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Historical Period

Hezekiah and Josiah, the fall of Jerusalem, and the exile that made Judaism.

Use the timeline below to navigate through major events and milestones.

Judah & the Exile · 716-539 BC
The Ancient Levant

Judah & the Babylonian Exile

Alone after the fall of the north, the little kingdom of Judah survived the Assyrians, reformed its worship under kings and prophets, and then was crushed between Egypt and Babylon. Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed, and its people carried into exile — a catastrophe that, far from ending their story, forged the faith and scriptures of Judaism. Slide across the fall of Judah and the exile in Babylon.

716 BC
Kingdom of Judah
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716 BC

Kingdom of Judah
  • Political

    Hezekiah's Judah

    King Hezekiah reforms Judah's worship and fortifies Jerusalem, cutting a tunnel to secure its water.

8 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 716 BC

Full Chronicle

Judah & the Babylonian Exile

Alone after the fall of the north, the little kingdom of Judah survived the Assyrians, reformed its worship under kings and prophets, and then was crushed between Egypt and Babylon. Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed, and its people carried into exile — a catastrophe that, far from ending their story, forged the faith and scriptures of Judaism. Slide across the fall of Judah and the exile in Babylon.

  1. Kingdom of Judah

    • Hezekiah's Judah

      King Hezekiah reforms Judah's worship and fortifies Jerusalem, cutting a tunnel to secure its water.

  2. Kingdom of Judah

    • Sennacherib at the gates

      The Assyrian king Sennacherib devastates Judah and besieges Jerusalem, but the city survives.

  3. Kingdom of Judah

    • Josiah and the Book of the Law

      King Josiah launches a sweeping religious reform after a 'book of the law' is found in the Temple.

  4. Kingdom of Judah

    • The death of Josiah

      Josiah is killed at Megiddo confronting Pharaoh Necho, and Judah falls under foreign domination.

  5. Babylonian Conquest

    • The first deportation

      Nebuchadnezzar II captures Jerusalem, deposes its king, and carries off the first exiles to Babylon.

  6. Fall of Judah

    • The destruction of Jerusalem

      After Judah rebels, Babylon razes Jerusalem and burns the Temple, ending the kingdom of Judah.

  7. The Exile

    • By the waters of Babylon

      In exile the people of Judah preserve their identity, and their faith is transformed without Temple or land.

  8. The Exile

    • The edict of Cyrus

      Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon and permits the exiles to return home and rebuild their Temple.