Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did the Babylonians release Jeremiah after Jerusalem fell?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Painting by Rembrandt van Rijn showing Jeremiah sitting in a dimly lit cave, head resting on his hand in sorrow, with Jerusalem burning in the background. — Jeremiah *Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem*, oil on panel by Rembrandt, 1630: in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

When Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 BCE, the prophet Jeremiah was released from prison because he had consistently advocated for Judah to submit to the Neo-Babylonian empire rather than resist it.1

Throughout the siege, Jeremiah maintained that it was God's will for the people to surrender to the Babylonians, a stance that made him unpopular with his own countrymen but aligned with the interests of the invading forces. According to Jewish tradition, the Babylonian king Nebuchadrezzar viewed Jeremiah as an instrument of God and specifically ordered that the prophet be protected. Upon his release, the Babylonians offered Jeremiah safe conduct to Babylonia, though he ultimately chose to remain in the land of Judah under the care of Gedaliah, the governor appointed by the Babylonians.123