And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
Jeremiah 21:7
"A discovery by Israeli archaeologists presents new evidence of the thriving city of Jerusalem before the Babylonian destruction 2,600 years ago.
Christian Today reports that archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority have uncovered charred wood,
grape seeds,
pottery,
fish scales and bones, as well as
a small ivory statue showing a naked woman with her hair done in the Egyptian style of the day.
Ortal Chalaf and Joe Uziel, directors of the archaeological excavation, noted that the type and quantity of artifacts uncovered reveals how wealthy Jerusalem was before the Babylonians took over.
'The excavation's findings show that Jerusalem had extended beyond the line of the city wall before
The archaeologists also noted that rose petal seals stamped onto the lids of dozens of recently discovered storage jars pinpoint the time period of these artifacts:
“These seals are characteristic of the end of the First Temple Period and were used for the administrative system that developed towards the end of the Judean dynasty. Classifying objects facilitated controlling, overseeing, collecting, marketing and storing crop yields. The rosette, in essence, replaced the ‘For the King’ seal used in the earlier administrative system.”
BCN