Assyrian and Babylonian Exiles of Israelites Numbers
The Assyrian and Babylonian exiles of Israelites refer to the forced deportations of the Israelites from their homeland by the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. The Assyrian exile occurred in two stages: the first in the time of Pekah, when Tiglath-pileser II carried away captive a part of the inhabitants of Galilee and Gilead into Assyria (2 Kings 15:29; Isa. 10:5, 6) around 741 BCE, and the second after the destruction of Samaria in 720 BCE by Shalmaneser and Sargon, resulting in a general deportation of the Israelites into Mesopotamia and Media (2 Kings 17:6; 18:9; 1 Chr. 5:26) [3].
The Israelites were counted in two censuses recorded in the book of Numbers. The first census, taken at Sinai, numbered 603,550 men twenty years old and upward (Ex. 38:26; Num. 2:32) [1]. The second census, taken just before the entrance into Canaan, numbered 601,730 men, showing a small decrease [2, 4]. The slight decrease in numbers between the two censuses is notable, given the significant events that occurred during the intervening period, including the rebellions and judgments in the wilderness.
According to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, the statement that "among these there was not a man...numbered...in the wilderness of Sinai" (Num. 26:64) is not absolute, as it excludes the Levites and others who did not participate in the popular defections [5]. Abraham Ibn Ezra notes that the Levites increased by 700 during the nearly 40 years between the two censuses, from 22,300 to 23,000 [7].
The Assyrian exile had a profound impact on the Israelites, leading to their dispersal among other nations. The Babylonians later exiled many from Judah from 605 to 586 BCE. Isaiah 27:8 references the Assyrian exile, highlighting the destructive effects of the deportations [9].
The numbers involved in the censuses are significant, as they demonstrate the rapid growth of the Israelites during their time in Egypt. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note that the population of Israel, including women, children, and old men, as well as the Levites, would have been around 2,400,000 [6].
The historical context of the exiles is crucial for understanding the biblical narrative. The Assyrian and Babylonian empires played significant roles in shaping the history of the Israelites, and their interactions with these empires are recorded throughout the Hebrew Bible.
The tradition represented in the sources highlights the significance of the censuses and the exiles in understanding the history and identity of the Israelites. The numbers and events recorded in the biblical account provide a foundation for understanding the theological and historical themes that are developed throughout the Hebrew Bible.
The Kabbalistic/Philosophical tradition, as represented by Ramban, provides additional insight into the biblical account, highlighting the role of the judges and leaders in the Israelite community [8].
The Assyrian and Babylonian exiles remain pivotal events in the history of the Israelites, shaping their identity and informing their understanding of God's relationship with them. The biblical account of these events continues to be studied and interpreted by scholars and theologians across various traditions.
Sources
- Numbers “Numbers 2:32 (BSB) — These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families. The total of those counted in the camps, by their divisions, was 603,550.”
- Numbers “Numbers 26:51 (BSB) — These men of Israel numbered 601,730 in all.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Exile — (1.) Of the kingdom of Israel. In the time of Pekah, Tiglath-pileser II. carried away captive into Assyria (2 Kings 15:29; comp. Isa. 10:5, 6) a part of the inhabitants of Galilee and of Gilead (B.C. 741). After the destruction of Samaria (B.C. 720) by Shalmaneser and Sargon (q.v.), there was a general deportation of the Israelites into Mesopotamia and Media (2 Kings 17:6; 18:9; 1 Chr. 5:26). (See ISRAEL, KINGDOM [198]OF.) (2.) Of the kingdom of the two tribes, the kingdom of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim (Jer. 25:1), invaded Judah, a”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Census — There are five instances of a census of the Jewish people having been taken. (1.) In the fourth month after the Exodus, when the people were encamped at Sinai. The number of men from twenty years old and upward was then 603,550 (Ex. 38:26). (2.) Another census was made just before the entrance into Canaan, when the number was found to be 601,730, showing thus a small decrease (Num. 26:51). (3.) The next census was in the time of David, when the number, exclusive of the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, was found to be 1,300,000 (2 Sam. 24:9; 1 Chr. 21:5). (4.) So”
- Numbers (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Numbers 26:64: among these there was not a man . . . numbered . . . in the wilderness of Sinai--The statement in this verse must not be considered absolute. For, besides Caleb and Joshua, there were alive at this time Eleazar and Ithamar, and in all probability a considerable number of Levites, who had no participation in the popular defections in the wilderness. The tribe of Levi, having neither sent a spy into Canaan, nor being included in the enumeration at Sinai, must be regarded as not coming within the range of the fatal sentence; and therefore it would exhib”
- Numbers (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Numbers 1:45: all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand, &c.--What an astonishing increase from seventy-five persons who went down to Egypt about two hundred fifteen years before [see on Gen 46:8], and who were subjected to the greatest privations and hardships! And yet this enumeration was restricted to men from twenty years and upwards [Num 1:3]. Including women, children, and old men, together with the Levites, the whole population of Israel, on the ordinary principles of computation, amounted to about 2,400,000.”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Numbers 26:62: AND THEY THAT WERE NUMBERED. The Levites. The Levites increased by seven hundred in this numbering. 65 The first time the Levites were counted they numbered 22,300. See Num. 3:39 along with I.E.’s comment on it. Their number here is given as 23,000. The Levites thus increased by 700 in close to 40 years. It is amazing that the Levites increased by only seven hundred. Look! The Israelites from among whom all those above the age of twenty died 66 By the time the census recorded in our chapter was taken. See verse 64. numbered about the same as they did during t”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Numbers 25:5: [AND MOSES SAID UNTO THE JUDGES OF ISRAEL]: ‘SLAY YE EVERY ONE HIS MEN [THAT HAVE JOINED THEMSELVES UNTO BAAL-PEOR].’ “Each one of the judges of Israel killed two [men, as the word anashav — his ‘men,’ in the plural, indicates], and the judges of Israel were seventy-eight thousand, 315 Our texts of Rashi have the figure 88,000, but 78,000 [the number found in a Ramban manuscript] is correct [to the nearest thousand] — and this is also the figure quoted in Tractate Sanhedrin. The exact figure for the 600,000 Israelites is 78,600 judges, as follows: Captains”
- Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 27:8: 27:8 The Assyrians exiled large numbers of citizens from the northern kingdom of Israel when Samaria fell in 722 BC. The Babylonians exiled many from Judah from 605 to 586 BC. • Storms from the east were known for their destructive effects (see Job 27:21; 38:24; Jer 4:11).”