Archaeology
Jerusalem (Babylonian) Chronicle, ABC 5
- Era
- c. 594 BC
- Location
- Babylon (now British Museum)
- Discovered
- 1956 (published)
A Neo-Babylonian cuneiform tablet recording Nebuchadnezzar II's capture of Jerusalem on 2 Adar (March 16) 597 BC — and his installation of a king "of his choice" in place of the old one.
The find
BM 21946, one of the Babylonian Chronicle series, was published by D. J. Wiseman in 1956. It states that in his 7th year Nebuchadnezzar "encamped against the city of Judah and on the 2nd day of Adar he captured the city and seized its king. He appointed a king of his own choice there." The biblical narrative names that king as Zedekiah, installed in place of the deposed Jehoiachin — a striking match in detail and date with the cuneiform record.
Why it matters
Here is independent Babylonian confirmation of the events narrated in 2 Kings 24:10–17 and 2 Chronicles 36:9–10, matching down to the same year and the same outcome.
Cross-linked Scripture
Doctrine check
Sources
Image: © Trustees of the British Museum
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