Question: Hi!

Please help me with the problem of getting 70 years out of Jeremiah 25 in terms of the servitude of the nations that would fall to Babylon. I believe that the temple was destroyed in @586 BC. How do we get 70 years if the captivity ended in @536 BC as I am told by historians.

Answer: Hello Donald,

The 70 years of exile is generally considered to be a round number, rather than precise – and is usually calculated from the fourth year of Jehoiakim (605 BC) to the beginning of the return to Jerusalem under Cyrus’ rule, which would be about 536 BC. The battle of Carchemish was fought in 605 BC, with Babylon opposing Egypt, with the prize being the incorporation of Judah as a tributary. The Babylonian armies routed the Egyptian army, and at this time began their subjugation of Judah – which was completed in 586-585 BC with the destruction of Jerusalem. It is generally understood that Babylon destroyed Judah/Jerusalem slowly, by "inches", over a period of about 20 years.