Did Jerusalem fall in 607 BC or 586 BC?
Question by whirlingmerc: Did Jerusalem fall in 607 BC or 586 BC?
there seems to be some dating controversy
the Watchtower advertised that Jerusalem fell in 607 BC but I see other dates… is 607 a ‘fudged date’ or a valid one and is it was mistaken could the Watchtower recuse itself from its mistakes or would it be too difficult
notice “…o date an event with a ‘BC’ date, you must accept scientific chronology. The Witnesses say that they are using biblical chronology, but that only places events in their right order with the correct interval of years in between. Their article in The Watchtower, 15 August 1968, entitled The Book of Truthful, Historical Dates, showed that to establish the absolute date of 539, they must use secular historians. They quote twenty-five reliable authorities to fix 539 but at least twenty-two of these also conclude that Jerusalem fell in 586/587 BC, not 607 as claimed by the Society. …. f
not sure where the 607 date comes from, does anyone know?????
seems like the Watchtower likes the 607 BC date but even most of the sourses they quote lean toward 586BC for the fall of Jerusalem so what gives??? is it a number pulled out of the air
Best answer:
Answer by Justsyd
So far all I have found is 70 and 1099 AD.
http://focusonjerusalem.com/thefallofjerusalem.html
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/crusades.htm
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
This link may help explain it…
http://www.carm.org/jw/1914.htm
I will not take up room to spell out the details.
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LikeDislikeWikipedia says 597 BC. The Romans practically destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. Constantine rebuilt it in 335 AD. The Muslims conquered it in 638 AD. The Crusaders came and “liberated” the city in 1099. The Muslims recaptured it in 1187. Then it was passed around like an old hat until 1517 when the Ottomans took it over. The British took control in 1917 and the city was handed back to the Jews in 1948.
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LikeDislikeI don’t know where they got 607 — it is either 586 or 421 BCE(the year in the jewish calendar is fixed – there is disagreement about the corresponding year in the Secular calendar).
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LikeDislikewhere the 607 date comes from?
From the Bible.
The secular chronology is based on interpreting ancient clay tablets, writings, and inscriptions. From these, they discern how long each Babylonian King ruled before the empire was conquered in 539 BCE.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the other hand, believe something the secular historians do not. We believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God, so we take the Bible’s prophecies into account when calculating ancient chronology.
The prophet Daniel tells us, “Jerusalem will lie in ruins for seventy years.” (Daniel 9:2, Contemporary English Translation) However, the secular chronology disagrees with the Bible. Their chronology allows only fifty years – not seventy – from 587 BCE when Jerusalem was supposed to be destroyed, until the Jews returned home in 537 BCE.
So, Jehovah’s Witnesses will not accept secular chronology when it contradicts the Bible. Hence, counting back from 537 BCE (the year the Bible says the Jews returned home) for a full seventy years, we arrive at the year 607 BCE. That must be the year Jerusalem was destroyed. The secular date of 587 BCE, twenty years out, must be wrong.
And all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years. … Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and her kings, her princes, to make them a devastated place, an object of astonishment, something to whistle at and a malediction’”. –Jeremiah 25:11,
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LikeDislikeI HAVE PUT MUCH TIME INTO THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE AND TIME
If I had place bible books, as they are, is fine, but in order is below.
#01. Genesis ~~~ Billions in time.
~~~ Old earth prepared]. Joseph dies, Adam-2368, Flood-712, 1698 BC
#02. Job [ 2293 to 2433, Moses age 80, Adam-2513 ], flood-857 & 1553 BC.
#03. Exodus 7:7; 12:40,41; Gal.3:16-18 [ 430 covenant to law ] flood-857.
