Which prophets predicted the exile

Former and present prophets continually assured the people that there would be a homecoming. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.

Ezekiel —14; emphasis added. Therefore, the Lord said:. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land. Ezekiel —21; emphasis added. The captive Jews, however, would have seen it as a plea to accept the message of the prophets of the north for example, Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah combined with those of the south for example, Micah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk that Jehovah reigned and would see that His people returned.

Once Judah began to look, the scriptural evidence of her restoration must have been very reassuring. Further, the scriptures even outlined the events that would lead to her return. Isaiah foresaw the fall of her captor Babylon and the coming of her Median liberator, Cyrus.

Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. The reaction of the exiles after the fall of Jerusalem to the promises of deliverance and restoration brought to the prophets all they could have hoped for.

The people confessed their sins and turned to their Lord. Isaiah quoted their prayer for restoration. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. The promise seemed sure.

Yet there was tension between those who desired to establish the new nation on the basis of its old Davidic theology see Ezekiel —27; and those with the grander vision of an idealized confederation based on the old pattern of the tribal league.

These saw the nation presided over by the Zadokite priesthood with the restored Davidic monarchy playing the reduced role of protector of the state and the religion [43] see Ezekiel 43—45; especially —7; — The difference of opinion, however, could not be resolved while the Jews were in Babylon, but it does illustrate their growing faith in the prophecies.

They hoped that they would have the opportunity to create a distinctly Jewish society in the land of Palestine. The promises of the scriptures and the hope that they generated moved Judah to place high value upon them. Details are unknown of how the Jews proceeded, but the movement was unstoppable once it began. The wealth of source material in the Bible, especially the historical records and writings of the early prophets, suggests that the records were composed in Jerusalem well before B.

Under their auspices, she was able to keep her integrity in Babylon and prepare for the realization of the blessings of her restoration. In the meantime, the prophets gave her a role to play even in Babylon.

They allowed her to see herself as the servant of Jehovah responsible for carrying His law to later generations. By encouraging Judah to see herself in this role, the prophets gave a most profound interpretation to both her present distress and her eventual destiny.

This bound the people to a common ideal and kept many of them from becoming lost in Babylon. When proper circumstances arose, she had the will and determination to appeal to her captors for her freedom. Under the guidance of her leaders, she returned home and began to rebuild her national identity.

Philadelphia: Westminster Press, , Even so, a fairly clear picture can be drawn from Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, 1 Esdras, the postexilic prophetic books, and the few extrabiblical sources that exist. Kenyon, Jerusalem London: Thames and Hudson, , 78— Jerusalem was completely pillaged and much was destroyed, but little of it, including the temple mount, was actually leveled.

Until , scholars did not realize the extent of the catastrophe. John W. New York: Doubleday, , — Less devout and more ignorant Jews moving into the area would likely have been influenced by them.

These areas also contained non-Israelites, many of whom had been moved here by the Assyrians in the late s see 2 Kings See, for example, Psalms 2; 18; 20; 21; 45; 72; 89; ; ; and For discussion on the development of the kingship theology within Israel, see Hans J. As a result, it requires too much speculation to be of worth for the purposes of this paper.

A fragment from Qumran shows that a Jewish tradition existed ascribing his long absence from Babylon to mental illness as a vengeance which came upon him from God see Joan Oates, Babylon [London: Thames and Hudson, ], Because Jeremiah continued to prophesy for some time after B.

That seems the better date see Harold H. Nelson, ], — Douglas [Grand Rapids , Mich. Note 2 Kings —30, which had to be added to the text by the Babylonian Jews. The addition shows that the Jews were actively working on their records during the captivity. Niemeyer, , argues that material had been written down from at least the tenth century and that more than one collection existed between and See that study for sources and background material. Oxford: Blackwells, , 1—60, has completed an excellent study on this motif and its effects on the Jews of the captivity and afterward.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter. Religious Studies Center Religious Education. They were told that famine, pestilence, and the sword would be their terrible lot. See also — It is not impossible that Baruch eventually returned to Judah or even journeyed to Babylon to join the exiles there, and was able to relate what took place in Egypt, although there is no evidence one way or the other.

At times he was associated with Jeremiah in dangerous situations , 26; Much of the present book of Jeremiah must go back either directly or indirectly to him. The last chapter of Jeremiah is a summary of historical material previously covered see Jeremiah 39 and a record of further events, such as the improved status of Jehoiachin in Babylon see Jeremiah — Since Jeremiah did not go to Babylon but was taken to Egypt, it is doubtful that this chapter was written by him.

Perhaps it was added by his scribe, Baruch. Tradition has long ascribed the book of Lamentations to Jeremiah, though some modern critics question whether all of the book was written by him. He likened abandoned Jerusalem to a woman whose husband was dead see v. Even the Lord forsook her in the hour of her affliction. It was customary in ancient Judah to compose and sing lamentations about departed friends or relatives.

Jeremiah did the same for his beloved Jerusalem. The few valuable items left had been sold to help relieve the hunger and distress that had come upon the people.

Each allusion is an apt one. The image of the yoke or bands around the neck is also used in Isaiah In her captive condition, none appeared to comfort Judah. She put forth her hands in a plea for help, but no one responded see Lamentations — Zion was in great distress.

She knew then that her wickedness was the cause of her sorrowful state. The elders or heads of families who shared in the administration were powerless to do anything. Grave magistrates and light-hearted maidens alike were reduced to grief-stricken silence v. Guthrie and J. Motyer, eds.

Jerusalem was an object not only of pity but of scorn. Innocent babies wasted away in her streets, crying in vain for food see vv. The prophets that Judah did listen to were untrue to their task of crying out against iniquity.

They spoke flattering words and thus encouraged Judah in her transgressions. Hence, Jerusalem was a hiss and a byword in the eyes of the nations see vv. Clearly, there was nothing about Jerusalem in which to rejoice. Her tears were real tears of godly sorrow for her iniquities as well as for her temporal losses to the Babylonians.

His thoughts were expressed in a Hebrew poetic form. Let them examine themselves in the light of His commandments which they have transgressed, and let the lifting up of their hands to God in heaven be accompanied by the lifting up of their hearts also, i.

Still, it would not be easy to obtain pardon. In Lamentations —22 the writer returned to his former theme and the mournful dirge began again. The mothers of Judah, unlike the monsters whales and other large fish of the sea who feed their young properly, had neglected their children.

Wickedness was everywhere. Verses 8—10 depict the bitter hunger experienced during the siege of Jerusalem, which finally led some to eat their own children. Lamentations —22 is a prayer for aid. Her plight was very sad, and her sins had made it so.

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The Prophet Ezekiel:. Ezekiel The Prophet Jeremiah:. Jeremiah The Apostle Paul:. Romans Keep Exploring.