Page 82 - Biblical Backgrounds

Wealthier Babylonians ate four meals a day: a good breakfast, a light lunch, a heavy meal, and a light
supper late in the day. “Most of the time, the meal consisted largely of vegetable products, but the
more well-to-do might have beef, mutton, goat meat, poultry, or fish. Barley bread served as the main
source of carbohydrates for all classes. Beer or water served as the main drinks.... The poor rarely ate
meat or fish but lived on a diet of bread and vegetables.” 112

Clothing in Babylonia was predominantly made of wool or linen. An average poor person wore a single
short-sleeved wool tunic that extended to the feet and went barefoot. Wealthier individuals wore short-
sleeved linen tunics topped with white cloaks, often beautifully embroidered with animals or plants.
Both men and women in this class wore sandals.

Marriage arrangements were made between the parents of the groom and the parents of the bride. The
girl would probably live in the groom’s father’s household until he set up a household of his own or his
father died, and he inherited the property. There is no evidence that married women had to be veiled in
public. 113

Trade and Economics

Temples played an important role in the Babylonian economy. Properties such as land and boats were
owned by temples. These would be rented by the general public and generate revenue and income.
Agricultural products were gathered into warehouses. Most of these products were traded in exchange
for wood, metal, cloth, and other commodities, mainly from the west as far as Asia Minor.

Building Babylon into a grand state that it was, and reconstruction programs in other cities, such as
Sumer and Akkad, needed a strong economy. Supporting armies in conquests equally demanded a
strong financial muscle. Carrying these as successfully as Nebuchadnezzar did required skillful trade
strategy and high taxes on the people. As captives in the land, the Jewish people obviously made
tremendous contributions, either with their monetary resources or labor.

God’s Providential Care

In 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great, king of the Persian Empire, conquered and took control of the Babylonian
Empire. Within a year of his victory, Cyrus allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland.
Counting from 586 BCE, the Jews were held in Babylonian captivity for about 48 years. Traditionally, and
according to Jeremiah 29:10, the exile lasted 70 years. The traditional view often counts from 586 BCE to
516 BCE, the year when the rebuilt Temple was dedicated in Jerusalem. Another notable view chooses
the dates 608 to 538. Returning Jews left Babylonia at various times, while some Jews chose to remain
in Babylonia, thus constituting the first of numerous Jewish communities living permanently in
the diaspora. Acts 2:9-11 seems to indicate that such communities as these (in diaspora) kept in tune
with Jewish festivals and travelled to Jerusalem.

112 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (p.
315). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
113 Ibid., p. 317.

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