Nebuchadnezzar II

Nebuchadnezzar was the son and successor of Nabopolassar. As crown prince he defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish in 605 BC and soon afterward became king. His long reign was marked by repeated western campaigns, including interventions in Judah. Jerusalem submitted to him, rebelled, and was besieged more than once. In 586 BC Babylonian forces destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and carried many Judeans into exile. Nebuchadnezzar also conducted a long campaign against Tyre and maintained Babylonian supremacy throughout the region. At home he transformed Babylon through extensive monumental construction.

Nebuchadnezzar II brought the Neo-Babylonian Empire to its greatest power and splendor. His military conquests reshaped the Levant, while his rebuilding of Babylon made the city one of antiquity's most celebrated capitals. For biblical history, he was the ruler responsible for the destruction of the kingdom of Judah and the Babylonian Exile.

605 BC - Defeats Egypt at Carchemish 605 BC - Accedes to the Babylonian throne 597 BC - Captures Jerusalem; Jehoiachin and leading Judeans deported 589-586 BC - Final siege of Jerusalem 586 BC - Jerusalem and the First Temple destroyed; further deportation c. 586-573 BC - Prolonged Babylonian campaign against Tyre

Rebuilt and monumentalized Babylon on an enormous scale, including the Processional Way, Ishtar Gate, city fortifications, temples, and royal palace complexes. He also restored major sanctuaries elsewhere in Babylonia.

Died in 562 BC after a reign of approximately forty-three years. His exact burial place has not been securely identified.

Nebuchadnezzar is one of the most important foreign rulers in the Bible. He defeated Judah, removed Jehoiachin, installed Zedekiah, and after Zedekiah's rebellion destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Jeremiah presents Babylonian domination as an instrument of divine judgment. Daniel depicts Nebuchadnezzar as a powerful monarch confronted by the sovereignty of God through Daniel and his companions.