ירמיהו, פרק נ״ב, פסוק כ״ח

A detailed historical and statistical account of the Babylonian exile begins by summarizing the first major wave of captives taken by Nebuchadnezzar [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This initial deportation, known as the exile of King Jeconiah, is recorded as taking place in the seventh year [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, this timeline creates a historical puzzle, as the Book of Kings places this exact event in Nebuchadnezzar's eighth year.

To resolve this discrepancy, commentators offer two perspectives. One approach explains that while it was indeed the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's official reign, it was only the seventh year since he first conquered and subjugated King Jehoiakim [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Another view suggests a simple overlap in the calendar, with the exile occurring right during the transition period—at the very end of the seventh year and the dawn of the eighth [רד״ק].

The historical record then specifies that three thousand and twenty-three individuals were taken captive, specifically identifying them as members of the tribe of Judah [מצודת דוד]. This demographic detail clears up a numerical contradiction found in the Book of Kings, which lists the number of exiles as both seven thousand and ten thousand in different places. The exact breakdown reveals that seven thousand captives came from the other tribes, while the additional three thousand were exclusively from the tribe of Judah, completing the full count of ten thousand exiles [רש״י].