# Babylon, Babylonian #

## Facts: ##

The city of Babylon was the capital of the ancient region of Babylonia, which was also part of the Babylonian Empire.

* Babylon was located along the Euphrates River, in the same region where the Tower of Babel had been built hundreds of years before.
* Sometimes the word "Babylon" refers to the entire Babylonian Empire. For example, the "king of Babylon" ruled the entire empire, not just the city.
* The Babylonians were a powerful people group who attacked the kingdom of Judah and kept the people in exile in Babylonia for 70 years.
* Part of this region was called "Chaldea" and the people living there were the "Chaldeans." As a result, the term "Chaldea" was often used to refer to Babylonia. (See: [synecdoche](https://git.door43.org/Door43/en-ta-translate-vol2/src/master/content/figs_synecdoche.md))
* In the New Testament, the term "Babylon" is sometimes used as a metaphor to refer to places, people, and thinking patterns that are associated with idol-worship and other sinful behaviors.
* The phrase "Babylon the Great" or "great city of Babylon" refers metaphorically to a city or nation that was large, wealthy, and sinful, just as the ancient city of Babylon was. (See: [Metaphor](https://git.door43.org/Door43/en-ta-translate-vol1/src/master/content/figs_metaphor.md))

(See also: [babel](../other/babel.md) **·** [chaldeans](../other/chaldeans.md) **·** [kingdomofjudah](../other/kingdomofjudah.md) **·** [nebuchadnezzar](../other/nebuchadnezzar.md))

## Bible References: ##

* [1 Chronicles 09:1-3](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/1ch/09/01)
* [2 Kings 17:24-26](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/2ki/17/24)
* [Acts 07:43](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/act/07/43)
* [Daniel 01:1-2](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/dan/01/01)
* [Ezekiel 12:11-13](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/ezk/12/11)
* [Matthew 01:9-11](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/mat/01/09)
* [Matthew 01:15-17](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/mat/01/15)

## Examples from the Bible stories: ##

* __[20-06](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/20-06)__ About 100 years after the Assyrians destroyed the kingdom of Israel, God sent Nebuchadnezzar, king of the __Babylonians__, to attack the kingdom of Judah. __Babylon__  was a powerful empire.
* __[20-07](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/20-07)__ But after a few years, the king of Judah rebelled against __Babylon__. So, the __Babylonians__  came back and attacked the kingdom of Judah. They captured the city of Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and took away all the treasures of the city and the Temple.
* __[20-09](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/20-09)__ Nebuchadnezzar and his army took almost all of the people of the kingdom of Judah to __Babylon__, leaving only the poorest people behind to plant the fields.
* __[20-11](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/20-11)__ About seventy years later, Cyrus, the king of the Persians, defeated __Babylon__.