Watch Tower Judean Chronology

Timeline

¹ As explained in the Watch Tower Chronology section the Watch Tower uses a different method for determining the destruction of Jerusalem and reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the first year listed is that used by the Watch Tower, and the second would be the equivalent under the standard Babylonian chronology allowing easy comparison to the other chronologies in the section.

² See section Watch Tower Interpretation of Daniel 1:1.

³ This is somewhat unclear, see Release of Jehoiachin below.

Discussion

Battle of Megiddo

In the Insight book Josiah's death is dated 629 BC [1, p. 118]:

Toward the close of Josiah’s 31-year reign (659-629 B.C.E.), Pharaoh Necho led his army northward to the aid of the Assyrians. For a reason not revealed in the Bible, King Josiah disregarded “the words of Necho from the mouth of God” and tried to turn the Egyptian forces back at Megiddo, but he was mortally wounded in the attempt. He was brought back to Jerusalem in a war chariot and died either en route or upon arrival there.

According to BM 21901 Line 66 the Egyptian army crossed the Euphrates to help the king of Assyria in Duzu (month IV) of the 17th year of Nabopolassar, therefore Josiah must have died prior to this when he intercepted Necho at Megiddo, which would therefore be around month III 629 BC [2, p. 228] [3, p. 139] [4, p. 31] [5, p. 29] [6, p. 17] [7, p. 208].

The Insight book acknowledges and accepts this interpretation of the chronicle [8, p. 205]:

This chronicle states, under the 17th year of Nabopolassar (629 B.C.E.): “In the month Duʼuzu, Ashur-uballit, king of Assyria, (and) a large [army of] E[gy]pt [who had come to his aid] crossed the river (Euphrates) and [marched on] to conquer Harran.” (Ancient Near Eastern Texts, p.305; brackets and parentheses theirs.) Actually, Ashur-uballit was trying to reconquer it after having been driven out. This record is in harmony with the account relative to the activity of Pharaoh Nechoh recorded at 2 Kings 23:29, which activity resulted in the death of King Josiah of Judah (c. 629 B.C.E.). This text states that “Pharaoh Nechoh the king of Egypt came up to the king of Assyria by the river Euphrates”—evidently to help him. “The king of Assyria” to whom Nechoh came may well have been Ashur-uballit II. Their campaign against Haran did not succeed. The Assyrian Empire had ended.

However, this now leads to a substantial contradiction with the rest of the Watch Tower's chronology. The Insight book requires that Jehoiakim's 1st year began in 628 BC (such that his 11th year coincided with Nebuchadnezzar's 7th) [8, p. 698]:

Three months later (in 628 B.C.E.) Nechoh removed Josiah’s son and successor Jehoahaz from the Judean throne and replaced him with his brother Eliakim (renamed Jehoiakim), carrying Jehoahaz captive to Egypt. (2Ki 23:31-35; 2Ch 36:1-4; compare Eze 19:1-4.)

Prior to Jehoiakim, the Insight book places Jehoahaz' 3-month reign at the start of 628 BC [8, p. 1265]:

Jehoahaz was 23 years old when made king, and he ruled badly for three months in the early part of the year 628 B.C.E., until he was imprisoned at Riblah by Pharaoh. Later he was taken to Egypt, where he died in captivity, just as the prophet Jeremiah had foretold.—2Ki 23:31-34; Jer 22:10-12.

This leads an approximately 6 month gap between the death of Josiah no later than month IV, and the accession of Jehoahaz no earlier than month X (such that after adding 3 months Jehoiakim's 1st year began in 628 BC).

There is further evidence for this issue given that The Watchtower 1979 contradicts the Insight book, dating Josiah's death to 628 BC [9, p. 25]:

After the death of good King Josiah in 628 B.C.E., his three sons and a grandson proved to be bad in their dealings.

I raised this issue in a letter to the Watch Tower, however they declined to answer my question.

Battle of Carchemish

The Insight book dates the battle of Carchemish to 625 BC [8, p. 1268] [8, p. 418] [1, p. 480]:

The fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim (625 B.C.E.) saw Nebuchadnezzar defeat Pharaoh Necho in a battle over the domination of Syria- Palestine. The battle took place at Carchemish by the Euphrates, over 600 km (370 mi) N of Jerusalem. (Jer 46:1, 2)

In 625 B.C.E. a decisive battle was fought at Carchemish between the Egyptian and Babylonian armies. Nebuchadnezzar led the Babylonians to a smashing victory over Pharaoh Necho’s forces and swept over Syria and Canaan. This battle marked the end of Egyptian imperial strength in these regions. The Bible account at Jeremiah 46:2 is paralleled by that of the Babylonian Chronicles (B.M. 21946), both describing the defeat of the Egyptian army.

During the 21st year of Nabopolassar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar marched with the Babylonian army to Carchemish, there to fight against the Egyptians. He led his forces to victory. This took place in the fourth year of Judean King Jehoiakim (625 B.C.E.).—Jer 46:2.

