Nebuchadnezzar

About Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar II was the Emperor of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 605-562 BC. He first invaded Judah during the reign of Jehoiakim, making the kingdom a vassal state (2Ki.24.1). When Judah later rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, deposed King Jehoiachin, and installed Zedekiah as a puppet king (2Ki.24.10-17). He also deported many Jews to Babylon, including the prophet Daniel (Dan.1.1-6).

When Zedekiah rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, deporting most of the remaining population (2Ki.25.1-21). He appointed Gedaliah as governor over the remnant (2Ki.25.22-24). The biblical books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel contain extensive material about Nebuchadnezzar's reign and conquests. Daniel records Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, his temporary insanity, and his ultimate acknowledgment of God's sovereignty (Daniel 2-4).

Nebuchadnezzar also besieged the Phoenician city of Tyre (Ezk.26.7-14) and invaded Egypt (Jer.46.13-26). He is portrayed as God's instrument of judgment against the nations while also being condemned for his pride and idolatry (Jer.25.9; 50.17-18). His Babylonian name, Nabu-kudurri-usur, means "Nabu, protect my firstborn son.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.