Nimrod
Nimrod was a grandson of Ham through Cush and the first man Scripture calls 'a mighty one in the earth.' Described as a mighty hunter before the LORD, he became the founder of the earliest empires, establishing Babel, Erech, and Accad in Shinar before extending his reach into Assyria to build Nineveh. His name became a byword for defiant human power organized against God, and Jewish and Christian tradition long associated him with the pride behind the Tower of Babel.
Biography
- Occupation
- Hunter, Empire-builder, King
- Father
- Cush
- Era
- Post-Flood (Primeval History)
- Nationality
- Cushite
Family
Did You Know?
Nimrod is the first person in the Bible called a 'mighty one,' and the phrase 'mighty hunter before the LORD' (Genesis 10:9) became a proverb - later Jewish tradition read the Hebrew 'before the LORD' as defiance, casting Nimrod as the archetype of the tyrant who builds empires against God.
The cities credited to Nimrod - Babel, Erech (Uruk), Accad, and Nineveh - are among the oldest and most important urban centers ever excavated in Mesopotamia, tying the biblical figure to the actual cradle of the world's first civilizations.
The prophet Micah calls Assyria 'the land of Nimrod' (Micah 5:6) centuries after Genesis, showing that his name had become permanent shorthand for the imperial military power that would one day threaten Israel.
Key Chapters
Key Passages
The Mighty Hunter
Genesis 10:8-12
Nimrod is the first person in Scripture called 'mighty,' founding the great cities of Mesopotamia. His kingdom began at Babel, the site of humanity's proud rebellion in the next chapter.
8nd Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
Referenced by Micah
Micah 5:6
Centuries later 'the land of Nimrod' stands as shorthand for Assyria, the empire whose might Nimrod first embodied.
6nd they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.