The name Babylon is derived from the Hebrew word Babel, which means “confusion.” The Tower of Babel was built by the people who sought to create a great city with a tower “whose top is in the heavens.” Their goal was to remain united in one place and make a name for themselves. However, God intervened, confusing their language, causing them to be scattered across the earth. This story explains not only the origin of the city’s name but also the dispersion of human languages, marking Babylon as the birthplace of human pride and divine judgment.

At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. 

They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used i n stead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches in to the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” 

 But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

 In that way, the LORD scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel ,because that is where the LORD confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world. ( Genesis 11: 1 -9 ) 

Here it provides the earliest mention of Babel in relation to Nimrod, Noah’s great-grandson. Nimrod is described as the first “mighty man” on earth, and Babylon (Babel) is listed as one of the cities he built in the land of Shinar. The city’s association with Nimrod suggests that it was one of the earliest centers of human civilization and a stronghold of rebellion against God’s will. 

 He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh.

 ( Genesis 10: 10 )

 Babylon in the Context of the Assyrian Empire 

Babylon’s early history was marked by Assyrian domination. During the time of the prophet Jonah, the Assyrian Empire, with Nineveh as its capital, was a powerful force in the ancient Near East. While Babylon itself was not the capital of the Assyrian Empire, it was under Assyrian influence for several centuries. Babylon’s prominence, however, was rising, and the city eventually broke away from Assyrian control. 

In the biblical narrative, the Assyrian threat is evident in Jonah’s mission to the city of Nineveh. God called Jonah to warn the Ninevites of impending destruction, which they ultimately a verted through repentance. 

( Jonah 1 ) 

However, as Assyrian power waned, Babylon began to rise to prominence and eventually eclipsed Assyria’s dominance in the region. 

 Nebuchadnezzar and the Exile of Israel 

Babylon’s most significant role in the Bible comes during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II (c. 605-562 BC), a powerful ruler who expanded Babylon into an empire. Under Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Babylon became a major cultural and political center, renowned for its Hanging Gardens, its ziggurats, and its advancements in astronomy and mathematics. Nebuchadnezzar’s empire extended its influence over the Kingdom of Judah.

 The Book of Daniel recounts the story of the Babylonian exile, where Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—known by their Babylonian names, Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were taken to Babylon following the siege of Jerusalem. 

( Daniel 1:  1-7 ) 

The Israelites were forced into exile as a result of Judah’s disobedience to God, with Nebuchadnezzar acting as the instrument of God’s judgment. The prophet Ezekiel, too, prophesied from Babylon, warning of the coming destruction and speaking of the “detestable things” that would occur with in the temple in Jerusalem. 

Then the LORD said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and there to the north, beside the entrance to the gate near the altar, stood the idol that had made the LORD so jealous. 6 “Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!” ( Ezekiel 8: 5 -6 )