Topical Bible: The Jews: All Other Nations: Persecuted

◄ The Jews: All Other Nations: Persecuted ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

Throughout history, the Jewish people have faced persecution from various nations, a theme that is echoed in the biblical narrative. This persecution is often seen as a consequence of their unique covenant relationship with God, which set them apart from other nations and sometimes led to envy, fear, or hostility.

Biblical Instances of Persecution

1. Egyptian Bondage: One of the earliest recorded instances of persecution is the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt. The Pharaoh, fearing the growing number of Israelites, subjected them to harsh labor. Exodus 1:11-14 states, "So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor... They worked the Israelites ruthlessly."

2. Opposition in the Promised Land: Upon entering Canaan, the Israelites faced opposition from the surrounding nations. The Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and others frequently waged war against Israel, as seen throughout the books of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel.

3. Assyrian and Babylonian Exiles: The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians, leading to the dispersion of the ten tribes. Later, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was exiled to Babylon. 2 Kings 17:6 records, "In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria."

4. Persian and Hellenistic Periods: Although the Jews were allowed to return to their land under Persian rule, they still faced challenges. The account of Esther highlights a plot to annihilate the Jewish people, which was thwarted by divine intervention. During the Hellenistic period, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to suppress Jewish religious practices, leading to the Maccabean Revolt.

5. Roman Occupation: In the New Testament era, the Jewish people lived under Roman occupation. This period was marked by heavy taxation and political oppression. The Gospels and Acts describe various tensions between the Jewish population and Roman authorities.

Theological Reflections

The persecution of the Jews is often understood within the framework of divine discipline and protection. Deuteronomy 28 outlines blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, including being scattered among the nations (Deuteronomy 28:64: "Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other...").

Despite persecution, the Jewish people have been preserved, which many see as a testament to God's faithfulness to His covenant promises. Jeremiah 31:35-37 emphasizes the enduring nature of Israel's relationship with God: "Only if these ordinances depart from My presence, declares the LORD, will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before Me."

Historical Continuation

The pattern of persecution continued beyond the biblical narrative, with the Jewish people facing adversity in various forms throughout history, including during the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, and into modern times. This enduring persecution is often viewed as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy and a testament to the resilience and faith of the Jewish people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Lamentations 1:3
Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwells among the heathen, she finds no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Lamentations 5:5
Our necks are under persecution: we labor, and have no rest.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Jews.
... France and the United States, the Jews are admitted to equal rights with all other
citizens, which cannot be said of any other nations in Christendom. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/jews.htm

The Fall of Jerusalem.
... beauty, that he did his utmost to save it, but all in vain ... Other people thus dispersed
had become fused into other nations; but it was not so with the Jews. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xxiii the fall of.htm

John Chapter xv. 22, 23
... kept my saying, they will keep yours also; but all these things ... Gospel very clearly
indicates, and Christ spake to the Jews, not to other nations; and it ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate lxxxix john chapter xv.htm

The Seven Assemblies as a Whole (I. 11).
... 144,000 sealed ones; the great multitude; and other bodies of faithful ones who
are referred to all through the ... Hundreds of Jews are believing in Christ as the ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the seven assemblies as a.htm

Refutation of the Jews
... He is the Life of all, and He it is Who like a sheep gave ... 38) Yet the Jews disbelieve
this ... Well, then, let them be persuaded by other things in their own oracles ...
/.../athanasius/on the incarnation of the word/chapter 6 refutation of the.htm

John iii. 35, 36
... Which also the Apostles did; for just as they, when persecuted by the Jews, came
to the ... But the Jews abominated them as well as all (other nations). ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xxxi john iii 35.htm

The Propagation of Christianity.
... there disciples; the clamour of the Jews; the complaint of ... information of the persons
first persecuted, a great ... all Greece, and in all other nations, there are ...
/.../paley/evidences of christianity/chapter ix the propagation of.htm

All Joy in all Trials
... to whom this epistle was written were a specially tried people, for in the first
place they were, as Jews, greatly persecuted by all other nations, and when ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 29 1883/all joy in all trials.htm

Jesus the Scapegoat.
... But if any members of other nations coveted these privileges ... course would be to become
naturalized Jews, members and ... effect of gathering into one all those who ...
/.../the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol i/xxiv jesus the scapegoat.htm

The Surprising Jew.
... imaginable way, except this of being Jews, men who ... intensely because of divergent
beliefs in other matters, yet ... in annual gatherings to plan with all their old ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks about jesus/the surprising jew.htm