King Nebuchadnezzar

King Nebuchadnezzar

King Nebuchadnezzar was king of the Chaldeans from 605 to 562 BC.

Nebuchadnezzar father, Nabopolassar, was the founder of the Chaldean dynasty in

Babylonia. An Assyrian-appointed governor of Babylon, he revolted in 626 BC, joined

the Medes, and destroyed the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in 612 BC. After driving the

Assyrian into northwestern Mesopotamia, Naboplassar left military operations in the hands

of his son. Nebuchadnezzar dispersed the Assyrians, pushed their Egyptian allies out of

Syria, and was about to invade Egypt itself when he received news of his father's death.

He returned to Babylon to take the throne.

King Nebuchadnezzar is best remembered for his relations with the Jews and as the

builder of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. the Jewish kingdom of Judah was positioned

between two great powers: Egypt and Babylon. It was unable to remain either

independent or neutral; if it joined one side, it would be attacked by the other. In 597

BC, and again in 586 BC, when the kingdom was under Egyptian domination, Jerusalem

was attacked and captured by Nebuchadnezzar. The second time, he destroyed the city

and carried off the Jews into their long Babylonian captivity.

In Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar engaged in numerous building plans. Babylon was

fortified, many temples were built, and also, a great step pyramid. The so called hanging

Gardens were set up. The garden was later numbering among the Seven Wonders of the

World. No trace exists of this hanging gardens.

During Nebuchadnezzar's life he had strange dreams. The dreams often haunted

Nebuchadnezzar so he searched and found a man named Daniel who was known to be an

interpreter of dreams. Daniel interpreted many dreams for King Nebuchanezzar

particularly at the end of his reign over Babylon. One particular dream was about a tall

tree growing higher and higher into the sky until it could not be seen, with wild animals

beneath its branches. Then Gods angels came down from heaven and shouted " cut down

the tree, get the animals out from under it, leaving only its stump and roots." "For seven

years let him have the mind of an animal instead of a man." Once again Daniel was called

upon to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Daniel told him that King

Nebuchadnezzar's people would chase him from his palace, and he would live in a field

like an animal eating grass as a cow. For seven years this would be his life until he learned