Understanding War and Violence in the Post-Exilic Period
The post-exilic period in Israel's history was profoundly shaped by the experience of war and violence, particularly the Babylonian Exile itself. This period was characterized by significant suffering, which biblical texts and later interpretations often connect to divine judgment.
The Exile brought about brutal conditions, including imprisonment, starvation, and death for the Judeans [7]. The prophet Isaiah compares the conquering forces that led to the Exile to flooding rivers, emphasizing the overwhelming nature of the invasion [2]. The experience was so traumatic that it is likened to the flood in Noah's time, where grievous sin led to divine judgment, yet also to a renewal of God's commitment to his people [10].
The duration of the Exile is symbolically represented in various ways. Ezekiel's confinement of 430 days, for instance, parallels the 430 years Israel spent in Egypt, hinting at a "new exodus" at the Exile's conclusion [5, 6]. The community of Judah in exile was seen as a "lost generation," similar to the generation that wandered in the wilderness for 40 years due to their sin [5, 6].
Rabbinic tradition highlights the unique nature of Israel's exile compared to other nations. While other nations might be exiled, their exile is not considered true exile if they assimilate into their new surroundings, symbolized by partaking in the local food and drink. Judah's exile, however, was marked by "affliction and great enslavement," preventing them from finding rest among the nations [4]. Rashi interprets Hosea 3:5, "Afterwards," as referring to the period following the days of exile, indicating a future restoration [1].
The theological understanding of war and its duration, even in later Christian thought, attributes these events to God's will. Augustine, in City of God, states that the durations of wars are determined by God according to His righteous will, pleasure, and mercy, either to afflict or console humanity [3]. He also notes the misery of wars, even those deemed "just," highlighting how language barriers can exacerbate conflict between people [8]. The suffering during the Exile was understood as God's judgment, but also as a means for the exiles to recognize the justice of God's actions against Jerusalem, particularly as they witnessed the depravity of survivors who joined them [9]. Despite the judgment, God's commitment to protect and care for his people remained a central theme, as expressed in promises like "I will be with you" [2].
Sources
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Hosea 3:5: Afterwards Following the days of exile.”
- Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 43:2: 43:2 Conquering forces could be compared to flooding rivers (see 8:8). • I will be with you: God is committed to being with his people to protect and care for them (see 7:14; 41:10; 43:5; 45:14). • Israel experienced God’s judgment as the fire of oppression during the Exile.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 22.--THE DURATIONS AND ISSUES OF WAR DEPEND ON THE WILL OF GOD. (part 1): Thus also the durations of wars are determined by Him as He may see meet, according to His righteous will, and pleasure, and mercy, to afflict or to console the human race, so that they are sometimes of longer, sometimes of shorter duration. The war of the Pirates and the third Punic war were terminated with incredible celerity, Also the war of the fugitive gladiators, though in it many Roman generals and the consuls were defeated, and Italy was terribly wa”
- Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Eichah Rabbah 1:28: “Judah was exiled due to affliction and great enslavement. She settled among the nations, did not find rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her within the straits” (Lamentations 1:3). “Judah was exiled.” Are the nations of the world not exiled? Rather, even though they are exiled, their exile is not exile. The nations of the world who eat of their bread and drink of their wine, their exile is not exile. 83 They assimilate into their new surroundings, symbolized by the fact that they consume the bread and wine of the people in their new surroundings. Consequ”
- Ezek (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ezek 4:6: 4:6 Judah was the community of those in exile, whose sojourn outside the land was represented by the symbolic figure of 40 years. They were a lost generation, just like the generation that spent 40 years in the wilderness for their sin (Num 14:34). • The 430 days of Ezekiel’s confinement (cp. Ezek 4:5) parallel the 430 years that Israel spent in Egypt (Exod 12:40), hinting that there would be a new exodus at the end of the Exile.”
- Ezekiel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ezekiel 4:6: 4:6 Judah was the community of those in exile, whose sojourn outside the land was represented by the symbolic figure of 40 years. They were a lost generation, just like the generation that spent 40 years in the wilderness for their sin (Num 14:34). • The 430 days of Ezekiel’s confinement (cp. Ezek 4:5) parallel the 430 years that Israel spent in Egypt (Exod 12:40), hinting that there would be a new exodus at the end of the Exile.”
- Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 51:14: 51:14 The Exile brought such brutal conditions as imprisonment, starvation, and death.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 7.--OF THE DIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES, BY WHICH THE INTERCOURSE OF MEN IS PREVENTED; AND OF THE MISERY OF WARS, EVEN OF THOSE CALLED JUST. (part 1): After the state or city comes the world, the third circle of human society,--the first being the house, and the second the city. And the world, as it is larger, so it is fuller of dangers, as the greater sea is the more dangerous. And here, in the first place, man is separated from man by the difference of languages. For if two men, each ignorant of the other's language, meet, and are no”
- Ezek (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ezek 14:22: 14:22-23 Some survivors would emerge from the devastating judgment (14:21) and join those already in exile. They would not survive because of their righteousness or that of their relatives, but simply as an object lesson for those in exile. As the exiles saw the depravity of this remnant, they would feel better about what God had done to Jerusalem. The exiles would know that God had not acted without cause but had acted with justice in his judgment upon Jerusalem.”
- Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 54:9: 54:9 The Exile was similar in both drama and trauma to the flood in the time of Noah. In both instances, people sinned grievously against the Lord, but the Lord renewed his commitment to creation (after Noah’s flood) and to his people (after the Exile).”