Bible Encyclopedia: Nimrod (2024)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

NIMROD

nim'-rod (nimrodh; Nebrod): A descendant of Ham, mentioned in "the generations of the sons of Noah" (Genesis 10; compare 1 Chronicles 1:10) as a son of Cush. He established his kingdom "in the land of Shinar," including the cities "Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh" (Genesis 10:10), of which only Babel, or Babylon, and Erech, or Uruk, have been identified with certainty. "The land of Shinar" is the old name for Southern Babylonia, afterward called Chaldea ('erets kasdim), and was probably more extensive in territory than the Sumer of the inscriptions in the ancient royal title, "King of Shumer and Accad," since Accad is included here in Shinar. Nimrod, like other great kings of Mesopotamian lands, was a mighty hunter, possibly the mightiest and the prototype of them all, since to his name had attached itself the proverb: "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Yahweh" (Genesis 10:9). In the primitive days of Mesopotamia, as also in Palestine, wild animals were so numerous that they became a menace to life and property (Exodus 23:29 Leviticus 26:22); therefore the king as benefactor and protector of his people hunted these wild beasts. The early conquest of the cities of Babylonia, or their federation into one great kingdom, is here ascribed to Nimrod. Whether the founding and colonization of Assyria (Genesis 10:11) are to be ascribed to Nimrod will be determined by the exegesis of the text. English Versions of the Bible reads: "Out of that land he (i.e. Nimrod) went forth into Assyria, and builded Nineveh," etc., this translation assigning the rise of Assyria to Nimrod, and apparently being sustained by Micah 5:5, 6 (compare J. M. P. Smith, "Micah," ICC, in the place cited.); but American Revised Version, margin renders: "Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh," which translation is more accurate exegetically and not in conflict with Micah 5:6, if in the latter "land of Nimrod" be understood, not as parallel with, but as supplemental to, Assyria, and therefore as Babylon (compare commentaries of Cheyne, Pusey, S. Clark, in the place cited.).

Nimrod has not been identified with any mythical hero or historic king of the inscriptions. Some have sought identification with Gilgamesh, the flood hero of Babylonia (Skinner, Driver, Delitzsch); others with a later Kassite king (Haupt, Hilprecht), which is quite unlikely; but the most admissible correspondence is with Marduk, chief god of Babylon, probably its historic founder, just as Asshur, the god of Assyria, appears in verse 11 as the founder of the Assyrian empire (Wellhausen, Price, Sayce). Lack of identification, however, does not necessarily indicate mythical origin of the name.

See ASTRONOMY, sec. II, 11; BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA, RELIGION OF, IV, 7; MERODACH; ORION.

Edward Mack

Strong's Hebrew

5248. Nimrod -- a son of Cush and founder of the Bab. kingdom
Nimrod or Nimrod. 5247, 5248. Nimrod or Nimrod. 5249 . a son of Cush
and founder of the Bab. kingdom. Transliteration: Nimrod ...
/hebrew/5248.htm - 6k

Library

We Arrive Now at a Branch of Our Subject Upon which the Lord's ...
... Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, who called down upon him the curse of his
father, Hoah. "The sons of Ham were Cush[hellip]and Cush ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/we arrive now at a.htm

Of the Generations of the Three Sons of Noah.
... After enumerating these, Scripture returns to the first of the sons, and says,
"Cush begat Nimrod; he began to be a giant on the earth. ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 3 of the generations of.htm

"In the Volume of the Book it is Written of Me" (Heb. . .
... 3. Nimrod. ... Second, we are told that he was a son of Cush " "And Cush begat Nimrod"
(Gen.10:8), and Cush was a son of Ham, who was curst by Noah. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/in the volume of the.htm

The Tower of Babel.
... One of these descendants, named Nimrod, was a mighty hunter and a man of power and
authority in the land, and it has even been said that the people worshiped ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/wee ones bible stories/the tower of babel.htm

That the Original Language in Use among Men was that which was ...
... It is very probable that the giant Nimrod founded also his nation, and that Scripture
has named him separately on account of the extraordinary dimensions of ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 11 that the original language.htm

Chapter x
... The last seems most likely. 8, 9. Cush begat Nimrod; he was the first
tyrant upon earth. He was a mighty hunter in the sight of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter x.htm

Abraham's Faith
... a name," they said, meaning, 'Let us make ourselves famous and terrible to all the
people around us, that we may subdue them.' And we read of Nimrod, who was ...
/.../kingsley/twenty-five village sermons/sermon xii abrahams faith.htm

