Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in October 607 BCE, twenty years earlier than the date of 587 or 586 BCE accepted by historians and archaeologists.
Claim ID claim-chronology-607-jerusalem-destroyedConcerns 1 October 2011Explicit statement
The organisation’s position or later explanation: The Watchtower of 1 October 2011 states the difference in its own words and gives its reason: ‘So why do Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to a date that differs from widely accepted chronology by 20 years? In short, because of evidence within the Bible itself.’
1 October 2011 · p.26 · par. 4 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
““According to historians and archaeologists, 586 or 587 B.C.E. is generally accepted as the year of Jerusalem’s destruction.a Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses say that it was 607 B.C.E.? What is your basis for this date?””
The article opens by quoting a reader’s question and is introduced as “the first of two articles in consecutive issues of The Watchtower that discuss scholarly questions surrounding the date of the destruction of ancient Jerusalem”. Footnote a reads: “Both years are mentioned in secular sources. For simplicity, we will refer to 587 B.C.E. in this series. B.C.E. means ‘Before the Common Era.’”
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One
Confidence note. Full document fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read in full; the quotation, the paragraph and the page were confirmed against the article text and its embedded page markers (span class=“pageNum”).
1 October 2011 · pp.28-29 · pars. 19-20 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“According to Bible chronology, then, the 70 years was a literal period of time that ended in 537 B.C.E. Counting back 70 years, the start date of the period would be 607 B.C.E.”
The preceding paragraph fixes the end of the exile: “The decree ending their exile was issued in ‘the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia.’ … Thus, by the fall of 537 B.C.E., the Jews had returned to Jerusalem to restore true worship.” The whole of the organisation’s date for 607 rests on this subtraction.
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One
Confidence note. Full document fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read in full; the quotation, the paragraph and the page were confirmed against the article text and its embedded page markers (span class=“pageNum”).
1988 · p.463 · under “From 607 B.C.E. to return from exile” · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Hence the count of the 70 years of desolation must have begun about October 1, 607 B.C.E., ending in 537 B.C.E.”
The same passage sets out the regnal framework: “Jerusalem came under final siege in Zedekiah’s 9th year (609 B.C.E.), and the city fell in his 11th year (607 B.C.E.), corresponding to Nebuchadnezzar’s 19th year of actual rule (counting from his accession year in 625 B.C.E.).” It also states: “The Bible prophecy does not allow for the application of the 70-year period to any time other than that between the desolation of Judah, accompanying Jerusalem’s destruction, and the return of the Jewish exiles to their homeland as a result of Cyrus’ decree.”
Provenance and verification note for Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, Chronology
Confidence note. Full article fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026; the quotation and the page were confirmed against the text and its embedded page markers. Insight on the Scriptures is undated on the Online Library; the 1988 publication year is the work’s own imprint date.
Notes. Places Nebuchadnezzar’s accession in 625 BCE; conventional chronology places it in 605 BCE. The 20-year difference runs through every regnal date in the scheme.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-chr-o-it1-chronology-70-years
19 September 2026 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“The “seven times” began in October 607 B.C.E., when, according to Bible chronology, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians.”
The page sets out the same chain as the 2005 appendix and closes: “Applying the prophetic rule ‘a day for a year,’ the 2,520 days represent 2,520 years. Therefore, the ‘seven times,’ or 2,520 years, would end in October 1914.” Its footnote a refers readers to “When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One,” pages 26-31 of the 1 October 2011 Watchtower, and Part Two, pages 22-28 of the 1 November 2011 issue.
Provenance and verification note for JW.org (Bible Questions Answered), What Does Bible Chronology Indicate About the Year 1914?
Confidence note. Live page fetched from jw.org on 19 September 2026 (HTTP 200) and read in full; wording confirmed. The date recorded is the access date because the page carries no publication date. The identical text appears on the Watchtower Online Library at the second URL, which the library cites as “ijwbq article 75” — an article number in the web-only compilation Bible Questions Answered, not a printed page number.
Notes. The current, public statement of the teaching. It still routes the reader to the 2011 articles for the 607 BCE date, which remain the organisation’s standing defence.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-chr-o-jw-ijwbq-1914
1 November 2011 · p.27 · pars. 35-36 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“At present, the majority of secular historians believe that Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 B.C.E. However, the Bible writers Jeremiah and Daniel clearly state that the Jews were in exile for 70 years, not 50 years. (Jeremiah 25:1, 2, 11; 29:10; Daniel 9:2) Those statements strongly indicate that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 B.C.E. As the above evidence shows, that conclusion has some secular support.”
The closing section, headed “Why Trust the Bible?”, continues: “Secular experts have repeatedly questioned the Bible’s accuracy. Yet, when more evidence is uncovered, the Bible record has time and again been vindicated.”
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part Two
Confidence note. Full document fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read in full; the quotation, the paragraph and the page were confirmed against the article text and its embedded page markers (span class=“pageNum”).
Notes. The organisation’s own summary of its case, and its best counter-argument, in its own words.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-chr-o-w-2011-1101-why-trust-bible
A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-chronology-607-jerusalem-destroyed/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.