Ostracon number three from Lines 14 and
15 contains a description of a journey to Egypt of Koniahu son of Elnathan.
A commander in the Judahite army, apparently the ninth year of
Zedekiah's rule, the year the revolt was declared against Babylon.
This is the backdrop for understanding why Nebuchadnezzar was so
anxious to leave for Hattu-Land in the winter of 594 BCE
immediately after suppressing the revolt in Babylon and stabilizing his rule.
According to the description in the Babylonian Chronicle, the king and
probably also the governors of Hattu-land expressed their loyalty to him.
He had received their tribute, and he returned to Babylon.
In my opinion, this expedition was also connected with the rise
of Psammetichus the Second to the throne in Egypt.
An additional reason for
the expedition was Nebuchadnezzar�sneed to prove to his Garrison forces
in the region that his authority over Hattu-land and Babylon were firm and
stable and that the signs of domestic instability were finished.
Nebuchadnezzar made another campaign in the month of Kislev
of the 11th year of his reign, November 594 BCE.
But the Babylonian chronicle contains no other information about it.
In this point, I am taking a small timeout,
in order to let you know that the Babylonian chronicles were cut off in
the 11th year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign for 37 years.
The next known segment of the chronicle, is describing the events
that were inspired in 557 BC It means that the construction
of all the events around the destruction of Jerusalem and
the temple will be done without the information from the Babylonian side.
We will feel the absence of this information very much in our
reconstructions.
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