Journey Through Jeremiah & Lamentationsنموونە

Jeremiah: Shame & Dignity: Behind the Text

Take some time to enter the emotional world of the people in Judah as Babylon was approaching. Anxiety was mounting. The end was becoming inevitable. Everyone was desperate. Would there be anyone or anything left when this was over?

The Pain & Shame of Exile

Sennacherib’s reliefs commemorating the destruction of Lachish feature scenes portraying torture tactics. Here prisoners were impaled just outside the city walls. These tactics sought to dishearten defenders and secure quick surrender.

Here prisoners are flayed, again as a tactic of psychological warfare.

The walls of Medinet Habu commemorate the victories of Ramses III. Pictured here are prisoners from the “Sea People,” believed to be Philistines. Note the way that their elbows are tied together. This kind of procession of shame and pain demonstrated the power of the Egyptians.

Dungeons were also used as a form of punishment or torture. While pain was not the main factor in this form of punishment, shame came in the form of isolation.

The Traffic of Babylonian Exile

iMap: Babylonian Invasion

Megiddo: Megiddo controlled traffic through the Jezreel Valley. Josiah suffered a fatal wound there. Judah was an Egyptian vassal until Babylon conquered Judah.

Ashkelon: Assyria left the eastern Mediterranean coast in the 7th century BC. Egypt then
dominated the Philistine coast. Ashkelon, shown here, was an important city.

Lachish Sling Stones:Destroyed by Assyrians in 701, Lachish was rebuilt and destroyed again in 587 by Babylonians. The image shows sling-stones excavated at Lachish.

Lachish Letters:In this gate at Lachish, a hoard of letters was found. The collection documented the final days of Lachish before the Babylonian destruction.

Lachish Letter:This Lachish letter was found in a room within the city’s gate system. Jeremiah 24:7 says Lachish was one of the final cities that fell to Babylon.