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City or site

Babylon

The great city on the Euphrates, capital of the empire that destroyed Jerusalem.

Illustrated aerial view of ancient Babylon on the Euphrates, labeling the Ishtar Gate, the ziggurat Etemenanki, the temple of Marduk, the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, and the city walls, with a city plan and a map placing Babylon near modern Hillah in Iraq.
Illustrated reconstruction, not a photograph. Select the image to view it full size.

What the sources say, and how sure we are

  • The text says

    The Hebrew name for Babylon is the same as Babel. Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon takes Jerusalem and exiles its people. In Revelation, “Babylon” stands for a great city opposed to God.Gen 11:9; 2 Kgs 24–25; Ps 137; Rev 17–18

  • Outside evidence

    Excavations at Babylon uncovered the Ishtar Gate and the city walls of Nebuchadnezzar II. The Babylonian Chronicles record the capture of Jerusalem in 597 BC, and ration tablets name King Jehoiachin as a captive.Babylonian Chronicles; Babylonian ration tablets

  • Debated

    Many scholars link the tower of Babel with a ziggurat in Babylon, though the Bible does not name it. Interpreters differ on whether “Babylon” in Revelation means Rome or a wider symbol.Gen 11:1–9; Rev 17:9