Here Followeth the Life of Abraham
... Out of the generation of Ham Nimrod came, which was a wicked man and cursed in his
works, and began to make the tower of Babel which was great and high. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here followeth the life of.htm

The History after the Flood.
... And their king was called Nebroth [Nimrod]. From these came Asshur, from
whom also the Assyrians receive their name. And Nimrod ...
/.../theophilus/theophilus to autolycus/chapter xxxi the history after the.htm

Concerning the Tower of Babylon, and the Confusion of Tongues.
... the more easily be Oppressed. 2. Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such
an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 concerning the tower.htm

Hitchco*ck's Bible Names Dictionary

Nimrod

rebellion (but probably an unknown Assyrian word)

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Nimrod

(rebellion; or the valiant), a son of Cush and grandson of Ham. The events of his life are recorded in (Genesis 10:8) ff., from which we learn (1) that he was a Cush*te; (2) that he established an empire in Shinar (the classical Babylonia) the chief towns being Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh; and (3) that he extended this empire northward along the course of the Tigris over Assyria, where he founded a second group of capitals, Nineveh, Rehoboth, Calah and Resen.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Nimrod

Rebellion, impiety, a son of Cush and grandson of Ham, proverbial from the earliest times as a mighty hunter, Genesis 10:8-10 1 Chronicles 1:10. He seems to have feared neither God nor man; to gather around him a host of adventurers, and extended his conquests into the land of Shinar, where he founded or fortified Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh. According to one interpretation of Genesis 10:11, he also founded Nineveh and the Assyrian empire; though this is usually understood to have been done by Asshur, when expelled by Nimrod from the land of Shinar, Micah 5:6. Nimrod is supposed to have begun the tower of Babel; and his name is still preserved by a vast ruinous mound, on the site of ancient Babylon. See BABEL.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Firm, a descendant of Cush, the son of Ham. He was the first who claimed to be a "mighty one in the earth." Babel was the beginning of his kingdom, which he gradually enlarged (Genesis 10:8-10). The "land of Nimrod" (Micah 5:6) is a designation of Assyria or of Shinar, which is a part of it.

Thesaurus

Nimrod (4 Occurrences)
... The "land of Nimrod" (Micah 5:6) is a designation of Assyria or of Shinar, which
is a part of it. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. NIMROD. ...
/n/nimrod.htm - 11k

Erech (2 Occurrences)
... (LXX., "Orech"), length, or Moon-town, one of the cities of Nimrod's kingdom in
the plain of Shinar (Genesis 10:10); the Orchoe of the Greeks and Romans. ...
/e/erech.htm - 13k

Calneh (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Fort, one of the four cities founded by Nimrod
(Genesis 10:10). It is the modern Niffer, a lofty mound ...
/c/calneh.htm - 11k

Cush (31 Occurrences)
... Black. (1.) A son, probably the eldest, of Ham, and the father of Nimrod (Genesis
10:8; 1 Chronicles 1:10). ...Nimrod was a great Cush*te chief. ...
/c/cush.htm - 25k

Calah (2 Occurrences)
... "Out of that land he [ie, Nimrod] went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh,
Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah, and Resen" (Genesis 10:11, RV). ...
/c/calah.htm - 14k

Orion (3 Occurrences)
... to have conceived of this constellation under the figure of an impious giant bound
upon the sky." This giant was, according to tradition, Nimrod, the type of ...
/o/orion.htm - 8k

Warrior (36 Occurrences)
... Genesis 10:8 Cush became the father of Nimrod. ... (See NAS). 1 Chronicles 1:10 Cush
became the father of Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth. ...
/w/warrior.htm - 16k

Resen (1 Occurrence)
... Head of the stream; bridle, one of Nimrod's cities (Genesis 10:12), "between Nineveh
and Calah." It has been supposed that the four cities named in this verse ...
/r/resen.htm - 9k

Merodach (2 Occurrences)
... me-ro'-dak, mer'-o-dak (merodhakh): The supreme deity of the Babylonians (Jeremiah
50:2); the Nimrod of Genesis 10:8-12; and among the constellations, Orion. ...
/m/merodach.htm - 7k

Begot (119 Occurrences)
... (DBY JPS). Genesis 10:8 And Cush begot Nimrod: he began to be mighty on the earth. ...
1 Chronicles 1:10 And Cush begot Nimrod: he began to be mighty on the earth. ...
/b/begot.htm - 30k

Bible Concordance

Nimrod (4 Occurrences)

Genesis 10:8 Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 1:10 Cush became the father of Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Micah 5:6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Nimrod

Nimrod: "A Mighty Hunter Before the Lord"

Related Terms

Erech (2 Occurrences)

Calneh (2 Occurrences)

Cush (31 Occurrences)

Calah (2 Occurrences)

Orion (3 Occurrences)

FAQs

Bible Encyclopedia: Nimrod? ›

Nimrod, like other great kings of Mesopotamian lands, was a mighty hunter, possibly the mightiest and the prototype of them all, since to his name had attached itself the proverb: "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Yahweh" (Ge 10:9).

