Nebuchadnezzar was a king of Babylon (605-562 BC) who captured and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC He was the son of Nabopolassar and the foremost ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (612-539 BC). His name is alternately spelled Nebuchadrezzar in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (see NLT margin note).
Nebuchadnezzar stated that he had conquered all of Hatti-country-a term that was used for all of Palestine and Syria, including Judah. Jehoiakim had been made king of Judah by Pharaoh Neco (2 Kings 23:34) and initially submitted to Nebuchadnezzar, but three years later he rebelled (2 Kings 24:1). Jehoiakim died and his son Jehoiachin succeeded to the throne (2 Kings 24:6). However, Jehoiachin reigned for only three months. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem in 598 BC and took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon (2 Kings 24:10-17). He replaced Jehoiachin with his Uncle Mattaniah, whom he renamed Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17).
edekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:20). Nebuchadnezzars armies besieged the city of Jerusalem and captured Zedekiah. He was brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, where Zedekiahs sons were slain before his eyes. He was then blinded, bound, and taken captive to Babylon (2 Kings 25:6-7). The temple was looted and burned, the city walls were dismantled, and the city was plundered and razed (25:9-17). The leading people of the nation were either killed or taken into captivity.
Both Jeremiah (Jeremiah 43:8-13; 46:13-24) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 29-32) prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would invade Egypt. The first-century AD historian Josephus gives the date as the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar (582/581 BC), but a fragmentary historical inscription dating to the thirty-seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar (568/567 BC) indicates that the defeat of Egypt occurred during the reign of Amasis.
Nebuchadnezzars military successes were in many respects overshadowed by his building activities in Babylon. The king voiced his pride when he declared, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? (Daniel 4:30, RSV). The hanging gardens of Babylon were acclaimed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. They were built on terraces in an effort to cure his Median queen of her homesickness for the mountains of her homeland.
The events of the book of Daniel center on Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was among the captives taken to Babylon in 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar became aware of Daniel when the king had a dream that none of his occult experts could interpret. The Lord gave to Daniel the interpretation of the dream. The human image that the king saw in his dream represented the various governments from the New Babylonian Empire to the reign of the Messiah.
Nebuchadnezzar set up a large human statue that was 90 feet (27.4 meters) high and 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide. Failure to worship the image would incur death by fire. The three compatriots of Daniel refused and were thrown into a furnace from which the Lord delivered them unhurt (Daniel 3:1).
The king had another dream about a great tree that was cut down but later sprouted from the stump (Daniel 4:4-27). Again the wise men of Babylon could not give the interpretation, but Daniel informed the king that the dream prophesied a humbling experience lasting seven years as a consequence of the kings pride (Daniel 4:28-33).