Hello Pterist.
The issue of the 70 years being literal is not just connected with the direct historical refeence by Josephus who claims these 70 years were linked with the last deportation. The land has to be completely desolated, both northern and southern kingdoms to begin paying back its sabbaths of 70 years. This does not take place until year 23 of Nebuchadnezzar.
But also, the sabbaths to be paid back are not just 50 years. Of note, the 50th year is also the 1st of the next 49. Thus 490 years, or 70 weeks, is consider to be 10 jubilee periods of 49 years each, with the 50th year celebrated as the first year of the next 49. The 50th year is not an isolated year.
But the sabbaths the land is concerned with are the agricultural sabbaths, one every 7 years and the 50th year, as you noted. But this is for the period of time from the Exodus down to the return from Babylon. The years of error represent approximately half the time they were supposed to be keeping sabbaths minus the 70 years of make-up. Thus in Ezekiel we find the 10 tribes are charged 390 years, which is 39 years for each tribe. Judah ruled slightly longer, so their error is 40 years. You add the 390 and the 40 together to get 430 years. You then divide the 430 years by the two types of agri-sabbaths, the 7-year and the 50-year. When you do that, you get 70!
Israel = 390 years; Judah = 40 years of error.
390 + 40 = 430 years of error
430 divided by 7 = 61.4
430 divided by 50 = 8.6
TOTAL = 70 YEARS
So as I noted before, regardless of whether there is another application of 70 years that might relate to the NB Period of domination, the land has to be desolated for 70 years as well. We don't have to guess when these 70 years of desolate land begins, it begins with the last deportation and those last deported are the ones who serve the 70 years, which is the least number of years in exile of any of the Jews, since the other Jews were deported earlier.
When we double the 430 years we get 860 years. To that we add the 70 years of make-up and we get 930 years. 930 years is one year shy of 19 jubilees. Going back from 455 BCE, 931 years takes us back to 1386 BCE, which is the earliest year the Israelites could have begun to keep their sabbaths, because that is the date of the Exodus!
When we use the VAT4956 to correct the year 37 of Neb2 to 511 BCE, we must use the Assyrian eponym solar eclipse dated to 709 BCE rather than 763 BCE as is commonly applied. In that case, Shishak's invasion occurs in 871 BCE rather than 925 BCE. This would occur late in Solomon's reign, so when applied to year 39, it means his 4th year falls in 906 BCE, which is 480 years after the Exodus. 906 + 480 = 1386 BCE, the year of the Exodus. Add 49 years to 1386 BCE and you get 1435 BCE, which begins the period of 70 jubilees, 3430 years from 1435 BCE to 1996 AD. 1947 to 1996 is the 70th jubilee! It all works!
...OUTLAW