Exile
“To uncover/remove/go into exile; the exile/captivity”
Summary
The exile (or captivity) refers primarily to the period of approximately seventy years during which the Jewish nation was deported to Babylon following the conquest of Jerusalem. The term also applies theologically to the Christian's present existence in a world that is not their ultimate home.
☩Historical Background
The Old Testament exile refers to the period following Babylon's conquest of Jerusalem and deportation of the people into captivity (2 Kings 24-25; Jer 25:1-12; Dan 1:1-4; Ezek 1:1-3). The exile occurred in stages—deportations in 605, 597, and 586 BC when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. Jeremiah had prophesied seventy years of captivity (Jer 29:10). The exile ended after Persia's conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, when Cyrus permitted the captive Jews to return to their homeland (2 Chron 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; Isa 48:20).
☩Vocabulary
Two Hebrew words primarily convey the concept of exile: galah ('to uncover,' 'remove,' hence 'to go into exile') and golah ('a transported captive,' or collectively 'the exile'). The related term tsa'ah ('to be bowed down') appears in Isaiah 51:14, describing the 'captive exile' who hastens to be freed. The deportations themselves fulfilled prophetic warnings against covenant unfaithfulness while simultaneously preserving a remnant through whom God's redemptive purposes would continue.
☩New Testament Application
In the New Testament, 'exile' takes on theological significance for Christian identity. Since believers' true citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20), they live as 'strangers and pilgrims' in the present world (1 Pet 2:11). Peter addresses his readers as 'strangers scattered' (Greek parepidēmois diasporaas, 1 Pet 1:1), using exile vocabulary to describe their earthly sojourn. This perspective shapes Christian ethics—living as those who do not ultimately belong to the present order while faithfully serving within it.
See Also
References
- 1.Don Fleming, "Exile," in Bridgeway Bible Dictionary (Bridgeway Publications, 1990).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Exile," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Don Fleming, "Exile," in Bridgeway Bible Dictionary (Bridgeway Publications, 1990).