The Watchtower, “When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One”
“Instead of saying 70 years “at Babylon,” many translations read “for Babylon.” (NIV) Some historians therefore claim that this 70-year period applies to the Babylonian Empire. … The Bible, however, shows that the 70 years were to be a period of severe punishment from God—aimed specifically at the people of Judah and Jerusalem, who were in a covenant to obey him.”
The organisation's own acknowledgement that most translations read 'for Babylon', and its answer: that the context of Jeremiah requires the seventy years to be a period of exile for Judah rather than a period of Babylonian supremacy. This article and its sequel are the fullest published defence of the 607 BCE date.
Official source (opens in new tab)
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One
Confidence note. Article opened in full on wol.jw.org on 19 September 2026; page marker 27 read from the page-number span within the passage quoted, and the article's own header gives 'w11 10/1 pp. 26-31'.
Corroborated by. src-nwtv-w11-1101-70years
Notes. This is the organisation's best counter-argument on Jeremiah 29:10 and must be quoted in full alongside the philological point.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-nwtv-w11-1001-70years