The Watchtower, “When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One”
“Only then, in the seventh Jewish month, Tishri (September/October), of that year could it be said that the land, now desolate and unworked, began to enjoy its Sabbath rest.”
Reading 2 Chronicles 36:20, 21 with Leviticus 25 and 26, the article argues that the 70 years were a period in which the land of Judah lay uncultivated, and that the count therefore began not at the first deportation but after Jerusalem was razed and the remaining people fled to Egypt (2 Kings 25:25, 26).
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Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One
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Corroborated by. src-chr-o-it1-chronology-70-years
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-chr-o-w-2011-1001-desolation-start