Capture of Jehoiachin

The capture of Jehoiachin is explained in the context of accession vs non-accession dating [1, p. 480] [10, p. 88]:

Later, the rebellion of Judean King Jehoiakim against Nebuchadnezzar evidently resulted in a siege being laid against Jerusalem by the Babylonians. It appears that during this siege Jehoiakim died and his son Jehoiachin ascended the throne of Judah. But a mere three months and ten days thereafter the reign of the new king ended when Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar (in the month of Adar [February-March] during Nebuchadnezzar’s seventh regnal year [ending in Nisan 617 B.C.E.], according to the Babylonian Chronicles).

The Bible record is quite detailed in its account of the first punitive expedition against the kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar (or Nebuchadrezzar) in his seventh regnal year (or eighth year from his accession to the throne). (Jer. 52:28; 2 Ki. 24:12)

Regarding the difference in the numbers of captives between 2 Kings and Jeremiah 52 [8, p. 415]:

But it was more than a decade later, in 617 B.C.E., that the first captives from Jerusalem were taken into exile at Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar came against the rebellious city and carried off the upper class of the population, including King Jehoiachin and his mother, and men such as Ezekiel, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, together with “the princes and all the valiant, mighty men—ten thousand he was taking into exile—and also every craftsman and builder of bulwarks. No one had been left behind except the lowly class of the people . . . Court officials and the foremost men of the land he led away as exiled people from Jerusalem to Babylon. As for all the valiant men, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the builders of bulwarks, a thousand, all the mighty men carrying on war, the king of Babylon proceeded to bring them as exiled people to Babylon.” He also took much of the treasure from the temple. (2Ki 24:12-16; Es 2:6; Eze 1:1-3; Da 1:2, 6) Jehoiachin’s uncle Zedekiah was left behind as a vassal king. A few others of note, including the prophet Jeremiah, also remained in Jerusalem. In view of the large number of captives recorded at 2 Kings 24:14, the figure 3,023 given at Jeremiah 52:28 apparently refers to those of a certain rank, or to those who were family heads—their wives and children, numbering thousands, not being included in the figure.

However, Green argues against the idea that Jeremiah 52:28 only refers to the adult males [11, p. 64]:

Bright's theory that the 3,023 in Jeremiah refer only to adult males does not narrow the gap because all the classification listed in Kings are certainly men.

Capture of Zedekiah

Likewise for the capture of Zedekiah [1, p. 481]:

Sometime later Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, allying himself with Egypt for military protection. (Eze 17:15; compare Jer 27:11-14.) This brought the Babylonians back to Jerusalem, and on Tebeth (December-January) 10 in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. (2Ki 24:20; 25:1; 2Ch 36: 13) However, news that a military force of Pharaoh was coming out of Egypt caused the Babylonians to lift the siege temporarily. (Jer 37:5) Subsequently Pharaoh’s troops were forced to go back to Egypt, and the Babylonians resumed the siege against Jerusalem. (Jer 37:7-10) Finally, in 607 B.C.E., on Tammuz (June-July) 9 in the 11th year of Zedekiah’s reign (Nebuchadnezzar’s 19th year if counting from his accession year or his 18th regnal year), a breach was made in Jerusalem’s wall.

Similar comments are made regarding the number of exiles [8, p. 416]:

Zedekiah’s sons, the princes of Judah, court officials, certain priests, and many other prominent citizens were put to death at the order of the king of Babylon. (2Ki 25:7, 18-21; Jer 52:10, 24-27) All of this could account for the rather low number of those actually listed as exiles that were led off, the number given being only 832, probably heads of households, their wives and children not being counted. —Jer 52:29.

Release of Jehoiachin

The Watch Tower's chronology appears to be unclear and contradictory when it comes to the start of Amel-Marduk's reign and hence release of Jehoiachin. The Insight book claims that Nebuchadnezzar ruled for 43 years ending in 582 BC [1, p. 480]:

Second ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire; son of Nabopolassar and father of Awil-Marduk (Evil-merodach), who succeeded him to the throne. Nebuchadnezzar ruled as king for 43 years (624-582 B.C.E.)

But it also claims that Amel-Marduk's accession year (in which Jehoiachin was released) spanned the year 581 BC to 580 BC, leaving an unexplained gap between [8, p. 773] [8, p. 1267]:

The Babylonian king who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar to the throne in 581 B.C.E. In the year of his becoming king, Evil-merodach extended kindness to Jehoiachin the king of Judah by releasing him from the house of detention. That was in the 37th year of Jehoiachin’s exile in Babylon.

In the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s exile, Ezekiel began his prophetic work. (Eze 1:2) About 32 years later, evidently in 580 B.C.E., Jehoiachin was released from prison by Nebuchadnezzar’s successor Evil-merodach (Awil-Marduk) and given a position of favor above all the other captive kings. Thereafter he ate at Evil-merodach’s table and received a daily allowance.—2Ki 25:27-30; Jer 52:31-34.

References