Jeremiah’s 70 Year Prophecy
The seventy year prophecy of Jeremiah is one of
more interesting and misunderstood prophecies.
Often people look at only one or two texts without looking at the
overall picture, or they take an assumption their church has made about this
prophecy and try to read that assumption into the text.
This leads to conflicting and complex
interpretations, especially when trying to line up the prophecy with
established history.
Here, we will strive to look at the big picture
presented in the Scriptures and see what they actually say and not what we
assume.
First, we must understand that, while Jeremiah
25 contains the first full description of the prophecy, its origins go back
earlier.
In the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah,
Jeremiah began to prophecy about Babylonian dominance over the Middle East.
Jeremiah 1:1-3, 14-15
1
|
The
words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in
the land of Benjamin:
|
דברי
ירמיהו בן־חלקיהו מן־הכהנים אשׁר בענתות בארץ בנימן
|
2
|
To
whom the word of [Yehovah] came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of
Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
|
אשׁר
היה דבר־יהוה אליו בימי יאשׁיהו בן־אמון מלך יהודה בשׁלשׁ־עשׂרה שׁנה למלכו
|
3
|
It
came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the
end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto
the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
|
ויהי
בימי יהויקים בן־יאשׁיהו מלך יהודה עד־תם עשׁתי עשׂרה שׁנה לצדקיהו בן־יאשׁיהו
מלך יהודה עד־גלות ירושׁלם בחדשׁ החמישׁי
|
……………………..
|
………...
|
|
14
|
Then
[Yehovah] said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all
the inhabitants of the land.
|
ויאמר
יהוה אלי מצפון תפתח הרעה על כל־ישׁבי הארץ
|
15
|
For,
lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith
[Yehovah]; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at
the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof
round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
|
כי
הנני קרא לכל־משׁפחות ממלכות צפונה נאם־יהוה ובאו ונתנו אישׁ כסאו פתח שׁערי
ירושׁלם ועל כל־חומתיה סביב ועל כל־ערי יהודה
|
The Neo-Assyrian Empire lasted for centuries
until the Babylonians defeated them and destroyed their capital in 610
B.C.E. The Egyptians made an
unsuccessful attempt to help their Assyrian allies retake Haran and reestablish
the empire. The decisive battle was
fought in 609 B.C.E. The Egyptians managed to gain control of some of the
former territory of Assyria but the Assyrian empire ceased to exist.[3] Thus 609 B.C.E. marks the beginning of the
Babylonian Empire and its dominance over the Middle East.
In 605 B.C.E., Nebuchadnezzar defeated the
Egyptians at Carchemish. Upon his
return, he was crowned king on September 23, 605 B.C.E. [4]
During this campaign he laid siege to Jerusalem
and carried Daniel, and many others, captive to Babylon.
Daniel 1:1-2
1
|
In the
third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
|
בשׁנת
שׁלושׁ למלכות יהויקים מלך־יהודה בא נבוכדנאצר מלך־בבל ירושׁלם ויצר עליה
|
2
|
And
the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels
of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of
his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
|
ויתן
אדני בידו את־יהויקים מלך־יהודה ומקצת כלי בית־האלהים ויביאם ארץ־שׁנער בית
אלהיו ואת־הכלים הביא בית אוצר אלהיו
|
We can establish this timeline from Scripture
because it states in Jeremiah 25:1 states that the fourth year of Jehoiakim
coincided with the first year of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 1:1 says the siege happened in the
third year of Jehoiakim.
Jeremiah reminded the people of Jerusalem that
he had been prophesying about this since the time of Josiah. He also expanded it to include much more
detail. In this prophecy he said that
all of the surrounding nations would serve Babylon for 70 years. At the end of 70 years, Babylon would be
defeated. Notice, the 70 years
designates the period of Babylonian dominance.