#04. Leviticus
~~~~[ Abraham, Isaac, Jacob & Levi. Priest line 1Cor.6:1-15 & Ezra ];
#05. Numbers [ 33:38,39; Aaron Priest line age 123, 40th year dies ];
#06. Deuteronomy [ Moses 120, 40th died, flood-897, Adam-2553 ]; 1513 BC
#07. Joshua [ 5:6,10,12; 14th day New Year, flood-898th ago ]; 1512 BC
#08. Judges [ 11:26; 300 Judge Jair dies, flood-1198 ]; 1212 BC
#09. Ruth [ Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Parez king line 4:18-22 ]; David 1107 BC
#10. 1Samuel [ Acts 13:20; 450 & 857, flood-1307 , Samuel 80 ]; 1103 BC
#11. 2Samuel [ Saul 1117 to 1077 BC ], David 1077 to 1037 BC
#12. 1Kings [ 6:1; 480 - 1513 Deut.34:7; 36 1Ki.42:11 ] ; 997 BC
#13. Psalms
#14. Proverbs
#15. Ecclesiastes
#16. Song of Solomon 997 BC Judah kings to 391st year
#17. 2 Kings 18 Judah kings- THE PROMISED LAND PROPHETS
#18. 1Chronicles~~~~~~~~ 1077- 1037 BC Nathan and Gad
#19. 2Chronicles~~~~~~~~ 1037- 0947 BC Shemaiah and Jehu
#20. Isaiah~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1027- 0937 BC Old Prophet & Man of God
#21. Hosea ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1017- 0927 BC Micaiah
#22. Joel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1000- 0950 BC Elijah and Amitai
#23. Amos ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0950- 0827 BC Hosea and Elisha
#24. Obadiah ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0827- 0714 BC Isaiah
#25. Nahum ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0810- 0710 BC Zephaniah and Jonah
#26. Habakkuk ~~~~~~~~~~ 0780- 0750 BC Amos and Micah
#27. Zephaniah ~~~~~~~~~ 0750- 0720 BC Nahum and Obadiah
#28. Micah ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0720- 0650 BC Joel and Habakkuk
#29. Jeremiah~~~~~~0650- 0606- 0570 BC Jeremiah and Baruch
#30. Lamentations ~~0640- 0606- 0654 BC Ezekiel and Huldah
#31. Ezekiel ~~~~~~~~ 0633- 0606-Adam 3460- 0533 BC Daniel and Iddo
#32. Daniel-633-606-533 ~~ 0526- 0443 BC Ezra, Haggai and Mordecai
~~~ Flood 1804 -606 2Ki.25:8; 2Chr.36:20-23; 391st -997 Solomon. 606 BC
#34. Ezra ~ 0526 – 0443 BC Nehemiah, Zechariah and Malachi
#35. Nehemiah.
#36. Esther. #37. Zechariah, 38. Haggai. 39. Malachi. 443 BC
O.T. 39 books 1110 years, done 443 BC. Greece Empire #5, 336 BC
N.T. 27 books 50 – 100 years after Chris in Roman Empire #6.
KJV Bible 1611 published, at 303 years is 1914 after Christ [ now 2007 ],
93 years ago an excepted translation by law of man and God.
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LikeDislikeoct 537
Exiles reinhabit Judah exactly 70 years after the last Jew fled the land.
Ezra 3:1 ; 2Ki 25:26
539 Babylon conquered
Oct. 607 Judah went into exile from off its soil. after Jerusalems destruction and last survivors fled to Egypt Jer 25:29; 2Ki 25:21,26
Notice how the Bible own Chronology allows for the 70 year desolation to begin and end in the same month.
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537 Exiles Reinhabit Judah just 50 years after capital destroyed 68 years after hypothetical first exile
539 Babylon Conquered
587 Jerusalem destroyed
602 Jeremiah speaks of desolation as in the future
605 Hypothetical first exile Jehoiakim becomes vassal king to Babylon; supposed start of 70 years of desolation
This is the favorite “reinterpretation” of the Bibles clear and inspired prophecies to account for fallible secular records. Notice how the “seventy” years become 68 and how it contradicts several bible passages
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515 New temple completed
518 zechariah written crops growing houses inhabited for nearly 20 years of this so called 70 year “desolation
537 Exiles reinhabit Judah also Tyre supplies Cedars to new temple
539 Babylon conquered
587 Jerusalem destroyed
This is a less popular “reinterpretation” of the Bible to account for secular history. Notice it does not last 70 exact years and it contradicts many bible passages
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Ok that is what I got. LOL I hope its not to much. I gave a little more info then what you asked for. But your question made me search for the answer so I thought maybe you would like to know how they also came up with the 586/587 date.
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