The exile did not arrive in a single wave. It came in stages, each intensifying the disruption and deepening the spiritual and cultural challenge. The first major deportation occurred in 605 BCE, when Nebuchadnezzar captured young nobles such as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. This was a calculated political move, but for Judah it was prophetic: the removal of promising youth foreshadowed a period of national upheaval.
