Zechariah 2:7 — Word Study
WLCה֥וֹי צִיּ֖וֹן הִמָּלְטִ֑י יוֹשֶׁ֖בֶת בַּת־ בָּבֶֽל׃ ס
BSAbeholdhinnêh messengermălʼâk to speakdâbar to come outyâtsâʼ messengermălʼâk anotherʼachêr to come outyâtsâʼ befallqirʼâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| ה֥וֹי | alas! | Particle |
| צִיּ֖וֹן | O Zion | Noun proper |
| הִמָּלְטִ֑י | escape | Verb, Niphal, imperative second person feminine singular |
| יוֹשֶׁ֖בֶת | O inhabitant[s] | Verb, Qal, participle (active) feminine singular |
| בַּת־ | of [the] daughter of | Noun common, feminine singular construct |
| בָּבֶֽל׃ ס | Babylon | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | “Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!” |
| KJV | Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. |
| ASV | Ho Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. |
| YLT | Ho, Zion, be delivered who art dwelling [with] the daughter of Babylon. |
| WEB | ‘Come, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.’ |
| BBE | Ho! Zion, go in flight from danger, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon. |
Where they part company is in the translation of הִמָּלְטִ֑י — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main clause with an imperative followed by descriptive phrases that clarify the call to action.







8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbהַ
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Zechariah 2:7
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Call to Escape from Babylongenerated
Zechariah 2:7 is part of a message of hope, where the people of Zion are urged to rise and escape from their current situation, symbolized by Babylon. The verses surrounding this call emphasize God's desire to gather His people and protect them, contrasting their plight with His promise of restoration and safety.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 19:17 | As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” |
| 2 | Numbers 16:26–34 | And he warned the congregation, “Move away now from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” |
| 3 | Isaiah 48:20 | Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare it with a shout of joy, proclaim it, let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!” |
| 4 | Isaiah 52:11 | Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD. |
| 5 | Jeremiah 50:8 | Flee from the midst of Babylon; depart from the land of the Chaldeans; be like the he-goats that lead the flock. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הִמָּלְטִ֑י, hi.mal.Tigenerated
The verb מָלַט (malat) means to escape or be delivered, indicating a sense of urgency for Zion to flee from danger. The parsing as a Niphal imperative suggests a direct command, emphasizing the need for immediate action.
This word carries connotations of salvation and safety, often used in contexts where individuals are saved from peril. In this verse, it reflects the urgency for those dwelling in Babylon to seek refuge and deliverance.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The BSB translates the imperative as escape, which aligns with the KJV's escape and the ASV's flee, all conveying the urgency of the command.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb הִמָּלְטִ֑י, escape, governs the entire verse, with the subject צִיּ֖וֹן (O Zion) directly addressed. The structure emphasizes the command to escape, highlighting the action required by the inhabitants.
The sentence is structured to draw attention to the imperative call, with the subject and verb positioned prominently to convey urgency and directness.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates הִמָּלְטִ֑י as λαλῶν (lalōn), indicating a focus on speaking or proclaiming. This choice may suggest a broader interpretation of the call to escape, emphasizing the importance of vocalizing the need for deliverance.
This rendering shows a shift from a direct command to an action that involves proclamation, which can imply a communal response to the call for escape.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Zechariah 2:7 calls out to Zion, urging it to get up and escape from the Daughter of Babylon. This reflects a desire for God's people to flee from a place of captivity and seek safety.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
In this verse, 'escape' refers to the urgent call for Zion to flee from Babylon, symbolizing a need for deliverance from spiritual captivity.
Zion represents the people of God, and addressing it directly emphasizes the personal and communal nature of the call to escape.
Babylon symbolizes a place of spiritual captivity and confusion, contrasting with the safety and identity of Zion as God's chosen people.
This verse is part of a larger message of hope, where God promises to protect and gather His people, encouraging them to leave behind their captivity.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean for me to 'escape' from influences that lead me away from God?
- In what ways can I identify with Zion's call to rise up and seek safety?
- How can I help others who may be dwelling in their own 'Babylon'?
- What steps can I take to ensure I am living in alignment with God's call for my life?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Zechariah 2:7 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleDeliver thyself, O Zion,.... Or make thy escape, you that belong to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, and ought to have your abode there, and not in Babylon: flee from thence, that dwelleth
Read John Gill on Zechariah 2 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryDeliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Read Robert Jamieson on Zechariah 2 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleDeliver thyself: the proclamation for free return is published; up, then, and be gone. O Zion; O ye people who should dwell in Zion, ye daughters of Zion. Dwellest; keepest in Babylon when thou mightest go to Jerusalem. With the daughter of Babylon: perhaps this intimates that which kept many Jews in Babylon, wives or mistresses.
