preexilic

Preexilic is a term used in biblical scholarship to designate the period in the history of ancient Israel and Judah before the Babylonian exile. It is often defined as the time from the formation of the Israelite and Judahite kingdoms through the later monarchic era, ending with the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple in 586 BCE. The label contrasts with the exilic period (roughly 586–538 BCE, when many Judeans lived in Babylon) and the postexilic period that followed the return under Persian rule.

Geographically and historically, the preexilic era encompasses the united monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon, the subsequent division into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, and the religious and political developments of the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. It includes major prophetic activity and reforms that are later embedded in biblical narratives, as well as temple worship centered in Jerusalem.

In literature, preexilic material is a major source for the Old Testament and related traditions. It is used to describe the original, earlier layers of certain prophetic books (for example, parts of Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah) and to distinguish them from later exilic or postexilic redactions. The term also helps scholars discuss themes such as covenant fidelity, social justice, and religious reform as they appeared before the exile, before the return to Jerusalem, and before later theological developments.