The Jews were exiled to Babylon because of their persistent disobedience, idolatry, and violation of God’s covenant. The exile was a judgment foretold by the prophets and enacted after centuries of rebellion, unrepentant sin, and neglect of God’s law, including the sabbatical years for the land.
God had warned Israel repeatedly through His prophets that if they turned from His commandments and worshiped other gods, they would be removed from the land:
“Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other… and there you shall serve other gods.”
(Deuteronomy 28:64)
Despite seasons of reform, the nation as a whole turned to idols and rejected the prophets. Jeremiah prophesied that the judgment would come by way of Babylon:
“And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
(Jeremiah 25:11)
One specific reason given was the failure to keep the sabbatical years. God had commanded that the land rest every seventh year, but the people ignored this:
“As long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.”
(2 Chronicles 36:21)
When Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came, he destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple, and carried away many of the people into exile:
“And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon… to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah.”
(2 Chronicles 36:20–21)
Though harsh, the exile was not the end of God’s plan. He promised restoration and a new covenant:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you… to give you a future and a hope.”
(Jeremiah 29:11)
The exile humbled the nation, purged much of its idolatry, and prepared the way for spiritual renewal upon their return.