Read Matthew Poole on Zechariah 2 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsZechariah 2:7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest [with] the daughter of Babylon.Ver. 7. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon] q.d. Is Babylon a fit place for thee to abide in? what comfort canst thou take in such lewd company? Save thyself from this untoward generation, Acts 2:40 "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord’ s vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense," Jeremiah 51:6-7. Shortly after this exhortation to the sons of Zion Babylon revolted from the Persians, and was taken and sacked by Darius in the fourth year of his reign (that is, two years after…
Read John Trapp on Zechariah 2 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(7) Daughter of Babylon means inhabitants of Babylon, as (Zechariah 2:10) “daughter of Zion” means inhabitants of Zion. (With the whole passage comp. Isaiah 48:20; Jeremiah 51:6; Jeremiah 51:9; Jeremiah 51:45.) LXX. for “O Zion,” åὶ ?ò Óéῶ ?í—comp. a somewhat similar mistake in Ezekiel 21:15 (Zechariah 2:10, LXX.).
Read Charles John Ellicott on Zechariah 2 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges7. Deliver thyself] Lit. “Ho, Zion, deliver thyself: thou that dwellest with, &c.” The reason for this urgent call to escape, viz. the impending judgment upon Babylon, follows immediately, Zechariah 2:8-9. In like manner Jeremiah (Jeremiah 50:8; Jeremiah 50:10; Jeremiah 51:6; Jeremiah 51:45), and before him Isaiah (Jeremiah 48:14; Jeremiah 48:20), connects the punishment of Babylon with the escape of Israel. The immediate reference of those prophecies is to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, which preceded and led to the return from the 70 years’ captivity. But the prophecies reach on, in the largeness of their terms, to the final and utter destruction of Babylon, and include such later calls…
Read Cambridge on Zechariah 2 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleDwellest with the daughter of Babylon - The unusual idiom is perhaps chosen as expressive of God’s tenderness, even to the people who were to be destroyed, from which Israel was to escape.
Read Albert Barnes on Zechariah 2 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible6. Ho, ho — The Hebrew word is translated also “woe” or “alas”; it is more than a call to attention; it always expresses a feeling of pain on the part of the speaker, arising from compassion with
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Zechariah 2 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”
‘Come, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.’
“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”
“Escape, Zion, you who live among the Babylonians!”
Tyndale line
Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Ho Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Ho Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Saue thy selfe, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babel.
Strictly literal
Ho! escape, Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Ho, Zion, be delivered who art dwelling [with] the daughter of Babylon.
Behold, Zion, be delivered who are dwelling [with] the daughter of Babylon.
(2:11) Up, Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Up! Escape to Zion, you who live with the daughter of Babylon!'”
From the Latin
O Sion, flee, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon:
Simplified
Run away, people of Zion! All of you who live in Babylon must escape.
Ho! Zion, go in flight from danger, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of הִמָּלְטִ֑י and its context, with both texts emphasizing the urgency for Zion to escape from Babylon.
ה֥וֹי צִיּ֖וֹן הִמָּלְטִ֑י יוֹשֶׁ֖בֶת בַּת־ בָּבֶֽל׃ ס
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Zechariah 2:7
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
הוֹי (hoy) is an interjection expressing dissatisfaction and pain, often translated as 'ah,' 'alas,' or 'woe.' It is used in lamentations and conveys a sense of sorrow or distress. The word is a prolonged form of another Hebrew term, indicating its emotional weight.
הוֹי 81 interj. expressing usually dissatisfaction and pain, Ah, Alas, Ha (not distinctly Woe!) used in lamentations
base
H1945 הוֹי expressing usually dissatisfaction and pain, Ah, Alas, Ha (not distinctly Woe!) used in lamentations
1945 howy hoh'ee
a prolonged form of 1930 (akin to 188); oh!:--ah, alas, ho,
O, woe.
see HEBREW for 01930
see HEBREW for 0188
הוֹי (hoy) — woe!.
ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!
HTj — ParticleHTj
צִיּוֹן (Tsiyyôn) refers to Zion, often identified as a mountain in Jerusalem and a symbolic name for the city itself, particularly in prophetic contexts. The term is linked to the Hebrew word for Jerusalem and is noted for meaning 'parched place.' It is consistently recognized across lexicons as a proper noun.
צִיּוֹן 154 n.pr.loc. Ṣiyyôn, Zion
base
H6726 צִיּוֹן Ṣiyyôn, Zion
6726 Tsiyown tsee-yone'
the same (regularly) as 6725; Tsijon (as a permanent
capital), a mountain of Jerusalem:--Zion.
see HEBREW for 06725
צִיּוֹן (tsiy.yon) — Zion.
