The dispersion of Jewish people from Israel to other countries is known as the Diaspora. Diaspora is a Greek noun meaning "sowing" or "scattering." In the Septuagint (an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), it often means "exile" (Jeremiah 25:34; see also Isaiah 11:12; Ezekiel 20:23; Zephaniah 3:10). The word appears twice in the New Testament where it refers to Christian Jews living outside Palestine due to various dispersions in Israel's history (James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1). Diaspora can sometimes refer to the exiled people or the place of exile.
Major Diasporas
Starting in the late eighth century BC, Jewish history experienced several major dispersions (forced movements of people).
Diaspora of the Northern Kingdom
After Solomon died, his kingdom split into two. The northern kingdom of Israel fell deeper into idol worship and immorality (2 Kings 17:14–18). Jeroboam, the first king of divided Israel, started a pattern of abandoning faith. Epitaphs for later kings often noted that the ruler "did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam" (2 Kings 10:31; 13:11; 14:24; 15:9, 18, 24, 28). Assyria conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC and exiled over 27,000 Israelites, as predicted (2 Kings 17:23). They were settled in cities along the branches of the Euphrates River and in Media. Assyrians from cities around Babylon then colonized Israel (2 Kings 17:6, 24).
Diaspora of the Southern Kingdom
The southern kingdom of Judah faced exile in Babylonia to the east and Egypt to the south. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captured Judeans during several campaigns from 605 BC until Jerusalem fell in 586 BC. The first deportation to Babylon took treasures from Jerusalem's temple and palace, along with "all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained." (2 Kings 24:12–14; see also 2 Chronicles 36:10; Jeremiah 52:29–30).
A year later, a second expedition focused on the rebellious Jewish vassal king Zedekiah and his sons (2 Kings 25:1, 6–7; Jeremiah 52:4–11). (A vassal king is a ruler under the authority of another king). In the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Babylonia attacked Judah for the third time. They destroyed the temple, the king’s palace, and broke down the city’s walls. They took everyone captive except the very poorest people (2 Kings 25:8–21; Jeremiah 52:12–16).
Shishak, the king of Egypt, exiled people from Judah as early as the tenth century BC. Judah lost people and temple gold at that time (1 Kings 14:25–26; 2 Chronicles 12:9). About 400 years later, Johanan, a man from Judah, tried to escape Nebuchadnezzar by fleeing to Egypt. Johanan forced Jeremiah and other Jews to go with him, and they settled in Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis. However, the Babylonians followed them, took control of Egypt, and executed many Jews there (Jeremiah 43:5–44:30). Records of property ownership and altar artifacts suggest that the few surviving exiles established permanent colonies in Egypt (Isaiah 19:18–19).
Other Diasporas
The Egyptian king Ptolemy I, who ruled from 323 to 285 BC, captured many Jews and took them to Egypt around 300 BC. These exiles settled in Alexandria, which became known for Greek and Jewish scholarship. Elsewhere, Antiochus III of Syria, who ruled from 223 to 187 BC, moved large groups of Jews from Babylonia to Phrygia and Lydia. The Romans also relocated a significant number of Jews to Rome. The Roman general Pompey brought many Jews there as slaves in the first century BC.
The New Testament book of Acts shows how widely Jews were scattered. Luke lists visitors to Jerusalem: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, areas of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabians (Acts 2:9–11). These Jews of "the Diaspora" were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost.
Jewish communities existed in Macedonian cities that the apostle Paul visited during his missionary journeys: Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth (Acts 17:1, 10; 18:2–4). Around the middle of the first century AD, the Roman emperor Claudius ordered all Jews to leave Rome (Acts 18:2). Scholars estimate that the Jewish population in Palestine at the time of Jesus' birth was about four to six million. The Jewish population outside Palestine was several times larger, with communities of over a million each thriving in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and Alexandria. Today, even with a national homeland, more Jews live outside Israel than inside.
Despite their dispersion, Jews from different diasporas remained similar to Palestinian Jews through several practices:
They continued to observe the major national feasts of Passover, Harvest, and Tabernacles (Exodus 23:12–17; Deuteronomy 16:1–17). They observed them even while living abroad.
Jewish communities in foreign lands collected the temple tax for the temple's upkeep (Exodus 30:11–16), even after the temple was destroyed.
All Jews everywhere acknowledged the authority of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious council).
Positive Aspects
In exile, the Jews stopped worshipping idols, which had distanced them from God. Their exile led them to create synagogues for prayer and education. Jews in Alexandria translated the Old Testament Scriptures into Greek, the international language at that time. This translation, called the Septuagint, was often used by New Testament writers.
From the Christian perspective, the scattered Jewish communities were important. They served as strategic bases for spreading Christianity, which soon reached the surrounding non-Jewish world. Thus, God used these dispersions to bring the gospel to the non-Jews (Romans 1:11–15; 1 Corinthians 10:11–12).
The arts, sciences, and humanities have greatly benefited from Jewish contributions in Western culture. Despite facing intense discrimination, Jews have offered remarkable cultural gifts. Although the church of Jesus Christ is considered a "new Israel" and a "chosen race" (1 Peter 2:9), history and Scripture suggest that God still has a special interest in the Jews.