It is not about the time of Jerusalem’s destruction. Also notice the 70 years ends with the
destruction of Babylon. It does not
extend to the return of the Jews to Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 25: 1-27
1
|
The
word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth
year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;
|
הדבר
אשׁר־היה על־ירמיהו על־כל־עם יהודה בשׁנה הרבעית ליהויקים בן־יאשׁיהו מלך יהודה
היא השׁנה הראשׁנית לנבוכדראצר מלך בבל
|
2
|
The
which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,
|
אשׁר
דבר ירמיהו הנביא על־כל־עם יהודה ואל כל־ישׁבי ירושׁלם לאמר
|
3
|
From
the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this
day, that
is the three and twentieth year, the word of [Yehovah] hath come unto me, and
I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
|
מן־שׁלשׁ
עשׂרה שׁנה ליאשׁיהו בן־אמון מלך יהודה ועד היום הזה זה שׁלשׁ ועשׂרים שׁנה היה
דבר־יהוה אלי ואדבר אליכם אשׁכים ודבר ולא שׁמעתם
|
4
|
And
[Yehovah] hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and
sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
|
ושׁלח
יהוה אליכם את־כל־עבדיו הנבאים השׁכם ושׁלח ולא שׁמעתם ולא־הטיתם את־אזנכם לשׁמע
|
5
|
They
said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of
your doings, and dwell in the land that [Yehovah] hath given unto you and to
your fathers for ever and ever:
|
לאמר
שׁובו־נא אישׁ מדרכו הרעה ומרע מעלליכם ושׁבו על־האדמה אשׁר נתן יהוה לכם
ולאבותיכם למן־עולם ועד־עולם
|
6
|
And go
not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not
to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
|
ואל־תלכו
אחרי אלהים אחרים לעבדם ולהשׁתחות להם ולא־תכעיסו אותי במעשׂה ידיכם ולא ארע לכם
|
7
|
Yet ye
have not hearkened unto me, saith [Yehovah]; that ye might provoke me to
anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
|
ולא־שׁמעתם
אלי נאם־יהוה למען הכעסוני במעשׂה ידיכם לרע לכם
|
8
|
Therefore
thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,
|
לכן כה
אמר יהוה צבאות יען אשׁר לא־שׁמעתם את־דברי
|
9
|
Behold,
I will send and take all the families of the north, saith [Yehovah],
and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them
against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all
these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make
them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
|
הנני
שׁלח ולקחתי את־כל־משׁפחות צפון נאם־יהוה ואל־נבוכדראצר מלך־בבל עבדי והבאתים
על־הארץ הזאת ועל־ישׁביה ועל כל־הגוים האלה סביב והחרמתים ושׂמתים לשׁמה ולשׁרקה
ולחרבות עולם
|
10
|
Moreover
I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the
millstones, and the light of the candle.
|
והאבדתי
מהם קול שׂשׂון וקול שׂמחה קול חתן וקול כלה קול רחים ואור נר
|
11
|
And
this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these
nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
|
והיתה
כל־הארץ הזאת לחרבה לשׁמה ועבדו הגוים האלה את־מלך בבל שׁבעים שׁנה
|
12
|
And it
shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish
the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith [Yehovah], for their iniquity,
and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
|
והיה
כמלאות שׁבעים שׁנה אפקד על־מלך־בבל ועל־הגוי ההוא נאם־יהוה את־עונם ועל־ארץ
כשׂדים ושׂמתי אתו לשׁממות עולם
|
13
|
And I
will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it,
even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against
all the nations.
|
והבאיתי
על־הארץ ההיא את־כל־דברי אשׁר־דברתי עליה את כל־הכתוב בספר הזה אשׁר־נבא ירמיהו
על־כל־הגוים
|
14
|
For
many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will
recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their
own hands.
|
כי עבדו־בם גם־המה גוים רבים ומלכים גדולים
ושׁלמתי להם כפעלם וכמעשׂה ידיהם
|
15
|
For
thus saith [Yehovah] God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at
my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
|
כי כה
אמר יהוה אלהי ישׂראל אלי קח את־כוס היין החמה הזאת מידי והשׁקיתה אתו
את־כל־הגוים אשׁר אנכי שׁלח אותך אליהם
|
16
|
And
they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will
send among them.
|
ושׁתו
והתגעשׁו והתהללו מפני החרב אשׁר אנכי שׁלח בינתם
|
17
|
Then
took I the cup at [Yehovah]'s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto
whom [Yehovah] had sent me:
|
ואקח
את־הכוס מיד יהוה ואשׁקה את־כל־הגוים אשׁר־שׁלחני יהוה אליהם
|
18
|
To
wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and
the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing,
and a curse; as it is this day;
|
את־ירושׁלם
ואת־ערי יהודה ואת־מלכיה את־שׂריה לתת אתם לחרבה לשׁמה לשׁרקה ולקללה כיום הזה
|
19
|
Pharaoh
king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
|
את־פרעה
מלך־מצרים ואת־עבדיו ואת־שׂריו ואת־כל־עמו
|
20
|
And
all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all
the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah,
and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
|
ואת
כל־הערב ואת כל־מלכי ארץ העוץ ואת כל־מלכי ארץ פלשׁתים ואת־אשׁקלון ואת־עזה
ואת־עקרון ואת שׁארית אשׁדוד
|
21
|
Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
|
את־אדום
ואת־מואב ואת־בני עמון
|
22
|
And
all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the
kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,
|
ואת
כל־מלכי־צר ואת כל־מלכי צידון ואת מלכי האי אשׁר בעבר הים
|
23
|
Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all
that are in the utmost corners,
|
ואת־דדן
ואת־תימא ואת־בוז ואת כל־קצוצי פאה
|
24
|
And
all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that
dwell in the desert,
|
ואת
כל־מלכי ערב ואת כל־מלכי הערב השׁכנים במדבר
|
25
|
And
all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the
kings of the Medes,
|
ואת
כל־מלכי זמרי ואת כל־מלכי עילם ואת כל־מלכי מדי
|
26
|
And
all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the
kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of
Sheshach shall drink after them.