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What is the sin of Nimrod? ›

Later, the book describes how Nimrod established fire worship and idolatry, then received instruction in divination for three years from Bouniter, the fourth son of Noah.

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What are all the references to Nimrod in the Bible? ›

Nimrod is described in Genesis 10:8–12 as “the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The only other references to Nimrod in the Bible are in Micah 5:6, where Assyria is called the land of Nimrod, and in 1 Chronicles 1:10, which reiterates his might.

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How is Nimrod described in the Bible? ›

In the Old Testament, Nimrod was a descendant of Noah and was described as "a mighty hunter." Calling an excellent hunter a nimrod comes directly from this Biblical source — and so does the word's "inept person" definition.

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What does the Torah say about Nimrod? ›

Nimrod is generally considered to have been the one who suggested building the Tower of Babel and who directed its construction. God said: "I made Nimrod great; but he built a tower in order that he might rebel against Me" (Ḥul. 89b).

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Why did God destroy the Tower of Babel? ›

According to the Book of Genesis, God destroyed the Tower of Babel because the people building it were getting too powerful. He made them all speak different languages so that they would find it more difficult to collaborate.

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Are Gilgamesh and Nimrod the same person? ›

They both share very similar attributes in fact too similar, but that doesn't mean they are the same. I think most historians have concluded that there is a strong likelyhood that Gilgamesh is a fictional recreation of Nimrod.

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What does the Apocrypha say about Nimrod? ›

5. Nimrod was the mightiest hunter in the age after Noah. He shared his booty with other landless men, and he taught them loyalty by his stories of the jinn, who strove before the world was made. Then Nimrod triumphed, and with his two hands he settled all disputes among the Noahites.

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Did Nimrod make the Tower of Babel? ›

Concerning rebellion, some observe a link between the assumed meaning of the name Nimrod, "we shall rebel" (10:8-9), and the rebellion that actually instigated the building of the Tower of Babel (11:1-9). On this basis, Nimrod is identified as the architect of the Tower of Babel.

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How tall was Nimrod? ›

Thus Galileo's estimate for Nimrod's height is (8) (5.5)=44 armlengths, or about 75 feet since Galileo assumed that a body was three armlengths long, and since a man was about five feet tall in his day.

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Is the Tower of Babel still standing? ›

Today, nothing remains but a watering hole. The Tower was said to be almost 100 meters tall and was dedicated to Babylon's own God, Marduk. But even he was powerless to save this once mighty city.

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Did Abraham and Nimrod live at the same time? ›

Abraham is an extremely complex figure and plays an important role in not only Judaism, but also in Christianity and Islam. Nimrod was king at the time of Abraham's birth.

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Why was the Tower of Babel built? ›

According to Genesis, the Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves by building a mighty city and a tower “with its top in the heavens.” God disrupted the work by so confusing the language of the workers that they could no longer understand one another.

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What does Josephus say about Nimrod? ›

Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grand-son of Ham, the son of Noah: a bold man, and of great strength of hand.

What does Nimrod mean in Hebrew? ›

Meaning:Rebel. Nimrod is a boy's name of Akkadian and Hebrew origin. This name translates to “rebel” and can be traced back to one of the kings of the Hebrew Bible. Nimrod was known for his ferocity and forging his own path—a path that led him to commission the construction of the Tower of Babel.

How many years were there between Tower of Babel and Abraham? ›

The Torah records the origin of man down to the Exodus but is assumed to silently pass over the critical period between the Tower of Babel and Abraham. This period spans approximately 700 years according to the Greek translation of the Torah.

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What was the sin of Babel? ›

God was concerned that humans had blasphemed by building the tower to avoid a second flood so God brought into existence multiple languages. Thus, humans were divided into linguistic groups, unable to understand one another.

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What is the story of Namrood? ›

Angel and Namrood

On the other hand, Allah Almighty sent an angel to Namrood in the form of a human. The angel said: Your God says: You believe in Me, I will sustain your kingdom. Namrood said: “Which God? Only I am God.” The angel repeated what he said second time and then third time, but Namrood refused every time.

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