Biblical Profile: Babylon

Babylon

Babylon, one of the world’s most ancient cities, was the center of the Babylonian civilization and is an enduring symbol for defiant human pride.

Babylon was founded a few generations after the Flood by Nimrod (Gen 10:8-10), one of history’s first powerful overlords. Babylon takes its name from Babel, a word that means “gate of god” in the Babylonian language. Babylon was probably the location of the tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9), an early attempt by humanity to construct their own identity apart from the Creator. It was this proud civilization that Abraham and his family left when they traveled out of Ur of the Chaldeans around 2000 BC. Even though Babylon was ruled by many kingdoms throughout the centuries, the city remained a cultural and religious figurehead.

Sumerian Civilization (3200–2000 BC)

The first great civilization to flourish in Babylonia was Sumer, centered south of Babylon. The Sumerians invented cuneiform writing, which was used by Mesopotamian cultures for three thousand years.

The Akkadian Empire (2334–2154 BC)

To the north of Babylon, Akkadian king Sargon I (2339–2279 BC) founded the capital city of Akkad and gained political and cultural supremacy over Mesopotamia. The Akkadian Empire lasted for nearly two centuries.

First Babylonian Kingdom (1900–1600 BC)

During the period of the Akkadian Empire, Semitic-speaking nomads from Syria called Amurru (“Amorites”), regarded as barbarians by the urbane Babylonians, began migrating into Babylonia, where they eventually established a new Babylonian kingdom under Amorite control. The sixth king of that dynasty was Hammurabi (1792–1750 BC), who enlarged the kingdom significantly. Babylon’s glory, however, was short-lived; the kingdom shriveled under Hammurabi’s son and lasted only another century.

Assyrian Domination (900–614 BC)

In 851 BC Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (858–824 BC) entered Babylon but treated the ancient city with respect and left its king on his throne as a vassal. A century and a half later (around 705 BC), a Babylonian vassal-king named Merodach-baladan organized a revolution, and he sent ambassadors to King Hezekiah of Judah for support (see 2 Kgs 20:12-19; Isa 39). Assyria quickly crushed Merodach-baladan’s revolution, and Assyria’s domination continued for another century.

Neo-Babylonian Empire (612–539 BC)

The Chaldean prince Nabopolassar seized the throne of Babylon (625–605 BC) and put an end to the Assyrian Empire. Under his son Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BC), Babylon was master of the Near East, a city of splendor (see Dan 1–4).

Nebuchadnezzar was eventually succeeded by a high diplomatic official named Nabonidus (555–539 BC), who neglected Babylon and lost its support. When Cyrus II of Persia (559–530 BC) attacked the city in October 539 BC (see Dan 5:30-31 and study note on Dan 5:31), the city gave itself up without a battle. That surrender marked the end of independent Babylon.

The Symbolic Enemy of God’s People

In 1 Peter and Revelation, Rome is personified as “Babylon the Great, Mother of all Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World” (Rev 17:5)—a dreadfully immoral center of wealth and commerce, ruling over the kings of the earth and persecuting God’s people. The kings and merchants of the earth will mourn her demise (Rev 18:9-19), but God’s people will rejoice that their oppression has ended and will worship God freely.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 10:8-9; 11:1-9; 2 Kgs 20:12-19; 24:1–25:30; Isa 39; Dan 1–5; 1 Pet 5:13; Rev 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2-21; 19:2