|
ואת
כל־מלכי הצפון הקרבים והרחקים אישׁ אל־אחיו ואת כל־הממלכות הארץ אשׁר על־פני
האדמה ומלך שׁשׁך ישׁתה אחריהם
|
27
|
Therefore
thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts, the God of Israel;
Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of
the sword which I will send among you.
|
ואמרת
אליהם כה־אמר יהוה צבאות אלהי ישׂראל שׁתו ושׁכרו וקיו ונפלו ולא תקומו מפני
החרב אשׁר אנכי שׁלח ביניכם
|
Jehoiakim
decided to not pay the required tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and promptly died
during the winter of 598/597 B.C.E.
Jehoiakin (also known as Jeconiah) succeeded him. Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem again
and carried many of the Jews into captivity in 597 B.C.E. [6]
Jeremiah
sent them a letter telling them that they would remain in Babylon until after
the 70 years of Babylonian dominance.
Jeremiah 29: 1-10 ASV
1
|
Now
these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from
Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the
priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had
carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,
|
ואלה
דברי הספר אשׁר שׁלח ירמיה הנביא מירושׁלם אל־יתר זקני הגולה ואל־הכהנים
ואל־הנביאים ואל־כל־העם אשׁר הגלה נבוכדנאצר מירושׁלם בבלה
|
2
|
(after
that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs, and the
princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were
departed from Jerusalem,)
|
אחרי
צאת יכניה־המלך והגבירה והסריסים שׂרי יהודה וירושׁלם והחרשׁ והמסגר מירושׁלם
|
3
|
by the
hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom
Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,)
saying,
|
ביד
אלעשׂה בן־שׁפן וגמריה בן־חלקיה אשׁר שׁלח צדקיה מלך־יהודה אל־נבוכדנאצר מלך בבל
בבלה לאמר
|
4
|
Thus
saith [Yehovah] of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I
have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem unto Babylon:
|
כה אמר
יהוה צבאות אלהי ישׂראל לכל־הגולה אשׁר־הגליתי מירושׁלם בבלה
|
5
|
Build ye
houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
|
בנו
בתים ושׁבו ונטעו גנות ואכלו את־פרין
|
6
|
Take
ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and
give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and
multiply ye there, and be not diminished.
|
קחו
נשׁים והולידו בנים ובנות וקחו לבניכם נשׁים ואת־בנותיכם תנו לאנשׁים ותלדנה
בנים ובנות ורבו־שׁם ואל־תמעטו
|
7
|
And
seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away
captive, and pray unto [Yehovah] for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye
have peace.
|
ודרשׁו
את־שׁלום העיר אשׁר הגליתי אתכם שׁמה והתפללו בעדה אל־יהוה כי בשׁלומה יהיה לכם
שׁלום
|
8
|
For
thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that
are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither hearken ye
to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
|
כי כה
אמר יהוה צבאות אלהי ישׂראל אל־ישׁיאו לכם נביאיכם אשׁר־בקרבכם וקסמיכם
ואל־תשׁמעו אל־חלמתיכם אשׁר אתם מחלמים
|
9
|
For
they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith
[Yehovah].
|
כי
בשׁקר הם נבאים לכם בשׁמי לא שׁלחתים נאם־יהוה
|
10
|
For
thus saith [Yehovah], After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I
will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return
to this place.
|
כי־כה
אמר יהוה כי לפי מלאת לבבל שׁבעים שׁנה אפקד אתכם והקמתי עליכם את־דברי הטוב
להשׁיב אתכם אל־המקום הזה
|
Some translations render the key phrase
“seventy years are accomplished for Babylon” as “seventy years are
accomplished at Babylon” or something similar. The Hebrew word here is לְבָבֶ֛ל (lə·bā·bel). Throughout the Bible, this phrase is usually
translated as “for Babylon” or “unto Babylon”.
