Nebuchadnezzar

Biblical Figures

Nebuchadnezzar (prounounced in Hebrew, Nevukhadnetzar) was a Babylonian king who exiled many Judeans, including their then-king Jehoiachin, in 597 BCE and then in 586 BCE conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple. The book of Daniel describes him as later recognizing God's power and going mad.

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The Calamity of the Ninth of Av

MISHNAH

The destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar is one of the major calamities commemorated on the Ninth of Av, marking a pivotal moment in Jewish history. The Mishnah, an early third-century codification of Jewish law, outlines the historical tragedies commemorated on the fast days of the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Ninth of Av.

The mishna discusses the five major communal fast days. Five calamitous matters occurred to our forefathers on the seventeenth of Tammuz, and five other disasters happened on the Ninth of Av. On the seventeenth of Tammuz the tablets were broken by Moses when he saw that the Jews had made the golden calf; the daily offering was nullified by the Roman authorities and was never sacrificed again; the city walls of Jerusalem were breached; the general Apostemos publicly burned a Torah scroll…

Mishnah Ta'anit 4:6

Nebuchadnezzar's Troubling Dream

TANAKH

Nebuchadnezzar's dream caused him great agitation, foreshadowing his later experiences and highlighting a moment of personal turmoil. The book of Daniel, set during the Babylonian exile, recounts Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream and its impact on him.

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream; his spirit was agitated, yet he was overcome by sleep.

Daniel 2:1

The Humbling of Nebuchadnezzar

COMMENTARY

Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful Babylonian king, was humbled by God and made to live like a cow for seven years due to his arrogance and self-deification. The Tze’enah Ure’enah, a Yiddish commentary from the late 16th century, describes Nebuchadnezzar's fate.

Bahya writes. The Holy One had warned Pharaoh once at the water; since he made himself important and said that he created the water. He warned him the next time in his house. He held himself very high and boasted that he had a beautiful house. Therefore, the Holy One warned him in these two places and made him humble. The same thing happened with Nebuchadnezzar who made himself a god. The Holy One made him humble. He became a cow for seven years and ran around in the wilderness and ate grass like a cow.

Tze'enah Ure'enah, Bo 3

Torment in Exile

TARGUM

Nebuchadnezzar's cruelty towards the exiled Israelites included the desecration of their sacred Torah scrolls, adding to their physical and psychological torment. The Aramaic Targum to Lamentations, an interpretive translation of the biblical book, vividly recounts the suffering of the Israelites under Nebuchadnezzar's rule.

Upon the bone of our necks we were laden when we went into exile. The wicked Nebuchadnezzar saw that the commanders of the Israelites were going without any load and he ordered that they sew Torah scrolls and make sacks out of them. And they filled them with pebbles from the edge of the Euphrates and they loaded them upon their necks. At that time we were tired and there was no rest for us.

Aramaic Targum to Lamentations 5:5

Dreams of Kingdoms

MIDRASH

Nebuchadnezzar's dream, when interpreted through the lens of Jacob's ladder, offers insight into the rise and fall of empires and the ultimate establishment of God's eternal kingdom. The early medieval midrash Bereshit Rabbah draws a symbolic connection between Jacob's dream in Genesis and Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel, reflecting Jewish historical experiences and eschatological hopes.

Another matter, “behold, a ladder” (Genesis 28:12) – this is Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: “Behold, a giant image was set on the earth…its radiance surpassing, stood before you” (Daniel 2:31). “Its top was reaching the heavens” (Genesis 28:12) – “the image, which was great” (Daniel 2:31). “Behold, the angels of God” (Genesis 28:12) – two ascending and two descending; these are the angels of the four kingdoms, whose dominion ends with them. “Ascending and descending” (Genesis 28:12) – “descending and ascending” is not written, but rather, “ascending and descending…

Bereshit Rabbah 68:14

From Pride to Humility

MIDRASH

Nebuchadnezzar's story serves as a powerful example of how divine retribution humbles those who consider themselves divine. The Midrash Tanchuma, a collection of homiletic teachings, uses Nebuchadnezzar's tale to illustrate themes of humility and divine justice.

Does God observe only those who are high and not those that are humble? Indeed not! For it is written: They are the eyes of the Lord, that run to and fro through the whole earth (Zech. 4:10). Rather R. Berechiah declared: This verse refers to the arrogant people who call themselves divine. The Holy One, blessed be He, causes them to become an abomination throughout the world, as in the case of Nebuchadnezzar: And he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses…

Midrash Tanchuma, Vaera 9:6

The Fiery Furnace

TANAKH

Nebuchadnezzar's fury led him to take extreme measures against those who defied his command, showcasing the intensity of his wrath. The Book of Daniel recounts the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown into a furnace heated seven times more than usual for refusing to worship Nebuchadnezzar's golden image.

Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego that his visage was distorted, and he gave an order to heat up the furnace to seven times its usual heat. He commanded some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to throw them into the burning fiery furnace. So these men, in their shirts, trousers, hats, and other garments, were bound and thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent, and the furnace was heated to excess, a tongue of flame killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

Daniel 3:19-26

The Downfall of Nebuchadnezzar

TOSEFTA

Nebuchadnezzar's extreme arrogance led him to believe he could ascend to the heavens and be like the Most High, resulting in his divine punishment and humiliation. The Tosefta, a late 2nd-century compilation of Jewish oral law, recounts the story of Nebuchadnezzar's hubris and subsequent downfall, emphasizing themes of divine justice and humility.

Nebuchadnezzar said, the inhabitants of the earth are unworthy of my dwelling among them. I will make myself a little cloud and I will dwell within it, as it is said (Is. 14:14, Koren tr.), "I will ascend above the heights of the cloud[, I will be like the Most High]." The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him (Is. 14:13), "And you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to Heaven; higher than the stars of God I will raise up my throne, etc.'" [Therefore] I am coming to bring you down to the pit of destruction (cf. Ps. 55:24). What does it say, but (Is…

Tosefta Sotah 3:6

The Oath of King Zedekiah

TALMUD

Nebuchadnezzar's interaction with King Zedekiah reveals the complexities and consequences of oath dissolution in Jewish law. The Talmudic tractate Nedarim narrates the story of an oath that Zedekiah took at Nebuchadnezzar's request.

The Gemara cites another proof that one may dissolve such a vow or oath only in the presence of the party affected by the vow or oath. It states with regard to King Zedekiah: “And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God” (II Chronicles 36:13). The Gemara asks: What was his rebellion? The Gemara answers: Zedekiah found Nebuchadnezzar eating a live rabbit, and the latter was ashamed to be seen doing this. He said to him: Take an oath to me that you will not reveal my behavior and this matter will not emerge in public…

Nedarim 65a:2-4

The Cycle of Divine Judgment and Redemption

MUSAR

The cyclical nature of divine judgment and redemption assures that the empires that subjugated Israel will ultimately be judged and nullified by God. Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s 16th-century Kabbalistic work, Tomer Devorah, uses the imagery of Nebuchadnezzar's statue to illustrate the eventual downfall of Israel's oppressors.

And behold, there is actually the secret of the image of Nevuchadnetsar in this: Israel was given over to the hand of the king of Babylonia, "the head of gold" (Daniel 2:32). That head was humbled and given over to the hand of Persia, who are "the chest and the arms of silver." And likewise, these were pushed off for those, until Israel descended to "their feet, some of them were iron and some of them were clay" (Daniel 2:33). And what is the good finish? In the end, the Holy One, blessed be He, stands them up and carries out judgement upon them, as it is written (Deuteronomy 32:23)…

Tomer Devorah 1:21