“Exile” is the term used for the captivity of a number of Judah’s people taken to Babylonia during the invasions of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar first invaded Judah in 598 B.C. and took King Jehoiachin and a number of Judah’s leaders back to Babylon. In 587 B.C. Judah’s King Zedekiah rebelled and Nebuchadnezzar again invaded Judah. This time Nebuchadnezzar’s army smashed the walls of Jerusalem and took many sacred objects from the temple there. Once again, many of Jerusalem’s leaders and skilled workers were taken away into exile.

Judah was made a Babylonian province under a governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. No longer would a king from the family of David sit on the throne of Israel. Counting the deportations of 597 and 586 B.C. and perhaps a later one in 582 B.C., Jeremiah 52:28-30 puts the total number of persons exiled at 4,600, while 2 Kings 24:14 says ten thousand were deported in 597 B.C. alone.

Little is known about life in Judah for those who were left behind, nor about life in Babylonia for the exiles. There is no evidence that life in Babylonia was unusually harsh, though some Judeans struggled to hang on to their beliefs in the face of pressure from Babylonian culture and religion. And many longed to return home to the promised land (Ps 137). Others probably established themselves as part of the Babylonian community, taking advantage of business opportunities there. There is evidence that a number of Jews stayed behind in Babylonia, even after Cyrus of Persia captured Babylonia and allowed the Jews to return home to Judea.

The experience of the exile had a profound impact on the Jewish people. Having no temple where the priests could offer sacrifices, the people began to gather in groups for prayer and to study the Scriptures. It is possible that during this time many of the Jewish Scriptures were written down and compiled by editors and scribes. These Scriptures made clear why the people of Israel suffered the great humiliation of the exile. The Jews learned that the exile did not happen by accident. The Lord God allowed it to happen, because the people turned away from God and sinned, forgetting especially the commandment of Exodus 20:3: “Do not worship any god except me.” When it was time to return to the homeland in 539 B.C., the Judeans (or Jews) were ready to rebuild Jerusalem and its temple and to renew their earlier agreements (covenants) with the Lord.