1. Such deportations were a frequent =policy of Oriental conquerors=. The Orientals had three ways of dealing with a conquered people: that of extermination, or wholesale butchery, which is frequently described upon the As-syr'i-an monuments; that of leaving them in the land under tribute, as subjects of the conqueror; and that of deporting them _en masse_ to a distant land. Frequently, when the interests of the empire would be served by changing the population of a province, this plan was carried out. Thus the ten tribes were carried to a land near the Cas'pi-an Sea, and other people were brought to Sa-ma'ri-a in their place (2 Kings 17. 6, 24). A similar plan regarding Ju'dah was proposed by Sen-nach'e-rib (2 Kings 18. 31, 32), but was thwarted by the destruction of the As-syr'i-an host. 2. We have already noticed another cause of the captivity in the frequent =rebellions of the kings of Ju'dah= against the authority of Bab'y-lon. The old spirit of independence, which had made Ju'dah the leader of the twelve tribes, was still strong, and it was fostered by the hope of universal rule, which had been predicted through centuries, even while the kingdom was declining. The prophets, however, favored submission to Bab'y-lon; but the nobles urged rebellion and independence. Their policy was pursued, and the unequal strife was taken up more than once. The rebellions always failed; but after several attempts the patience of Neb-u-chad-nez'zar was exhausted, and the destruction of the rebellious city and the deportation of the population were ordered. 3. But underneath was another and a deeper cause--in =the rivalry of E'gypt and Bab'y-lon=. Pal'es-tine stood on the border of the As-syr'i-an empire toward E'gypt; and in Pal'es-tine there were two parties, the As-syr'i-an and the E-gyp'tian: one counseling submission to As-syr'i-a, the other seeking alliance with E'gypt against As-syr'i-a (Isa. 31. 1-3; 37. 6). After Bab'y-lon took the place of Nin'e-veh the Chal-de'an party took the place of the As-syr'i-an, as the Chal-de'an empire was the successor of the As-syr'i-an empire. The prophets, led by Jer-e-mi'ah, always counseled submission to Bab'y-lon, and warned against trusting to E'gypt, which had never given anything more than promises; but the nobles were of the E-gyp'tian party, and constantly influenced the kings to renounce the yoke of Bab'y-lon and to strike for independence by the aid of E'gypt. The necessity of making the frontier of the Chal-de'an empire safe on the side toward E'gypt was the political cause for the deportation of the tribe of Ju'dah.