Most English translations render it this way in this verse. It seems to be the most accurate way to
translate it. More importantly, this
rendering lines up better with Jeremiah’s prophecy in chapter 25.
The people incurred the fury of God so that God
sent the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to conquer Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36: 15-17
15
|
And
[Yehovah] God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up
betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his
dwelling place:
|
וישׁלח
יהוה אלהי אבותיהם עליהם ביד מלאכיו השׁכם ושׁלוח כי־חמל על־עמו ועל־מעונו
|
16
|
But
they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his
prophets, until the wrath of [Yehovah] arose against his people, till there
was no remedy.
|
ויהיו מלעבים במלאכי האלהים ובוזים דבריו ומתעתעים
בנבאיו עד עלות חמת־יהוה בעמו עד־לאין מרפא
|
17
|
Therefore he
brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the
sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man
or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his
hand.
|
ויעל
עליהם את־מלך כשׂדיים ויהרג בחוריהם בחרב בבית מקדשׁם ולא חמל על־בחור ובתולה
זקן וישׁשׁ הכל נתן בידו
|
Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem for 18
months. It finally fell on July 29, 587
B.C.E. [7] This means that the siege began in January of
588 B.C.E. and God’s wrath, mentioned in the text above, began around 589
B.C.E.
The date of July 29, 587 B.C.E. corresponds to
the ninth day of the fifth month (Av)[8]. The
date is arrived this way. The walls were
breached on the ninth day of the fourth month (Tammuz). The Babylonians set fire to the Temple on the
seventh day of the fifth month (Av) according to 2 Kings 25 and the tenth day
of the fifth month according to Jeremiah 52.
The discrepancy is resolved by understanding that the fire lasted
several days. It is generally stated as
taking place on the ninth day of the fifth month (Av), hence July 29, 587
B.C.E.
2 Kings 25:1-9
1
|
And it
came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth
day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his
host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against
it round about.
|
ויהי
בשׁנת התשׁיעית למלכו בחדשׁ העשׂירי בעשׂור לחדשׁ בא נבכדנאצר מלך־בבל הוא וכל־חילו
על־ירושׁלם ויחן עליה ויבנו עליה דיק סביב
|
2
|
And
the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
|
ותבא
העיר במצור עד עשׁתי עשׂרה שׁנה למלך צדקיהו
|
3
|
And on
the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there
was no bread for the people of the land.
|
בתשׁעה
לחדשׁ ויחזק הרעב בעיר ולא־היה לחם לעם הארץ
|
4
|
And
the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of
the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees
were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the
plain.
|
ותבקע
העיר וכל־אנשׁי המלחמה הלילה דרך שׁער בין החמתים אשׁר על־גן המלך וכשׂדים
על־העיר סביב וילך דרך הערבה
|
5
|
And
the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the
plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.
|
וירדפו
חיל־כשׂדים אחר המלך וישׂגו אתו בערבות ירחו וכל־חילו נפצו מעליו
|
6
|
So
they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and
they gave judgment upon him.
|
ויתפשׂו
את־המלך ויעלו אתו אל־מלך בבל רבלתה וידברו אתו משׁפט
|
7
|
And
they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of
Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
|
ואת־בני
צדקיהו שׁחטו לעיניו ואת־עיני צדקיהו עור ויאסרהו בנחשׁתים ויבאהו בבל
|
8
|
And in
the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth
year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the
guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
|
ובחדשׁ
החמישׁי בשׁבעה לחדשׁ היא שׁנת תשׁע־עשׂרה שׁנה למלך נבכדנאצר מלך־בבל בא
נבוזראדן רב־טבחים עבד מלך־בבל ירושׁלם
|
9
|
And he
burnt the house of [Yehovah], and the king's house, and all the houses of
Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.
|
וישׂרף
את־בית־יהוה ואת־בית המלך ואת כל־בתי ירושׁלם ואת־כל־בית גדול שׂרף באשׁ
|
Jeremiah 52:4-16
4
|
And it
came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth
day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army,
against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round
about.
|
ויהי
בשׁנה התשׁעית למלכו בחדשׁ העשׂירי בעשׂור לחדשׁ בא נבוכדראצר מלך־בבל הוא
וכל־חילו על־ירושׁלם ויחנו עליה ויבנו עליה דיק סביב
|
5
|
So the
city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
|
ותבא
העיר במצור עד עשׁתי עשׂרה שׁנה למלך צדקיהו
|
6
|
And in
the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the
city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
|
בחדשׁ
הרביעי בתשׁעה לחדשׁ ויחזק הרעב בעיר ולא־היה לחם לעם הארץ
|
7
|
Then
the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of
the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by
the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they
went by the way of the plain.
