Page 82 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

The geography of Babylonia was significantly different from that of the land of Judea: Unlike Judea,
Babylonia was mainly flat land with desert-like conditions, while minimal rainfall allowed the land of
Judea to support dryland farming. In Babylon, life was mainly dependent on the water supply from the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Farming was mainly done through irrigation with these two rivers as water
sources. Due to its flatness, the land suffered from poor water drainage. High temperatures cause the
fast-evaporating water to leave behind an accumulation of salts in the soils. This made farming
conditions harsher. “The exiles settled in the alluvial plain to the north, where they found an irrigation
culture and a civilization based on sun and soil and water. People there formed clay into bricks for
houses, clay pots for utensils, and tablets for writing material. The rich soil yielded abundant food crops
and produced cotton and flax (linen) for clothing, with sheep providing the wool. The abundance of
production provided a surplus for export to exchange for metal, stone, and wood.” 110

Government and Politics

During the period of the Assyrian Empire, Babylon was dominated by its warlike neighbor to the north.
Babylon kings remained independent but nominally subject to Assyrian “protection.” 111 After the
Assyrian king Ashurbanipal died in 627 B.C., the Assyrian Empire fell apart. With the breakdown of the
central government, provincial governors enjoyed greater freedom. One of these, Nabopolassar, father
of Nebuchadnezzar, established himself as king of Babylonia within about a year. By and large, the
political structures established under the Assyrians continued. 112

Nabopolassar made himself independent, most likely when Nineveh [a prominent Assyrian city] was
destroyed in 612 BCE. His son Nebuchadnezzar, after defeating the Egyptians at Carchemish (Jer. 46:2-
12), succeeded him as king in 605 BCE. This ignited the rise of the Neo-Babylonian empire.
While under Assyria, Babylonia attempted several times to rebel and break away from its dominance.
These attempts were motivated by either Assyria’s weakening governance or the formation of alliances
by territories of like minds. These revolts often attracted retaliation and punitive attacks from Assyria.
Notably, in 689 BCE, Sennacherib destroyed Babylon in retaliation. Taking this information into account
raises the possibility that Nebuchadnezzar built Babylon mainly from the ground. This would make his
boasting in Daniel 4:30 reasonable: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as
a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”

Apart from raising Babylon into a great city, Nebuchadnezzar is also known for his military conquests.
After he took the reins of government, he evidently did not either occupy the Assyrian Empire or try to
rebuild it. Instead, he concentrated on the subjection of Syria-Palestine to maintain a gateway to the
Mediterranean. 113 This gave him access to the resources of the East-Mediterranean coast and
strategically allowed trade with Western kingdoms and lands.

110 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (pp.
303–304). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

111 Browning, D. C., Jr. (2003). Babylon. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler
(Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 156). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

112 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (p.
305). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
113 Ibid, p. 306.

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