The purpose of this study is to examine how the Israelites’ perception regarding land was established through the Babylonian captivity. The Babylonian captivity is one of the most significant events in the history of Israel. If Exodus is the beginni...
The purpose of this study is to examine how the Israelites’ perception regarding land was established through the Babylonian captivity. The Babylonian captivity is one of the most significant events in the history of Israel. If Exodus is the beginning of the people of Israel, Babylon captivity can be considered as the beginning of the establishment of pure religion of Yahweh. In fact, the destruction and demise of their land by the Babylonians were a devastating incident for the people of Israel. The basic perception was that land ownership was God’s blessing, but loss was judgment. However, the Babylonian captives learned through the reflection on their faith that their sins resulted in the loss of land. Moreover, they recognized that their captivity was not merely a judgment, but a time of trial and training, thus they made efforts to establish a pure Yahweh faith community with the hope that the restoration of land would occur through spiritual awakening. As a result, the Babylonian captivity, the most strenuous period in Israel's history, paved an opportunity to restore the purity of Yahweh religion, which had been tainted by syncretism during the monarchial period, and at the center a shift in the perception regarding land has taken place.