|
ותבקע
העיר וכל־אנשׁי המלחמה יברחו ויצאו מהעיר לילה דרך שׁער בין־החמתים אשׁר על־גן
המלך וכשׂדים על־העיר סביב וילכו דרך הערבה
|
8
|
But
the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in
the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
|
וירדפו
חיל־כשׂדים אחרי המלך וישׂיגו את־צדקיהו בערבת ירחו וכל־חילו נפצו מעליו
|
9
|
Then
they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in
the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.
|
ויתפשׂו
את־המלך ויעלו אתו אל־מלך בבל רבלתה בארץ חמת וידבר אתו משׁפטים
|
10
|
And
the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also
all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
|
וישׁחט
מלך־בבל את־בני צדקיהו לעיניו וגם את־כל־שׂרי יהודה שׁחט ברבלתה
|
11
|
Then
he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains,
and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
|
ואת־עיני
צדקיהו עור ויאסרהו בנחשׁתים ויבאהו מלך־בבל בבלה ויתנהו בבית־הפקדת עד־יום מותו
|
12
|
Now in
the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year
of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
|
ובחדשׁ
החמישׁי בעשׂור לחדשׁ היא שׁנת תשׁע־עשׂרה שׁנה למלך נבוכדראצר מלך־בבל בא
נבוזראדן רב־טבחים עמד לפני מלך־בבל בירושׁלם
|
13
|
And
burned the house of [Yehovah], and the king's house; and all the houses of
Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:
|
וישׂרף
את־בית־יהוה ואת־בית המלך ואת כל־בתי ירושׁלם ואת־כל־בית הגדול שׂרף באשׁ
|
14
|
And
all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake
down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
|
ואת־כל־חמות
ירושׁלם סביב נתצו כל־חיל כשׂדים אשׁר את־רב־טבחים
|
15
|
Then
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor
of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and
those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the
multitude.
|
ומדלות
העם ואת־יתר העם הנשׁארים בעיר ואת־הנפלים אשׁר נפלו אל־מלך בבל ואת יתר האמון
הגלה נבוזראדן רב־טבחים
|
16
|
But
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for
vinedressers and for husbandmen.
|
ומדלות
הארץ השׁאיר נבוזראדן רב־טבחים לכרמים וליגבים
|
2 Chronicles 36:20-23
20
|
And
them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they
were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
|
ויגל
השׁארית מן־החרב אל־בבל ויהיו־לו ולבניו לעבדים עד־מלך מלכות פרס
|
21
|
To
fulfil the word of [Yehovah] by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had
enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to
fulfil threescore and ten years.
|
למלאות
דבר־יהוה בפי ירמיהו עד־רצתה הארץ את־שׁבתותיה כל־ימי השׁמה שׁבתה למלאות שׁבעים
שׁנה
|
22
|
Now in
the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of [Yehovah] spoken by
the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, [Yehovah] stirred up the spirit
of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his
kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
|
ובשׁנת
אחת לכורשׁ מלך פרס לכלות דבר־יהוה בפי ירמיהו העיר יהוה את־רוח כורשׁ מלך־פרס
ויעבר־קול בכל־מלכותו וגם־במכתב לאמר
|
23
|
Thus
saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath [Yehovah] God
of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in
Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people?
[Yehovah] his God be with him, and let him go up.
|
כה־אמר
כורשׁ מלך פרס כל־ממלכות הארץ נתן לי יהוה אלהי השׁמים והוא־פקד עלי לבנות־לו
בית בירושׁלם אשׁר ביהודה מי־בכם מכל־עמו יהוה אלהיו עמו ויעל
|
If someone reads this passage without first
reading the entire prophecy in Jeremiah, they might come to the conclusion that
the land kept the Sabbaths for 70 years.
An examination of the prophecy in Jeremiah will show that not a single
word is mentioned about the land keeping the Sabbaths. This is not part of the prophecy of
Jeremiah. This is from Leviticus 26.
