In 589 B. C., Zedekiah, perhaps thinking Nebuchadnezzar was distracted and that his allies in Egypt would come to his aid, led a revolt against Babylonian rule. This proved a great mistake.
In the summer of 586 b. c., Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem, killing thousands of people and taking many more
Daniel and other prophets
Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned in the writings of two important Israelite prophets, Jeremiah (c. 650-c. 570 b. c.), and Daniel. Daniel was a young man taken into captivity by the Babylonians in 586 B. C.. He was still active, though clearly an old man, in 539 b. c., when the Persians took Babylon.
The term prophet is used broadly to describe a series of figures from Moses (see entry) to Malachi (MAL-uh-kie), the author of the last book in the Old Testament. Not all prophets had the same role. Some, like Moses and Samuel, were political leaders. More often, however, the prophets were outside the political power structure, and often at odds with it. This was the case with Elijah, one of the most important Old Testament figures, who was
Constantly threatened by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Likewise, Jeremiah, who preached that Israel did not stand a chance against the Babylonians, was arrested and thrown into a deep well.
Some prophets spoke about a number of broad topics, as in the case of Isaiah; others, such as Jonah, had specific missions. Most were men, of course, but there was also Deborah. Though "prophet" usually suggests someone who can tell the future, in the Old Testament the term often meant someone capable of understanding and proclaiming God's will. Often prophets did both, as in the case of Daniel.
The Book of Daniel includes a number of interesting stories concerning Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. One of the
As prisoners back to Babylon. The prisoners included Zedekiah, whom they transported in chains. Many of these people would become servants of the Babylonians, though not slaves in the strictest sense of the word.
Nebuchadnezzar also seized treasures from Solomon's temple and transported them to the temple of Marduk. This was the height of humiliation to the Israelites, who dated the beginning of the Captivity from the Babylonians' capture of Jerusalem.
World History
