The destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is one of the epochal moments in Jewish history. Yet the events as they unfolded were by no means inevitable, and were mainly brought about by the ill-considered choices of Jerusalem’s rulers. Therefore today’s Jews view the destruction of the First Temple as a punishment from God.
The Ascendancy of Babylon
Many myths and tales surround the figure of Nebuchadnezzar, conqueror of Jerusalem and destroyer of the First Temple. One of these is that one night, during the peak of his reign, the king of Babylon dreamed of a statue with a golden head, silver shoulders and chest, copper torso and thighs, and calves and feet of iron.
In the Book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar consults the prophet Daniel about his dream, and learns that the golden head represents his own empire, a pinnacle of splendor that was to dwindle with each passing of the reins to subsequent rulers—to Persia, Greece and Rome, respectively.
The tale of this dream indicates how enormously powerful was the Babylonian empire in that time (the seventh and sixth centuries B.C.).
Nebuchadnezzar’s rise to power was sealed with his conquest of Egypt and Assyria. Judah became a province of the empire, headed by King Jehoiakim, and at first seemed to prosper in its shadow.
But Egypt was rallying to attack Babylon once again, and Jehoiakim allied himself with its forces. Speaking out against this course of action was the prophet Jeremiah, who foretold the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon.
First Strike on Jerusalem: Siege and Exile
The first strike against Jerusalem came as retribution for its betrayal: Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city. Jehoiakim had since died, and in his son Jehoiachin ruled in his stead.
The city surrendered to Babylon, and consequently was not destroyed. But the toll was heavy: Nebuchadnezzar’s armies looted the Temple, and took thousands into exile, including the king, the aristocracy the military and most skilled craftsmen. In place of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar appointed his brother Zedekiah.
Second Strike: Siege and Destruction
Against the protestations of Jeremiah, years later Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon. This time the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies lasted eighteen months, at which time the Babylonians broke through the walls—a day that is still commemorated in Judaism with a day of fasting and mourning.
Once inside, the Babylonians utterly destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the First Temple, taking all who remained into exile. The siege itself is chronicled as a time of deep horror, when hunger drove people to terrible acts. Meanwhile, attempting to escape, Zedekiah fled through a secret passage from his palace to a location outside the city walls. But he was captured by Babylonian soldiers, and forced to witness the execution of his whole family before he himself was blinded.
This dark time in the history of the Jewish people represents irrevocable loss: the Ark of the Covenant was never to be heard from again, and even when the Temple was rebuilt, it lacked the same level of sanctity.
For this reason, though it is thousands of years in the past, the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar is event commemorated with deep mourning by the Jewish people to this day.