Leviticus 26: 31-42
31
|
And I
will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and
I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
|
ונתתי
את־עריכם חרבה והשׁמותי את־מקדשׁיכם ולא אריח בריח ניחחכם
|
32
|
And I
will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein
shall be astonished at it.
|
והשׁמתי
אני את־הארץ ושׁממו עליה איביכם הישׁבים בה
|
33
|
And I
will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and
your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
|
ואתכם
אזרה בגוים והריקתי אחריכם חרב והיתה ארצכם שׁממה ועריכם יהיו חרבה
|
34
|
Then
shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in
your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
|
אז
תרצה הארץ את־שׁבתתיה כל ימי השׁמה ואתם בארץ איביכם אז תשׁבת הארץ והרצת
את־שׁבתתיה
|
35
|
As
long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your
sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
|
כל־ימי
השׁמה תשׁבת את אשׁר לא־שׁבתה בשׁבתתיכם בשׁבתכם עליה
|
36
|
And
upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their
hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall
chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall
when none pursueth.
|
והנשׁארים
בכם והבאתי מרך בלבבם בארצת איביהם ורדף אתם קול עלה נדף ונסו מנסת־חרב ונפלו
ואין רדף
|
37
|
And
they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none
pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
|
וכשׁלו
אישׁ־באחיו כמפני־חרב ורדף אין ולא־תהיה לכם תקומה לפני איביכם
|
38
|
And ye
shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you
up.
|
ואבדתם
בגוים ואכלה אתכם ארץ איביכם
|
39
|
And
they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies'
lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with
them.
|
והנשׁארים
בכם ימקו בעונם בארצת איביכם ואף בעונת אבתם אתם ימקו
|
40
|
If
they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with
their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have
walked contrary unto me;
|
והתודו
את־עונם ואת־עון אבתם במעלם אשׁר מעלו־בי ואף אשׁר־הלכו עמי בקרי
|
41
|
And
that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the
land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they
then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
|
אף־אני
אלך עמם בקרי והבאתי אתם בארץ איביהם או־אז יכנע לבבם הערל ואז ירצו את־עונם
|
42
|
Then
will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and
also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
|
וזכרתי
את־בריתי יעקוב ואף את־בריתי יצחק ואף את־בריתי אברהם אזכר והארץ אזכר
|
By examining both prophecies we can see that
the writer of 2 Chronicles is saying that the land also kept the Sabbaths until
the 70 years of Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled. Jeremiah’s letter to the
captives in Jeremiah 29 said they would remain in Babylon until after the 70
years were fulfilled. Notice that the
prophecy in Leviticus does not say that God will automatically restore them to
the land. It says that God will remember
them If they confess their iniquity.
This explains why Daniel confesses the iniquity of the people in Daniel
9 when he saw that the 70 years had been fulfilled.
Many people assume that Nebuchadnezzar took all
of the Jews to Babylon. The Bible says
that he only took some of them. The
passage from Jeremiah 52 above clearly states that Nebuchadnezzar left the poor
people to take care of the land.
Jeremiah 40-42 continues the story of the people in Judah. It provides a detailed account of the life of
the Jews in Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem.
When the 70 years of Babylonian dominance was
finished, God notified the king that the time was finished and Babylon was
going to be punished, just as Jeremiah prophesied.
Daniel 5:5
5
|
In the
same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the
candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king
saw the part of the hand that wrote.
|
בה־שׁעתה
נפקו אצבען די יד־אנשׁ וכתבן לקבל נברשׁתא על־גירא די־כתל היכלא די מלכא ומלכא
חזה פס ידה די כתבה
|
Daniel interpreted the words for the king.
Daniel 5:18-31
18
|
O thou
king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and
majesty, and glory, and honour:
|
אנתה
מלכא אלהא עליא מלכותא ורבותא ויקרא והדרה יהב לנבכדנצר אבוך
|
19
|
And
for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages,
trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he
kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
|
ומן־רבותא
די יהב־לה כל עממיא אמיא ולשׁניא הוו זאעין ודחלין מן־קדמוהי די־הוה צבא הוא קטל
ודי־הוה צבא הוה מחא ודי־הוה צבא הוה מרים ודי־הוה צבא הוה משׁפיל
|
20
|
But
when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from
his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
|
וכדי
רם לבבה ורוחה תקפת להזדה הנחת מן־כרסא מלכותה ויקרה העדיו מנה
|
21
|
And he
was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and
his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and
his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God
ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he
will.
|
ומן־בני
אנשׁא טריד ולבבה עם־חיותא שׁוי ועם־ערדיא מדורה עשׂבא כתורין יטעמונה ומטל
שׁמיא גשׁמה יצטבע עד די־ידע די־שׁליט אלהא עליא במלכות אנשׁא ולמן־די יצבה
יהקים עליה
|
22
|
And
thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest
all this;
|
ואנתה
ברה בלשׁאצר לא השׁפלת לבבך כל־קבל די כל־דנה ידעת
|
23
|
But
hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the
vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy
concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of
silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear,
nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy
ways, hast thou not glorified:
|
ועל
מרא־שׁמיא התרוממת ולמאניא די־ביתה היתיו קדמיך ואנתה ורברבניך שׁגלתך ולחנתך
חמרא שׁתין בהון ולאלהי כספא־ודהבא נחשׁא פרזלא אעא ואבנא די לא־חזין ולא־שׁמעין
ולא ידעין שׁבחת ולאלהא די־נשׁמתך בידה וכל־ארחתך לה לא הדרת
|
24
|
Then
was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
|
באדין
מן־קדמוהי שׁליח פסא די־ידא וכתבא דנה רשׁים
|
25
|
And
this is the writing that was written, Mene,
Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.
