Friday, January 10, 2020

Ancient History : People and Places : Nimrod and the ‘Gate of God’

If you come from a Judaeo-Christian background, then you might be familiar with the story of Babel because you were probably taught about it as a child. If you are unfamiliar with the biblical account, it tells of the time when everyone on earth all spoke the same language but God confused the languages. Why? Because there was a king who was trying to build a tower to reach heaven, where God lives. 
This ambitious and over-reaching endeavor was displeasing and as a punishment, God confused the languages of the people. This lack of communication prevented the laborers from working together and completing the building project. The unfinished structure is often referred to as the tower of Babel and symbolizes human pride and rebellion. The entire account of this event is all of nine (9) verses. You can read it in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 11, verses 1 through 9.



If you believe that Babel existed, then you might also believe that there was a king who angered God.
Now about that king. What was his name?
NIMROD
Scholars are in disagreement as to the identity of Nimrod. Some say he was Sargon the Great. Others say he was an Assyrian king, Tukulti-Ninurta I. Others speculate that he could have been Amenophis III, an Egyptian leader. Yet another group believes that he was Merodach-Baladan, a man who insisted on being king of Babylon, however, he never achieved his ambition.
The biblical record identifies Nimrod as the son of Cush, the grandson of Ham, and the great-grandson of Noah. He is described as “mighty” in two instances: “a mighty one on the earth” and “the mighty hunter before the Lord”. Furthermore, the Bible account states: “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”  Shinar, the land of Southern Mesopotamia, became known as Babylonia.

Content first published at Blogjob.com on Jun 5, 2017.  Site shut down.

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