The translation of Babylonia means Gate of God. The capital of Babylonia is Babylon. People from Babylonia are called Babylonians. There are 256 bible verses about Babylon. In biblical history, Babylon has became synonymous with sin, pride, and adultery. The name Babylonia has several parts. The first part Babel is described in Genesis 11:9-Babel means confusion Babylonia's capital is Babylon (Babilani) which translates to English as "the Gate of Gods".and derived from the Hebrew name Babel. "The Jews were held captive in the historical Babylon when it was the capital city in Babylonia for more than 70 years. Historically the history of Babylon is divided into three specific periods." 1. Old Babylonia-The Old Babylonian Period (2000-1595 B.C.) 2. Middle Babylonia-Middle Babylonian Period (1595-1000 B.C.) 3. The Neo-Babylonia-The Neo-Babylonian Period (1000-539 B.C.) (Biblehistory.com)
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Biblical History of Babylon
Babylon is first mentioned in the Bible as Babel (Gen. 11). Babylon first appears in the Bible under the guise of the tower of Babel ( Gen. 11 ). The Hebrew word for "confused" in verse 9 is babal, which sounds like babel (Babylon). The great evil of the tower builders is their sinful pride against the rule of God. This theme will reappear in the prophetic writings against the city. During the reign of Hezekiah, envoys from Babylon came to Jerusalem ( 2 Ki 20:12-19 ). The prophet Isaiah chastised the king for showing off the treasures of Judah and predicted that Babylon would some day carry these riches off. This was a startling revelation, for Assyria was the great power of the day and seemingly unassailable. The visit was probably an attempt by Babylon to foment problems for Assyria in the west, thereby diverting attention from Babylon. The postexilic reader would have seen the roots of the destruction of Jerusalem in the foolish pride of Hezekiah and in the greed of Babylon. The prophets describe Babylon as a city of pride and idolatry. Yet the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon presents the prophets with a dilemma. If God is sovereign and makes use of Babylon to punish Judah, can Babylonas a tool in the hand of its Masterbe blamed for its behavior? Isaiah addresses this problem by portraying Babylon as a woman, the queen of kingdoms ( Isaiah 47:5 ), who should be tender and delicate but is not. God gave his people over into her power, but rather than caring for them she has shown them no mercy. This is a result of her overweening pride, evidenced in her statement that "I am, and there is none besides me" (v. 8). Although the conquest of Jerusalem is in keeping with the will of God, the brutality and greed of the conquerorsthe fruit of Babylon's idolatry and failure to recognize the kingship of Godare not. Because of Babylon's pride, she will be destroyed. Psalm 137 personifies Babylon as a woman who is doomed to destruction and whose infant children will be savagely killed. Jeremiah sees the future destruction of Babylon as a punishment because the Babylonians rejoiced at the destruction of Judah and ruthlessly plundered the people of God ( Jer. 50:11 ). Babylon herself will become a "heap of ruins" ( Jer. 51:37 ). Daniel reinforces the picture of Babylon as full of pride and defiance toward God. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, is punished with madness because he denied God's control over "Babylon the Great" ( Daniel 4:30 ). Centuries after the destruction of the Neo-Babylonian state by Cyrus of Persia, Babylon reappears in a dramatic role in the Book of Revelations role marked by numerous references to Old Testament imagery. Pride, idolatry, cruelty, and greed are associated with the city. The dominant image of Babylon in Revelation is the city's personification of a rich woman, the "mother of prostitutes" ( Rev. 17:5 ). Babylon is a great city that rules over the earth. Babylon, the historic oppressor of God's people, represents the new oppressor of Christ's church. Like the Mesopotamian city, the "great city" (Rome) will be judged and will become a desolate wilderness. The metaphor extends beyond the physical Rome to the entire world, "intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries" ( Rev. 17:2 ). The people of God, however, will be delivered from the grasp of the prophetic Babylon just as Ezekiel foretold for the exiles held captive in the historic Babylon. Thomas W. Davis
Find out more about ancient Babylonia: Ancient Babylonia/Bible History https://www.bible-history.com/babylonia/BabyloniaHistory_of_Babylonia.htm
References: 1. Babylonia. Biblehistory.com. http://www.bible-history.com/babylonia.htm 2. Davis, Thomas W. Babylon definition and meaning. Retrieved on Nov. 19, 2016 from Bible study tools.