|
ודנה
כתבא די רשׁים מנא מנא תקל ופרסין
|
26
|
This
is the interpretation of the thing: Mene;
God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
|
דנה
פשׁר־מלתא מנא מנה־אלהא מלכותך והשׁלמה
|
27
|
Tekel; Thou
art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
|
תקל
תקילתה במאזניא והשׁתכחת חסיר
|
28
|
Peres; Thy
kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
|
פרס
פריסת מלכותך ויהיבת למדי ופרס
|
29
|
Then
commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain
of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he
should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
|
באדין
אמר בלשׁאצר והלבישׁו לדניאל ארגונא והמונכא די־דהבא על־צוארה והכרזו עלוהי
די־להוא שׁליט תלתא במלכותא
|
30
|
In
that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
|
בה
בליליא קטיל בלאשׁצר מלכא כשׂדיא
|
31
|
And
Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
|
ודריושׁ
מדיא קבל מלכותא כבר שׁנין שׁתין ותרתין
|
Daniel 9:1-2
1
|
In the
first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which
was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
|
בשׁנת
אחת לדריושׁ בן־אחשׁורושׁ מזרע מדי אשׁר המלך על מלכות כשׂדים
|
2
|
In the
first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years,
whereof the word of [Yehovah] came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would
accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
|
בשׁנת
אחת למלכו אני דניאל בינתי בספרים מספר השׁנים אשׁר היה דבר־יהוה אל־ירמיה הנביא
למלאות לחרבות ירושׁלם שׁבעים שׁנה
|
Note that this Darius is the Darius mentioned in Daniel 5 who was
made king over the Chaldeans alone. This
is not Darius I who ruled over the entire Persian Empire.
Daniel understood that the desolations of Jerusalem would continue
until the 70 years of Jeremiah’s prophecy were fulfilled. He saw that the 70 years were finished
because God had punished Babylon. Daniel
also knew from the prophecy in Leviticus 26 that the land would keep the
Sabbaths until the people confessed their iniquity. So, Daniel begins a long, heartfelt prayer to
God, confessing the iniquity of the people and asking Him to remember them.
The Bible gives several indicators that Jerusalem fell around 587
B.C.E. Darius I became king over the
Persian Empire in 522 B.C.E. [10] [11]
Counting from the year after his ascension makes his second year 520
B.C.E. In 520 B.C.E., the prophet Haggai
asked the people who remembered the first temple how it compared to the new
temple they were building. This is 19
years after the fall of Babylon. If
Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 B.C.E., they would have to be in their late 70s
in order to be old enough to remember the first temple. If Jerusalem was destroyed at the beginning
of the 70 year prophecy, these men would have to be in their late 90s in order
to remember it.
Haggai 1:1
1
|
In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the
first day of the month, came the word of [Yehovah] by Haggai the prophet unto
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of
Josedech, the high priest, saying,
|
בשׁנת שׁתים
לדריושׁ המלך בחדשׁ השׁשׁי ביום אחד לחדשׁ היה דבר־יהוה ביד־חגי הנביא אל־זרבבל
בן־שׁאלתיאל פחת יהודה ואל־יהושׁע בן־יהוצדק הכהן הגדול לאמר
|
Haggai 2:1-3
1
|
In the
seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of
[Yehovah] by the prophet Haggai, saying,
|
בשׁביעי
בעשׂרים ואחד לחדשׁ היה דבר־יהוה ביד־חגי הנביא לאמר
|
2
|
Speak
now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the
son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
|
אמר־נא
אל־זרבבל בן־שׁלתיאל פחת יהודה ואל־יהושׁע בן־יהוצדק הכהן הגדול ואל־שׁארית העם
לאמר
|
3
|
Who is
left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it
now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
|
מי בכם
הנשׁאר אשׁר ראה את־הבית הזה בכבודו הראשׁון ומה אתם ראים אתו עתה הלוא כמהו
כאין בעיניכם
|
In the same year Zechariah had a vision and asked God why he was
still angry with Jerusalem. He mentions
that this anger had been going on for 70 years.
