Introduction to the OT World Babylon Week 15, 4/11/2012 Week 15, 4/11/2012 Gene Wright, Gene Wright,

Babylon… Lower Mesopotamian valley while Assyria was in the upper area. This area was home to many empires going back to before the time of Abraham. Babylon was on the Euphrates river. Note that modern Baghdad is on the Tigris.

Babylon was on the Euphrates river. In fact, the Euphrates river ran through the city. This ensured a water supply for the city and its gardens. Notice two of the gates: The Marduk gate on the east side. And the Ishtar gate on the north leading to the Ishtar temple after a walk through the city to the royal area.

The Ishtar gate

Babylonian conquest of Assyria – 605 B.C.

BabylonBabylon Another view of the campaign of the Babylonians against the combined Assyrian and Egyptian force. Note Megiddo where Josiah was killed.

BabylonBabylon Babylonian empire’s greatest extent

BabylonBabylon The four great kingdoms of this time: Eqypt in green, Babylon in pink, Medes/Persians in yellow, and the Lydians in orange.

Nebuchadnezzar led three campaigns against Judah. In the first (604 B.C.), Jehoiakim king of Judah paid tribute and was his vassal for three years. But Ashkelon would not submit so it was conquered. Judeans were deported to Babylon during this first campaign.

Ashkelon aerial view

In the second (601 B.C.), Pharaoh Neco of Egypt came out to fight Nebuchadnezzar imposing great loses on the Babylonian forces. This encouraged some local kings to rebel, including Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar came back the following year and conquered Jerusalem, looted the temple, deported Jehoiakim and his son. Zedekiah was appointed king. More were deported. These events are mentioned in Babylonian records and in 2 Kings 24.

Note that Judah’s enemies also seized upon their weaknesses, with an Edomite raid upon Arad in southern Judah. The vultures have begun to circle.

In 589 B.C. Zedekiah rebelled and the Babylonians came in and just devastated the countryside. The temple was destroyed this time, not just ransacked. Zedekiah attempted to flee from Jerusalem to Jericho but was captured. Before having his eyes put out, he was forced to watch the execution of his sons.

After Jerusalem’s destruction, Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor. He set up an administrative center at Mizpah, a few miles north. Many army commanders, including Jaazaniah, rallied around him (2 Kings 25:23) and warned him of a plot. Gedaliah was murdered by a descendant of David, named Ishmael (Jer 41:1) perhaps hoping to restore David’s line to the throne. An inscribed seal of “Jaazaniah, servant of the king” has been found in a 6 th century tomb.

The captives were taken north and then east where they were settled near Babylon and just south/east of the city. Jer 29:1 “These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.” Jer 29:5-7: “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare…Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”

Nebuchadnezzar was the longest reigning king of Babylon, from 605 to 562 B.C. He is mentioned more than 90 times in the Bible. He set about making Babylon one of the greatest cities the world had ever seen and did so by building extensively. He made many of his structures using kiln-fired bricks rather than sun-dried bricks. These lasted much longer. It is very probable that the blazing furnace of Daniel was one of the many brick kilns needed for his large building program. Many of his bricks were stamped with his name and title. He built walls, gates, towers, ziggurats and is said to have built the “hanging gardens of Babylon” for his wife Amytis, daughter of the Median king, to remind her of her mountainous homeland. This is widely regarded as a legend, however. Babylon - Nebuchadnezzar

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (606 BC), Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the young Jewish nobility carried off to Babylon. The four were chosen for their intellect and beauty to be trained as advisors to the Babylonian court. They were almost certainly made Eunuchs. Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar, which means prince of Bel, or Bel protect the king! Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Shadrach possibly is derived from Shudur Aku “Under Command of the moon god” Meshach is probably a variation of Mishaaku, meaning “Who is what Aku is?” Abednego means “servant of Nebo/Nabu” Babylon – Time of Daniel

Refusing to eat the king’s food, the fiery furnace, the vision of the statue, the lion’s den, praying three times a day and more. Greek Septuagint has 3 additions to Daniel Prayer of Azariah in Fiery Furnace, inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24 Susanna and the elders. Bathing in her backyard under a tree and seen by two Jewish elders who tell her unless she sleeps with them, they will accuse her of meeting another man. She refuses, is arrested and set to be killed. Young Daniel intervenes and questions two elders separately, who contradict each other. Woman cleared, elders put to death. Bel and the Dragon. Darius asks Daniel why he doesn’t see Bel is a living god, given how much he eats / drinks each day. Daniel says Bel is covered in bronze. Daniel lays a trap. Priests had been sneaking in and eating / taking food. Babylon – Time of Daniel

BabylonBabylon The fall of Babylon to the Medes/Persians happened in 539 B.C. when Cyrus invaded Babylonia. Babylonian king Nabonidus sent his son Belshazzar to head off the huge Persian army, but the Babylonian forces were overwhelmed at Opis. On 12th of October, after Cyrus' engineers had diverted the waters of the Euphrates, "the soldiers of Cyrus entered Babylon without fighting." Belshazzar was executed shortly thereafter. Guards were placed at the gates of the great temple of Bel, where the services continued without interruption.

The Cyrus Cylinder This is the Cyrus cylinder proclaiming him the rightful king of It is about 9 inches feet long and made of stone. It now belongs to the British Museum in London.

BabylonBabylon The Cyrus cylinder also allowed the captive peoples to return home. Next week? The captivity and return.