The Watchtower, “When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part Two”
“At present, the majority of secular historians believe that Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 B.C.E. However, the Bible writers Jeremiah and Daniel clearly state that the Jews were in exile for 70 years, not 50 years. … Since the Bible explicitly says that the exile lasted for 70 years, it must have begun in 607 B.C.E.”
The second article argues that the Babylonian chronicles are incomplete and that astronomical tablet VAT 4956 can be read to support 588 BCE as Nebuchadnezzar's 37th year. A footnote states plainly: 'None of the secular experts quoted in this article hold that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 B.C.E.'
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Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part Two
Confidence note. Article opened in full on wol.jw.org on 19 September 2026; the footnote and the quoted paragraphs read directly. Page marker 23 read from the page-number span; the article header gives 'w11 11/1 pp. 22-28'.
Corroborated by. src-nwtv-w11-1001-70years
Notes. The footnote conceding that none of the cited experts hold 607 BCE is an important and fair-minded detail that the site should quote.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-nwtv-w11-1101-70years