This prophecy came at the end of the eleventh month. The Jewish calendar counts its months from
spring to spring. The religious calendar
start in the first month of Nisan, in the spring. The civil New Year (Rosh Hashanah) starts at
the beginning of the seventh month of Tishri, in the fall. The eleventh month of the second year of
Darius (by the Jewish calendar) would place it around February 519 B.C.E. This perfectly aligns with the statement in 2
Chronicles 36:16-17 that the fury of God against Jerusalem began before the 18
month siege. The siege began around
January 588 B.C.E. This means God’s fury
began around 589 B.C.E.
Zechariah 1:7-12
7
|
Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which
is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of
[Yehovah] unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet,
saying,
|
ביום עשׂרים
וארבעה לעשׁתי־עשׂר חדשׁ הוא־חדשׁ שׁבט בשׁנת שׁתים לדריושׁ היה דבר־יהוה
אל־זכריה בן־ברכיהו בן־עדוא הנביא לאמר
|
8
|
I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he
stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were
there red horses, speckled, and white.
|
ראיתי הלילה
והנה־אישׁ רכב על־סוס אדם והוא עמד בין ההדסים אשׁר במצלה ואחריו סוסים אדמים
שׂרקים ולבנים
|
9
|
Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked
with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.
|
ואמר מה־אלה
אדני ויאמר אלי המלאך הדבר בי אני אראך מה־המה אלה
|
10
|
And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said,
These are they whom [Yehovah] hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
|
ויען האישׁ
העמד בין־ההדסים ויאמר אלה אשׁר שׁלח יהוה להתהלך בארץ
|
11
|
And they answered the angel of [Yehovah] that stood among the
myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and,
behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
|
ויענו את־מלאך
יהוה העמד בין ההדסים ויאמרו התהלכנו בארץ והנה כל־הארץ ישׁבת ושׁקטת
|
12
|
Then the angel of [Yehovah] answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and
on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these
threescore and ten years?
|
ויען
מלאך־יהוה ויאמר יהוה צבאות עד־מתי אתה לא־תרחם את־ירושׁלם ואת ערי יהודה אשׁר
זעמתה זה שׁבעים שׁנה
|
In the ninth month of Kislev (spelled here
“Chisleu”), around December, in the fourth year of Darius, 518 B.C.E.,
Zechariah received a prophecy that mentioned the people had been fasting in the
fifth and seventh month for 70 years.
Jeremiah 52 says the temple was burned in the fifth month. If we assume the people fasted in mourning
when the temple was burned, and continued it annually, then 518 B.C.E. would be
the seventieth annual fast. I’m not
certain why they also fasted in the seventh month. Of course, the Day of Atonement is in the
seventh month, which requires one day of fasting. We can date the fourth year of Darius to 518
B.C.E. God testified that the people had
been mourning the destruction of Jerusalem for 70 years.
Zechariah 7:1-5
1
|
And it
came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of [Yehovah] came unto
Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;
|
ויהי
בשׁנת ארבע לדריושׁ המלך היה דבר־יהוה אל־זכריה בארבעה לחדשׁ התשׁעי בכסלו
|
2
|
When
they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men,
to pray before [Yehovah],
|
וישׁלח
בית־אל שׂר־אצר ורגם מלך ואנשׁיו לחלות את־פני יהוה
|
3
|
And to
speak unto the priests which were in the house of [Yehovah] of hosts, and to
the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as
I have done these so many years?
|
לאמר
אל־הכהנים אשׁר לבית־יהוה צבאות ואל־הנביאים לאמר האבכה בחדשׁ החמשׁי הנזר כאשׁר
עשׂיתי זה כמה שׁנים
|
4
|
Then
came the word of [Yehovah] of hosts unto me, saying,
|
ויהי
דבר־יהוה צבאות אלי לאמר
|
5
|
Speak
unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted
and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy
years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
|
אמר
אל־כל־עם הארץ ואל־הכהנים לאמר כי־צמתם וספוד בחמישׁי ובשׁביעי וזה שׁבעים שׁנה
הצום צמתני אני
|
And now
we can see how prophecies line up perfectly when we read what the Bible
actually says and let it interpret itself.
[1] Rembrandt
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
[2] By
Ningyou [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
[5] By ܥܝܪܐܩ (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia
Commons
[8]
http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=-586
[10]
Cook, J. M. The Persians. London: Folio Society, 2005. 350. Print.
[11]
Waters, Matt (2013-12-31). Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid
Empire, 550–330 BCE (Kindle Locations 3788-3789). Cambridge University Press.
Kindle Edition.
