01-12-2025, 04:43 PM
The destruction of the first temple and Jerusalem and the first exile were accompanied by detailed warnings, starting in Leviticus 26, even giving the exact number of years of the exile as being associated with the land not resting for 490 years, to complete 70 years of rest (2 Chronicles 36:21).
By contrast, the destruction of the second temple and Jerusalem, accompanied by the second exile, has only one reference in the Hebrew Bible, Hosea 3:4-5. No reasons given, except the hint that it has some relation to an unfaithful wife, no length of time given, the destruction not mentioned. Yet, Amos 3:7 tells us that God does nothing unless He reveals it to His prophets. And the land rested for almost 2000 years, largely turning into a desert. Are we to understand that God left the much longer second catastrophe and exile for the rabbis to ponder and analyze? When a rabbi gave a commentary about a temple destruction, people wondered whether he was referring to the first or second. The answer was that we know he was referring to the first temple because he included Bible references. This was a tacit admission that the second destruction has none.
By contrast, the destruction of the second temple and Jerusalem, accompanied by the second exile, has only one reference in the Hebrew Bible, Hosea 3:4-5. No reasons given, except the hint that it has some relation to an unfaithful wife, no length of time given, the destruction not mentioned. Yet, Amos 3:7 tells us that God does nothing unless He reveals it to His prophets. And the land rested for almost 2000 years, largely turning into a desert. Are we to understand that God left the much longer second catastrophe and exile for the rabbis to ponder and analyze? When a rabbi gave a commentary about a temple destruction, people wondered whether he was referring to the first or second. The answer was that we know he was referring to the first temple because he included Bible references. This was a tacit admission that the second destruction has none.