Bible & Christianity › Kings & prophets › Babylonian exile
Babylon destroys Jerusalem and the First Temple
587 or 586 BC· Event· Bible story & events
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
In 587 or 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army breached Jerusalem's walls, burned the Temple and ended the kingdom of Judah.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Babylon had captured the city once already, in 597 BC, taking King Jehoiachin captive. When Zedekiah, the king Babylon installed, also rebelled, its army besieged Jerusalem for about 18 months. Famine set in and the walls were breached. Zedekiah fled, was captured and blinded (2 Kings 25:7). The Temple, palace and houses were burned, the walls torn down, and many people deported.
Why it matters
Losing Temple, king and land forced Judaism to rebuild itself around scripture, prayer and community, a turning point the book of Lamentations mourns.
Sources and history
The Babylonian Chronicle records the 597 BC capture. In Jerusalem, a burned destruction layer with ash and arrowheads (the 'Burnt Room', the 'House of Bullae') matches the biblical account.
Questions and debates
Whether it fell in 587 or 586 BC depends on how kings' reigns are counted; the Babylonian Chronicle for those years is lost.
Connections (3)
▸Jeremiah the prophet warned of Babylon destroys Jerusalem and the First TempleMostly agreed by scholars
The connection
For decades Jeremiah predicted that Babylon, 'the foe from the north', would take Jerusalem, and urged surrender to save lives. Officials called it treason and threw him into a cistern. When the city fell, the Babylonians freed him and let him stay in Judah (Jeremiah 39–40).
When and where
Jerusalem, about 605–586 BC, under kings Jehoiakim and Zedekiah; during the final siege Jeremiah was held in the court of the guard.
How do we know?
The fall itself is confirmed. The book of Jeremiah, partly dictated to the scribe Baruch, gives a close, dated account, though scholars see later editing.
Questions and debates
Some prophecies may have been sharpened after the event. Most scholars doubt that Lamentations, traditionally credited to Jeremiah, is his.
▸Babylon destroys Jerusalem and the First Temple burned and looted Solomon's Temple (the First Temple)Historical record
The connection
A month after the walls were breached, Nebuzaradan, Nebuchadnezzar's commander, burned the Temple, the palace and the great houses (2 Kings 25:8–9). Bronze pillars and vessels were broken up and carried to Babylon. About 375 years after Solomon built it, the First Temple was gone.
When and where
Jerusalem, in the month of Av, 587 or 586 BC (the 7th or 10th, by different verses); Jews mourn it on Tisha B'Av.
Historical evidence
The destruction layer in Jerusalem is well documented. 2 Kings 25 and Jeremiah 52 give matching accounts; no Babylonian record of that year survives.
Questions and debates
Why Babylon burned the Temple this time, after only stripping its treasures in 597 BC (2 Kings 24:13), is not recorded; punishing a repeat rebel is the usual explanation.
▸Babylon destroys Jerusalem and the First Temple began the main phase of Babylonian exileHistorical record
The connection
After the city fell, Babylon deported much of the remaining elite, leaving 'some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers' (2 Kings 25:12). This second wave joined those exiled in 597 BC. A third, in 582 BC, probably followed the murder of Gedaliah, the governor Babylon appointed.
When and where
Jerusalem to Babylonia, 586 BC and after; Jeremiah 52:28–30 lists deportations in 597, 586 and 582 BC.
Historical evidence
Babylonian records and the Al-Yahudu tablets confirm Judeans living in Babylonia, and mass deportation was standard Babylonian practice.
Questions and debates
Sources differ on whether 597 or 586 BC starts the exile; Ezekiel counts from 597. Numbers deported range from 4,600 to over 10,000 (2 Kings 24:14).