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Tel Aviv University -TAU

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06/01/2015

Dr. Pedro Piol

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Causes of instability in the Kingdom of Judah

Causes of instability in the Kingdom of Judah

Paper for the class on the history of Judah, Fall and Rise of Jerusalem
presented by Dr. Lipschits at the Tel Aviv University

What were the causes of instability in

the Kingdom of Judah under
Babylonian Rule?
By Dr. Peter Pinyol (Th.D.)
Judah, land of instability and trouble, could not escape her fate as the result of her
own role in history.
Sandwiched between Egypt and the land between the two rivers, Mesopotamia,
Israel, and specifically Judah, had to decline to the control of Egypt or Babylon. Like
her the Kingdoms of Aram Philistine, or Tyre flourished in time of peace between
the two titans, but when Egypt and Babylon fought they choose the plains, and hills
of the Levant to see each other in battle.
According to the Bible with the accession of Josiah, Judah entered her closing
period of history. The events narrated in 2 Kings chapters 22 to 25 are depicted in
the time where no longer was there reason to fear Assyria. Ashurbanipal military
activity was gone and only weak rulers followed him until Ninevehs fall in 612 B.
C. That was the moment for Babylon to become a world leader. This shift of power
came at the close of Josiahs thirty-one year reign. His was a reign of peace and
great religious reforms and revivalism but his three followers will become
witnesses and protagonist of the instability that finally will produce the captivity of
Judah.
Josiah died resisting Egyptian conquest (2 Kings 23:28-30) He was trying to stop
Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt in 609 BC. Necho, had just succeeded Psmmetichus I and
wanted Egypt to regain world prominence instead of Babylonia. Now he was
determinated in his northward march in order to aid the Assyrians that were
battling against Babylonia. The remains of Assyrias army under Ashur-uballit II,
had fled westward to Haran, but in 610 Haran felt to Nabopolassar, king of
Babylon, which destroyed the Assyrians. Josiah with favor toward Babylonia
attempted to stop the Egyptians but he was killed in the effort. (LEON J. WOOD.
Israels History p. 314).
His son Jeoahaz was established as king in Juda by Necho, now in authority over
Judah (2 Kings 23:30). He was an Egyptian puppet who was replaced three month
latter by his brother Jehoiakim. He was also installed by the Egyptians
As prof. Obed Lipschits explains:
Jehoiakim was appointed king by Necho II, King of Egypt, upon the latters return
from the battle in Haran, three months after he had killed Josiah at Megiddo
(August/September 609 bce).

Causes of instability in the Kingdom of Judah

Following the book written by Lipschits The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem the reader
will find out that nothing is known of events in Judah during the first four years of
Jehoiakims rule. But one thing can be proven that is that during these years the
Egyptians firmly established their rule over Syria and Palestine, in preparation for
the decisive struggle with the Babylonians over control of the Euphrates region.
In the midst of that Jehoiakim had no choice, but to remain loyal to Egypt paying
now tribute to his Egyptian overlord (II Kings 23:35)
Jehoiakim did evil before the Lord, the Bible references will indicate (2 King 23.3424 and 2 Chronicles 36:4-8). This religious position has to be counted also as part
of the unrest and turmoil, the sacerdotal cast and the prophets would have been
very disappointed by that seeing him as an inefficient ruler. Jeremiah showed
disdain for him by declaring that Jehoiakim would be buried with the burial of a
donkey.(Jer. 22:13-19). His new palace construction and his imposition of taxes in
order to pay for Nechos tribute (2 Kings 23:35) would have irritated the people
even more and stirred deep unrest.
But it was the great upheaval of 605 BC, according prof. Lipschits that had an
impact on Judah. The armies of Nebuchadrezzar defeated the Egyptian legions at
Carchemish and broke through into Syria. Egypts rule over other territories in
Syria and Palestine was challenged. (see article Jehoaiakim Selpt With his
fathers did He? by Oded Lipschits). Was at that moment when Nebuchadnezzar
became master of Palestine that Jehoiakim shifted his alliances to him (II Kings
24:1), and from then on, the kings of Judah were vassals of the Babylonian King,
and paid dearly when they attempted do cast off their new yoke (MARRILL
UNGER, Archeology and the Old Testament. p 283)
That subjugation of Judah to Babylon was fully accomplished during the
Babylonian campaign into Syria and Palestine (the Hattu-Land in the Babylonian
chronicles) in the second half of 604 B.C. after five years of Jehoiakims reign as an
Egyptian vassal (JEHOIAKIM SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS (II KINGS 24:6)DID
HE? Oded Lipschits)
The events of that summer of 605 decided the outcome not only of the battle, but
also as it is well proved and shown in the lectures by prof. Lipschit (Video 4.5.2.5
The Babylonian-Egyptian Struggle) the fall of Judah into the control of Babylonian
Kings. Nebuchadnezzar at the battle of Carchemish put an end to the instability of