Zion = "parched place"
another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books
Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
zi'-on (tsiyon; Sion):
1. Meaning of the Word
2. The Zion of the Jebusites
3. Zion of the Prophets
4. Zion in Later Poetical Writings and Apocrypha
5. Omission of Name by Some Writers
6. The Name "Zion" in Christian Times
LITERATURE
1. Meaning of the Word:
A name applied to Jerusalem, or to certain parts of it, at least since the time of David. Nothing certain is known of the meaning. Gesenius and others have derived it from a Hebrew root tsahah, "to be dry"; Delitzsch from tsiwwah, "to set up" and Wetzstein from tsin, "to protect." Gesenius finds a more hopeful suggestion in the Arabic equivalent cihw, the Arabic cahwat signifying "ridge of a mountain" or "citadel," which at any rate suitably applies to what we know to have been the original Zion (compare Smith, HGHL, under the word).
Zion
Sunny; height, one of the eminences on which Jerusalem was built. It was surrounded on all sides, except the north, by deep valleys, that of the Tyropoeon (q.v.) separating it from Moriah (q.v.), which it surpasses in height by 105 feet. It was the south-eastern hill of Jerusalem.
When David took it from the Jebusites (Josh. 15:63; 2 Sam. 5:7) he built on it a citadel and a palace, and it became “the city of David” (1 Kings 8:1; 2 Kings 19:21, 31; 1 Chr. 11:5). In the later books of the Old Testament this name was sometimes used (Ps. 87:2; 149:2;
[JERUSALEM]
monument; raised up; sepulcher
מָלַט (malat) is a Hebrew verb primarily meaning to escape or slip away. It encompasses various nuances such as delivering, saving, and even giving birth in specific contexts. The entries indicate that it can refer to both physical escape and the act of laying eggs. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.
[מָלַט] vb. slip away (not in Qal)
Niph.
slip away
escape
pass. be delivered
Pi.
lay (eggs)
let escape
deliver
Hiph.
give birth to a male child
deliver
Hithp.
slip forth, escape (sparks of fire from jaws of crocodile)
escape
base
H4422 מָלַט slip away . . slip away
. escape
. pass. be delivered
. . lay (eggs)
. let escape
. deliver
. . give birth to a male child
. deliver
. . slip forth, escape (sparks of fire from jaws of crocodile)
. escape
4422 malat maw-lat'
a primitive root; properly, to be smooth, i.e. (by
implication) to escape (as if by slipperiness); causatively,
to release or rescue; specifically, to bring forth young, emit
sparks:--deliver (self), escape, lay, leap out, let alone,
let go, preserve, save, X speedily, X surely.
מָלַט (ma.lat) — to escape.
1) to slip away, escape, deliver, save, be delivered
1a)(Niphal)
1a1) to slip away
1a2) to escape
1a3) to be delivered
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to lay, let slip out (of eggs)
1b2) to let escape
1b3) to deliver, save (life)
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to give birth to
1c2) to deliver
1d) (Hithpael)
1d1) to slip forth, slip out, escape
1d2) to escape
HVNv2fs — Verb · Niphal · imperative second person feminine singularHVNv2fs
יָשַׁב (yashab) is a Hebrew verb meaning to sit, remain, or dwell. It encompasses a range of actions from simply sitting down to more complex ideas like establishing a home or causing a place to be inhabited. The entries indicate various forms, including Qal (to sit), Niphal (to be inhabited), and Hiphil (to cause to dwell). There is an Aramaic equivalent, יְתִב (ye.tiv), meaning 'to dwell'.
יָשַׁב 1090 vb. sit, remain, dwell
Qal
sit
sit, sit down
sit down
sit = be set (as a jewel)
remain, stay, tarry
with special emphasis of qualifying phr.
dwell, have one’s abode
of a land or city, sit, abide, seated in its place, fig. for be inhabited
Niph. be inhabited, of land
Pi. and they shall set their encampments in thee
Hiph.
cause to sit
cause to abide
cause to dwell
cause cities to be inhabited
marry (prop. give a dwelling to)
Hoph. and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land
base
H3427 יָשַׁב sit, remain, dwell
3427 yashab yaw-shab'
a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as
judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to
remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to)
abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease
self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to)
inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing),
(bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle),
(down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate),
take, tarry.
יָשַׁב (ya.shav) — to dwell.
1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to sit, sit down
1a2) to be set
1a3) to remain, stay
1a4) to dwell, have one's abode
1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited
1c) (Piel) to set, place
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to cause to sit
1d2) to cause to abide, set
1d3) to cause to dwell
1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited
1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to)
1e) (Hophal)
1e1) to be inhabited
1e2) to make to dwell
Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)
HVqrfsa — Verb · Qal · participle (active) feminine singularHVqrfsa
בַּת (bat) means 'daughter' and encompasses a range of meanings including female child, young women, and even personifications of cities or inhabitants. It can also refer to villages in certain contexts. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and is used in various figurative senses, such as 'branch' or 'apple of the eye.'
