; 52:4-11; Ezekiel 12:12), where he remained a prisoner, how long is unknown, to the day of his death.

After the fall of Jerusalem, the Babylonian general Nebuzaraddan was sent to carry out its complete destruction. The city was razed to the ground. Only a small number of vinedressers and husbandmen were permitted to remain in the land (Jer. 52:16). Gedaliah, with a Chaldean guard stationed at Mizpah, was left to rule over Judah (2 Kings 25:22, 24; Jer. 40:1, 2, 5, 6).

[edit] Bible

The Bible says at Jeremiah 52:12-14:

“

In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that is, [in] the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the chief of the bodyguard, who was standing before the king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem. And he proceeded to burn the house of Jehovah and the house of the king and all the houses of Jerusalem; and every great house he burned with fire. And all the walls of Jerusalem, round about, all the military forces of the Chaldeans that were with the chief of the bodyguard pulled down.[2]

”

[edit] References