Causes of instability in the Kingdom of Judah

the region. But not to the dynasty of puppet Judahs kings who continued courting
the Egyptians. In 597, after a period of withdrawal and brief respite to the region,
Nebuchadnezzars returned to bring several devastations to Judah. The cause was
rebellion on the part of Jehoiakim who was looking for help in Egypt (Kings 24:1).
This was seen as a betrayal in the eyes of the Babylonian King. Jeremiah 36:29 will
give us the details of the result of the Egyptian-Babylonian dispute that will finally
bring Judah to destruction.
Yet, the main objective of Nebuchadnezzar was to stop the instability of the region.
The characteristics of the Babylonian rule in the Levant show that the Babylonian
rule in the region had begun to take form. Nebuchadnezzar left in place the existing
arrangements formulated during the Assyrian and Egyptian rule and conducted a
policy of minimal intervention. There was not a major deportation and the people
of the land continued under the Babylonian control. Now, for a while, the unrest
and instability in Judah had arrived to and end with the Hebrew monarchy in Exile,
the temple destroyed and the land at rest.

OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Babylonian policy in Hattu-Land is a continuation of the Assyrian system, and this
means that Babylon at the beginning maintained the lowest possible level of
involvement, investing minimal efforts needed to establish control and continuing
the same administrative setup that was put in place during Egyptian and Assyrian
rule. This kind of policy did not change, even after the failure of the invasion of
Egypt at the end of the 601 BCE, which resulted in the weakening of the
Babylonian control over the entire region. Egyptian threats during the days of the
kings Psammeticus II and Hophra resulted in an increase of the instability among
the region and especially among the vassal kingdoms. As a result of the new
situation Nebuchadnezzar reconsidered the regional policy of the vassl kingdom of
Judah. At the same time a regional anti-Babylonian treaty began to materialize
because there was a feeling that the Babylonian authority began to be unstable,
and the Nebuchadnezzar's attempts to stabilize his reign trough military
campaigns were not effective. Because of that, the Babylonians established their
full domination to the border of the Egypt establishing themselves as a constant
threat to an invasion to Egypt. Judah was the first target for the Babylonian
campaign. Nebuchadnezzar then attacked Tyre and Sidon putting a strong burden
on Tyre that lasted more than 13 years. In that historical background the leaders of
Judah persisted in the rebellion driven by social, political and ideologicaltheological factors. What has been called the theological madness let to a rebellion
in Judah in the days of Zedekiah's. This theological madness can be defined as the

Causes of instability in the Kingdom of Judah

feeling among the Jews in Judah and in also among the ones already in exile in
Babylon, that Jerusalem would never be destroyed. This firm believe in the
promises of Gods that Jerusalem will never be conquered was given specially in
the book of Psalms, the problem was that the Jews forgot also that God announced
judgment upon Israel and Jerusalem if they disobey the Law and forget the
covenant
At first, the Babylonians did not take great interest in the Kingdom of Judah. They
were content to leave the governing, religious, and administrative structures as
they had been under the Assyrians. Regular campaigns enforced the requirement
for tribute- in both raw materials and goods.

The region became unstable when the Babylonians failed in an attempt to conquer
Egypt in 601 BCE. Egypt was able to regain influence in the Southern region on
Hatti-land (same that Hattu land), including in the Kingdom of Judah. In 597 BCE,
the Kingdom of Judah, led by King Jehoiakim, rebelled against the Babylonians, and
sought the protection of the Egyptians. He died before the Babylonians returned to
reassert their authority over Judah, and so the Babylonians opted not to destroy
Jerusalem, but rather to exile King Jehoiachin and 10,000 others of Judah's
military, religious, cultural, and governing elite to remote areas of Babylon, in
order for the captives to rebuild those areas, forgetting their culture and becoming
new Babylonian citizens.

While all this was happening, Judah's elite were engaged in an ideological debate.
There were those who advocated for rebellion against Babylon, believing that
God's covenant with the House of David meant that Jerusalem would never be
destroyed and that divine protection would guard the city and keep the House of
David on the throne. For proof, they pointed to the Assyrian destruction of Israel
and the campaign of Sennecherib in 701 BCE. After conquering the Kingdom of
Israel to the north, Sennecherib did not go on to conquer Jerusalem. This victory
over Sennacherib was the catalyst for what we have mentioned before as the
"theological madness" that posited that God would never allow Jerusalem and its
Temple to be destroyed. The fact that the House of David, in the person of King
Zedechiah, was left on the throne after the 597 rebellion was further proof, in their
eyes.

The other side of the ideological division included those who believed that
rebellion against Babylon would lead to the destruction of Jerusalem, and that it
was foolhardy to resist Babylonian power. This group, who defended the fact of
accepting the yoke of Babylonian rule included the prophet Jeremiah, as well as the
family of Shaphan, who were court officials. God was behind the prophet Jeremiah

Causes of instability in the Kingdom of Judah

and the message He was given to Israel and Judah to submit to Babilon, but the
people of the land did not obey Gods Word, rebelling against the specific
commandment given by God. The result would be clear.

