Nebuchadnezzar II

Nebuchadnezzar II was the powerful king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire who ruled from approximately 605 to 562 BC and is one of the most prominent Gentile rulers mentioned in the Old Testament. He is best known for conquering the kingdom of Judah, destroying Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple in 586 BC, and carrying the people of Judah into Babylonian exile as God’s instrument of judgment for their idolatry and disobedience (2 Kings 24–25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 52). During his long reign, he greatly expanded and beautified the city of Babylon, building grand palaces, temples, and the famous Hanging Gardens. In the Book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar encounters the God of Israel through several dramatic events: he has troubling dreams interpreted by Daniel (including the statue dream foretelling future empires), witnesses the miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace, and is humbled when God strikes him with a seven-year period of insanity, during which he lived like an animal until he acknowledged God’s sovereignty. After his restoration, Nebuchadnezzar publicly praised the Most High God and declared His eternal kingdom (Daniel 4). Though portrayed as arrogant and ruthless at times, his story illustrates God’s supreme authority over even the greatest earthly kings and empires. Nebuchadnezzar died around 562 BC, and his empire began to decline after him, eventually falling to the Persians in 539 BC.