Why were the israelites exiled from their land?

Answer 1

Jewish Religious Rationale

Political reasons aside, the spiritual reason is because of those Israelites who dabbled in idolatry and belittled the warnings of the Prophets. The Bible makes this very clear.

Of course, the idolatrous Babylonians didn't have that in mind. They had their own motives of conquest and empire-building.

Geopolitical Rationale

Babylonia did not exile the Jews as a single event, they exiled the elite population of every country that they conquered, including Aram, Sidonia, Tyre, Moab, AND Judah (among others). The purpose of these exiles was to bring the best architects, bureaucrats, religious leaders, and intelligentsia to the capital city of Babylon so that they could improve the city and help in the control of the Empire. The only reason why people still mourn the Babylonian Exile of the Judeans (Jews) is that the Jewish people still survive whereas the other nations have long since become extinct.

Secondly, in the particular case of the Babylonian Exile of Judeans, however, this happened right after a Babylonian Invasion of the country. This invasion occurred after Judah switched allegiance (as a vassal state) from Babylon to Egypt. This betrayal greatly incensed the Babylonian leadership and led to the Destruction of the First Solomonic Temple which was a devastating event for the Judeans along with the normal exile activities, making the blow all the harsher.

Answer 2

In 586 BC, Judah itself ceased to be an independent kingdom, and the earlier deportees found themselves without a homeland, without a state, and without a nation. This period, which actually begins in 597 but is traditionally dated at 586, is called the Exile in Jewish history; it ends with an accident in 538 when the Persians overthrow the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar, now the king, returned to Judah in 597, and, according to the Babylonian Chronicles, "captured the city and seized its king. He appointed in it a king of his liking [Zedekiah], took heavy booty from it and sent it to Babylon.

Answer 3

The exile of the Ten Tribes (some 2650 years ago):

1) The spiritual reason was that for over two centuries the Ten Tribes had cut themselves off from the more-righteous tribe of Judah and the Temple, and had been more lax about the prohibition against idolatry. The prophets, such as Hosea, had warned them about this.

2) The temporal reason was that Assyria conquered them and exiled them.

A positive result: Had the Ten Tribes not been exiled, the Tribe of Judah would have continued emulating their ways (Jeremiah 3:7-8) and might have gone completely lost like the Ten Tribes.

The Babylonian exile (some 2500 years ago):

1) The spiritual reason was that God found the people of Judah to be below the spiritual level that was a requisite for having His presence among them. The prophets had warned them (Jeremiah 7:25) of this.

A more specific spiritual reason was the egregious sins of Menasheh, king of Judah (2 Kings 21:11-13 and 24:3).

2) The temporal circumstance was the fact that King Yehoiakim, after having been obedient to Nevuchadnezzar (king of Babylonia), became insubordinate (2 Kings 24:1); and Nevuchadnezzar responded by conquering the land of Judah.

Some positive results: the false prophets, at long last, were silenced forever.

Also, the lure of idolatry finally weakened, since the Destruction and Exile happened exactly as predicted by the true Prophets.

The present 2000-year exile:

1) The spiritual reason was that the Jewish people were plagued by an internal enemy, the Sadducees, who had been dragging the spiritual level of the people downwards for many decades. They had fomented unnecessary wars, sown discord among the Jews (see Talmud, Yoma 9b), and had even killed a number of the leading Torah-sages (Talmud, Kidushin 66a).

2) The political trigger to the exile at the hand of the Romans was the anti-Roman revolt fomented by the Zealots, who acted against the advice of the Rabbis.

A positive result: The Second Destruction accomplished the disappearance of the impious cliques. Once Jerusalem and the Temple were razed, the men of power melted away and the internal life of the Jewish communities reverted to the Torah-sages.

Other non-traditional groups including the Samaritans and the Essenes also now permanently dissociated themselves from the Jewish people.

Answer 4

Since the question doesn't specify, we'll discuss both the destruction of the First Temple and the Second Temple (as well as the loss of the Ten Tribes). In each case, we'll give 1) a spiritual reason, and 2) a political ("current events-type") reason.
The exile of the Ten Tribes (some 2650 years ago):

1) The spiritual reason was that for over two centuries the Ten Tribes had cut themselves off from the more-righteous tribe of Judah and the Temple, and had been more lax about the prohibition against idolatry. The prophets, such as Hosea, had warned them but were not heeded widely enough.

Link: Israelite prophecy

2) The temporal reason was that Assyria conquered them and exiled them.

Link: Where are the Ten Tribes?

A positive result: Had the Ten Tribes not been exiled, the Tribe of Judah would have continued emulating their ways (Jeremiah 3:7-8) and might have gone completely lost like the Ten Tribes.

The Babylonian exile (some 2500 years ago):
1) The general spiritual reason was that God found the people of Judah to be below the spiritual level that was a requisite for having His presence among them. The prophets had warned them (Jeremiah 7:25) but were not sufficiently heeded (2 Chronicles 36:16). Once God's presence no longer felt welcome in the Holy Temple, its destruction was just a matter of time (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 31a, and midrash Eichah Rabbah 1:43), and the exile followed immediately.
A more specific spiritual reason was the egregious sins of Menasheh, king of Judah (2 Kings 21:11-13 and 24:3).

2) The temporal circumstance was the fact that King Yehoiakim, after having been obedient to Nevuchadnezzar (king of Babylonia), became insubordinate (2 Kings 24:1); and Nevuchadnezzar responded by conquering the land of Judah, destroying the First Temple and exiling the populace.

Some positive results: the false prophets, at long last, were silenced forever. They had predicted that Judah would remain independent of Babylonia (Jeremiah ch.27) and no Destruction would take place.
Also, the lure of idolatry finally weakened, since the Destruction and Exile happened exactly as predicted by the true Prophets, who were the same ones who had spoken ceaselessly against dabbling in idolatry.

The present 2000-year exile:
1) The spiritual reason was that the Jewish people were plagued by an internal enemy, the Sadducees, who had been dragging the spiritual level of the people downwards for many decades. These were men of power who (along the lines of the earlier Hellenizers) were less interested in Torah than in pleasure, politics, and obsequiousness to the Herodian kings and the Romans. Even the once-pious Hasmoneans had eventually become infiltrated by the Sadducees. They had fomented unnecessary wars, sown discord among the Jewish people (see Talmud, Yoma 9b), and had even killed a number of the leading Torah-sages (Talmud, Kidushin 66a).

2) The political trigger to the exile at the hand of the Romans was the anti-Roman revolt fomented by the Zealots, who acted against the advice of the Rabbis and left the Romans no choice but to crush the people (Talmud, Gittin 56) and empty the Jerusalem region.

A positive result: The Second Destruction, as painful and tragic as it was, at least accomplished the disappearance of the impious cliques (as alluded in the parable in the Talmud, Gittin 56b, in which the "barrel of honey" represents Jerusalem and the Temple, and the "serpent" hints to the Zealots and Sadducees, among others). Once Jerusalem and the Temple were razed, the men of power melted away and the internal life of the Jewish communities returned to the aegis of the Torah-sages.

Link: What did Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai do?

Other non-traditional groups including the Samaritans and the Essenes also now permanently dissociated themselves from the Jewish people.

See also the other Related Links.

Link: Jewish history timeline

Link: The Diaspora