Eleven years after the unsuccessful revolt led by King Jehoiakim, Egypt again began
to assert itself in the southern Levant. King Zedediah joined with several other
small kingdoms in an anti-Babylonian pact, expecting to be protected by Egypt.
When, in 587-586 BCE Jerusalem revolted a second time, the Babylonian King
Nebuchadrezzar laid seige to Jerusalem, and then completely destroyed the city
and the temple, exiling the ruling elite to Babylon. His campaign was against
Jerusalem itself, and not the cities in the northern Benjamin region. After the
destruction of Jerusalem, he set up a new center of governance at Mizpah, under
the leadership of Gedaliah, a member of the Shaphan family. Those who had
remained loyal to Babylon settled in Mizpah. The rural population, who produced
the agricultural products, including wine and olive oil used for tribute, remained
largely unaffected.

Further political instability resulted from the assassination of Gedaliah, a few

months later.
On his return march to Egypt in 608 BC, Necho (king of the 20th dynasty
of Egypt) found that Jehoahaz had been selected to succeed his father,
Josiah. Necho deposed Jehoahaz, who had been king for only three months, and
replaced him with his older brother, Jehoiakim. Necho imposed on Judah a levy of a
hundred talents of silver (about 334 tons or about 3.4 metric tons) and a talent of
gold (about 34 kilograms). Necho then took Jehoahaz back to Egypt as his
prisoner, never to return.
Jehoiakim ruled originally as a vassal of the Egyptians, paying a heavy tribute.
However, when the Egyptians were defeated by the Babylonians at Carchemish in
605 BC, Jehoiakim changed allegiances, paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar II of
Babylon. In 601 BC, in the fourth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar unsuccessfully
attempted to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses. This failure led to
numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant which owed allegiance to
Babylon. Jehoiakim also stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and took a proEgyptian position. Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions. According to
the Babylonian Chronicles, after invading "the land of Hatti (Syria/Palestine)" in
599 BC, he lay siege to Jerusalem. Jehoiakim died in 598 B.C during the siege, and
was succeeded by his son Jeconiah at an age of either eight or eighteen. The city fell
about three months later, on 2 Adar (March 16) 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar pillaged
both Jerusalem and the Temple, carting all his spoils to Babylon. Jeconiah and his
court and other prominent citizens and craftsmen, along with a sizable portion of
the Jewish population of Judah, numbering about 10,000 were deported from the

Causes of instability in the Kingdom of Judah

land and dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire. Among them was Ezekiel.
Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah, Jehoiakim's brother, king of the reduced
kingdom, who was made a tributary of Babylon.
It is important for us to understand the political background of this time, and how
the rea of Hatti land, was a buffer zone of combat between the empires, and Judah
was just a small vassal kingdom. At the time of the Babylonian rule, the land of
Israel was in the middle of Egypt and Mesopotamia (Babylon/Assyria). When
either Egypt or the Mesopotamian were strong, Israel fell under the influence of
the strong one. However, when both of them were weak, that become the occasion
for Israel, Aram, Philistines, and Tyre to grow and flourish and be independent
from any other kingdom. But, when both Egypt and the Mesopotamian were
strong, they would conquer outward toward each other and their natural meeting
place was Israel. Israel was never strong enough to resist either great powers and
would have to submit to one of them. Zedekiah (the last king of Judah) decided to
rebel against Babylon because he though that Nabuchanazzars was weakening.
Zedekiah was influenced by the activists in Jerusalem and the false prophets who
promoted rebellion against Babylon. He also thought that Egypt was strong enough
to confront the Babylonian army and to came to the help of the rebellious states.
Ties between Egypt and Judah grew stronger during the rule of Psammetichus II,
and the ascent of Hophra to power in Egypt (in 589 B.C.E). Those ties served as a
point of no return, accelerating preparations for rebellion. Egypt retreated in the
face of the Babylonian army (which was a miscalculating mistake) and the
Babylonian siege on Jerusalem was reconduct. Judah was officially conquered by
Bablyon in 586 B.C.E although she was under Babylonian hegemony even before
then.
According to the Bible, Josiah died resisting Egyptian conquest and his son Jeoahaz
was an Egyptian puppet. Johakim was also directed by the egyptians but he
changed his allegiance to Babylon after the egyptians suffered a major defeat. The
Babylonians then found a stumbling block and Jehoiakim switched sides again,
which caused the Babylonians to depose him. Jeconiah, the next king was 8 years
old and the babylonians got rid of him. Zedekiah attempted to court the Egyptians
and then the Babylonians decided to end the puppet dynasty and rule Judah
directly.