בַּת 587 n.f. daughter
daughter, female child
young women, women
with name of city, land, or people, poet. personif. of that city or inhabitants
pl. = villages, after name of city
in phrases denoting character, quality, etc.
ostrich
fig.
of vine = branch
as n. relat.
base
H1323 בַּת daughter . daughter, female child
. young women, women
. with name of city, land, or people, poet. personif. of that city or inhabitants
. pl. = villages, after name of city
. in phrases denoting character, quality, etc.
. ostrich
. fig.
. of vine = branch
. as n. relat.
1323 bath bath
from 1129 (as feminine of 1121); a daughter (used in the same
wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and
figuratively):--apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter,
X first, X old, + owl, town, village.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 01121
בַּת (bat) — daughter.
: daughter
1) daughter
1a) daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin
1a1) as polite address
1a2) as designation of women of a particular place
2) young women, women
1a3) as personification
1a4) daughter-villages
1a5) description of character
Also means: bat (בַּת ": village" H1323H)
בַּת (bat) — daughter: village.
: village
1) daughter
1a) daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin
1a1) as polite address
1a2) as designation of women of a particular place
2) young women, women
1a3) as personification
1a4) daughter-villages
1a5) description of character
בַּת (bat) — Bath (Shua).
A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.38.2;
daughter of: Shua (H7770); married to Judah (H3063);
mother of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209) and Shelah (H7956)
HNcfsc — Noun common · feminine singular constructHNcfsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
בָּבֶ֫ל (Babel) refers to Babylon, an ancient city and capital of Babylonia, associated with the idea of confusion. It is derived from a root meaning 'confusion' and is mentioned in various contexts throughout the Old Testament. The lexicons agree on its meaning and significance, with no noted disagreements.
בָּבֶ֫ל 262 n.pr.loc. Babel, Babylon
base
H894 בָּבֶ֫ל Babel, Babylon
894 Babel baw-bel'
from 1101; confusion; Babel (i.e. Babylon), including
Babylonia and the Babylonian empire:--Babel, Babylon.
see HEBREW for 01101
בָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶל (ba.vel) — Babylon.
§ Babel or Babylon = "confusion (by mixing)"
Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
Babylon
The Greek form of BABEL; Semitic form Babilu, meaning “The Gate of God.” In the Assyrian tablets it means “The city of the dispersion of the tribes.” The monumental list of its kings reaches back to B.C. 2300, and includes Khammurabi, or Amraphel (q.v.), the contemporary of Abraham. It stood on the Euphrates, about 200 miles above its junction with the Tigris, which flowed through its midst and divided it into two almost equal parts. The Elamites invaded Chaldea (i.e., Lower Mesopotamia, or Shinar, and Upper Mesopotamia, or Accad, now combined into one) and held it in subjection. At length Khammu-rabi delivered it from the foreign yoke, and founded the new empire of Chaldea (q.v.), making Babylon the capital of the united kingdom. This city gradually grew in extent and grandeur, but in process of time it became subject to Assyria. On the fall of Nineveh (B.C. 606) it threw off…
in the Apocalypse, is the symbolical name by which Rome is denoted. (Revelation 14:8; 17:18) The power of Rome was regarded by the later Jews as was that of Babylon by their forefathers. Comp. (Jeremiah 51:7) with Reve 14:8 The occurrence of this name in (1 Peter 5:13) has given rise to a variety of conjectures, many giving it the same meaning as in the Apocalypse; others refer it to Babylon in Asia, and others still to Babylon in Egypt. The most natural supposition of all is that by Babylon is intended the old Babylon of Assyria, which was largely inhabited by Jews at the time in question.
1. A celebrated city situated on the Euphrates, the original foundation of which is described under the word Babel. Wit this coincide many ancient traditions, while some speak of Semiramis as the founder, and others of Nebuchadnezzar. These accounts may all be reconciled, by supposing that Semiramis rebuilt the ancient city, and the Nebuchadnezzar. These accounts may all be reconciled, by supposing that Semiramis rebuilt the ancient city, and that Nebuchadnezzar afterwards greatly enlarged and adorned it.
Babylon lay in a vast and fertile plain watered by the Euphrates, with flowed through the city. Its walls are described as 60 miles in circumference, 300 feet high, and 75 feet wide, Jer 51:44- 58. A deep trench ran parallel with the walls. In each of the four sides were 25 brazen gates, from which roads crossed to the opposite…
same as Babel
