The Kingdom of Babylon the Great, and the Borders Thereof in the Days of the Prophets

Of the Rise of Babylon

And it came to pass after the fall of Nineveh, that a new kingdom arose in the plain of Shinar, mighty in battle and great in glory.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, son of Nabopolassar, stretched forth his hand from the river Euphrates unto the sea, and his dominion was strong from the north even unto the south.

And Babylon became the head of gold, as Daniel the prophet did see in a vision by night (Daniel 2:37–38). For the Lord had delivered nations into her hand.

The Borders of the Kingdom

Behold, the map of Babylon, drawn with understanding, declareth her dominion:

From the great city of Babylon in the land of Chaldea, eastward unto the rivers of Elam.
Westward unto Syria and Phoenicia, even to the gates of Jerusalem.
From Assyria in the north, where once stood Nineveh, to the lands of Arabia in the south.

And the Tigris and Euphrates flowed through her heart, and her cities were walled and mighty. Borsippa, Kutha, Uruk, and Sippar were counted among her strongholds.

The Captivity of Judah

Now in the days of Jehoiakim king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem and besieged it. And he carried away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the vessels thereof, and the princes and craftsmen into Babylon (2 Kings 24:13–16).

And thus began the seventy years of captivity, as Jeremiah had prophesied (Jeremiah 25:11).

The children of Israel sat by the rivers of Babylon and wept, and hanged their harps upon the willows thereof (Psalm 137:1–2).

Of the Prophet Daniel

In the palace of the king, Daniel was set over all the wise men of Babylon. And the Lord gave him knowledge of dreams and visions.

He beheld the kingdoms of men as beasts, and saw Babylon rise and fall. For the kingdom was glorious, but pride went before its fall.

The Writing on the Wall

In the days of Belshazzar, the last king, there appeared a hand from heaven that wrote upon the wall:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN
"Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting" (Daniel 5:27).

That very night was Babylon taken by Darius the Mede, and the empire was given unto the Medes and Persians.

Of the Map and the Memory

Now the map of Babylon is a witness, and declareth the might of nations past. It showeth the course of kings, the place of temples, and the journey of captives.

It is written with ink and parchment, but also with the tears of prophets and the hand of God.

Let This Be Remembered

Remember, O Israel, how the Lord ruleth over kings and empires. For kingdoms rise and fall, but the Word of the Lord endureth forever.

And let the map be as a scroll unto thee, that thou mayest behold the works of the Lord among the nations, and understand His judgments.