Was the Bible Right?
597 BCE·Divided Kingdom·Artifact

Babylonian Chronicle: Jerusalem Falls in 597 BCE

Scripture: 2 Kings 24:10–17

Clay tablet of the Babylonian Chronicle recording the capture of Jerusalem in 597 BCE
Clay tablet of the Babylonian Chronicle recording the capture of Jerusalem in 597 BCE · Photo: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

The claim

Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem, takes King Jehoiachin captive and installs Zedekiah.

What archaeology found

A cuneiform tablet in the British Museum, published by D.J. Wiseman in 1956, records that Nebuchadnezzar captured 'the city of Judah' on the second day of Adar (March 597 BCE), seized its king and appointed a king of his own choice.

Sources

  1. D. J. Wiseman, Chronicles of Chaldaean Kings (626–556 B.C.) in the British Museum, British Museum (1956)

Verdict history

  • ConfirmedInitial verdict.