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The original Babel and Babylon
by RS  admin@creationpie.org : 1024 x 640


1. The original Babel and Babylon
The original Babel was at the tower of Babel after the flood of Noah. It was here that the Lord confused their languages.

Verse routeGenesis 11:9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. [kjv]
Verse routeבבלבלל … [he]
Verse routeδια τουτο εκληθη το ονομα αυτης συγχυσις οτι εκει συνεχεεν κυριος τα χειλη πασης της γης και εκειθεν διεσπειρεν αυτους κυριος ο θεος επι προσωπον πασης της γης [lxx]

From the Tower of Babel, somewhere in ancient Mesopotamia about 2200 B.C., groups of people spread throughout the world.

2. Babylon
Babylon is from the word for "Babel" meaning "confusion" as at the tower of Babel.

3. Jerusalem and Babylon
Between Jerusalem and Babylon is a big desert area to the east and south. Anyone approaching or attacking Jerusalem from the east would go to the north of the desert and therefore approach Jerusalem from the north.

4. Hebrew alphabet
The Hebrew alphabet changed from before the Babylonian captivity and after.

5. Sheshach as a code word for Babel
An encoding of the Atbash cipher in the Bible is in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, the "Weeping prophet", is in Jerusalem in the time of Nebuchadnezzar - while during hist later ministry, Daniel is in Babylon.

What is Sheshach? No record of a city or region by that name has never been found.
Verse routeJeremiah 51:41 How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations! [kjv]

If the word "Sheshach" is translated using an atbash cipher, the resulting term is "Babel" (in Hebrew, of course).

Information sign More: Jeremiah: 25, 51 An ancient cipher code called atbash

6. Hebrew atbash cipher
The Hebrew atbash is a reciprocal substitution cipher where the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet are exchanged in a substitution cipher (shown with gray dotted line). Atbash using Hebrew

7. Writing on the wall
By tradition, the "writing on the wall" in Daniel 5 was in an atbash cipher. Daniel thus had to read the writing in two steps. First, decode the writing to Hebrew and then interpret the decoded words.

Future topic Details are left as a future topic.

8. Zedekiah and Babylon
After Nebuchadnezzar puts Zedekiah in charge of Israel and goes back to Babylon, Zedekiah listens to his false prophets and decides to revolt.

Nebuchadnezzar is not happy to have to come back from Babylon to take care of the insurrection.

In the first century, Josephus records that Zedekiah had made fun of the prophet Jeremiah because of the inconsistency he saw in Jeremiah's prophecies. They came true in a manner Zedekiah had not anticipated.

9. Josephus
In the first century, Josephus records that Zedekiah made fun of Jeremiah for his conflicting, in his view, prophecies. Zedekiah did not anticipate how both of these could be fulfilled.

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book X, section 106.

Information sign More: Flavius Josephus

10. 2 Kings 24:18
Verse route2 Kings 24:18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. [kjv]
Verse routeυιος εικοσι και ενος ενιαυτου σεδεκιας εν τω βασιλευειν αυτον και ενδεκα ετη εβασιλευσεν εν ιερουσαλημ και ονομα τη μητρι αυτου αμιταλ θυγατηρ ιερεμιου [lxx]


11. 2 Kings 24:18
 All 
KJV: Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
Hebrew: בן עשרים ואחת שנה צדקיהו במלכו ואחת עשרה שנה מלך בירושלם ושם אמו חמיטל בת ירמיהו מלבנה׃
Greek: υιος εικοσι και ενος ενιαυτου σεδεκιας εν τω βασιλευειν αυτον και ενδεκα ετη εβασιλευσεν εν ιερουσαλημ και ονομα τη μητρι αυτου αμιταλ θυγατηρ ιερεμιου

12. 2 Kings 24:20
Verse route2 Kings 24:20 For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. [kjv]
Verse routeοτι επι τον θυμον κυριου ην επι ιερουσαλημ και εν τω ιουδα εως απερριψεν αυτους απο προσωπου αυτου και ηθετησεν σεδεκιας εν τω βασιλει βαβυλωνος [lxx]


13. 2 Kings 24:20
 All 
KJV: For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Hebrew: כי על אף יהוה היתה בירושלם וביהודה עד השלכו אתם מעל פניו וימרד צדקיהו במלך בבל׃
Greek: οτι επι τον θυμον κυριου ην επι ιερουσαλημ και εν τω ιουδα εως απερριψεν αυτους απο προσωπου αυτου και ηθετησεν σεδεκιας εν τω βασιλει βαβυλωνος

14. Jeremiah 52:11 Judgment
Verse routeJeremiah 52:11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. [kjv]

After being captured, Nebuchadnezzar has the judgment enforced.

15. Jeremiah 52:11
 All 
KJV: Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
Hebrew: ואת עיני צדקיהו עור ויאסרהו בנחשתים ויבאהו מלך בבל בבלה ויתנהו בבית הפקדת עד יום מותו׃
Greek: και τους οφθαλμους σεδεκιου εξετυφλωσεν και εδησεν αυτον εν πεδαις και ηγαγεν αυτον βασιλευς βαβυλωνος εις βαβυλωνα και εδωκεν αυτον εις οικιαν μυλωνος εως ημερας ης απεθανεν

16. Traditions from Babel to Pergamus to Rome
Verse routeRevelation 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; [kjv]
Verse routeκαι τω αγγελω της εν περγαμω εκκλησιας γραψον ταδε λεγει ο εχων την ρομφαιαν την διστομον την οξειαν [gnt]

Many customs originated from the Tower of Babel and Babylon which then went to Pergamus and then to Rome and then to the rest of the world.
  • Spring (renewal, planting, Easter)
  • Summer (growing)
  • Fall (harvest, fruit, Halloween)
  • Winter (Saturnalia, Christmas, Hanukkah)

[linguistic connections, papyrus vs. parchment, underground pipes]

Some people went north and west, as ended the Germanic tribes with customs of the winter solstice tree.

Information sign More: Genesis 1: Evening and morning
The Greek for "two edged sword" means, literally, "two mouthed sword" as in "let my sword do the talking".

Information sign More: A peace of the mouth of the sword
Information sign More: Romans: Under the law as in sewer pipes
Information sign More: Traditions from Babel to Pergamus to Rome

17. Measurements
Many measurements started in Babylon. The Babylonians used a base 60 sexagesimal system.

18. Mysteries in Babylon
The Greek word "mystery" was associated an initiation into a secret society connected with Pythagoras about 500 B.C.

The story of Daniel takes place about 600 B.C., before Pythagoras, but was written in Hebrew (and Aramaic).

The Greek prefix "μυστηρι-" (mystery) appears 8 times in the LXX (Septuagint), all in Daniel. Daniel is in captivity in Babylon. Interestingly, Babylon is mentioned in connection with "mystery" in Revelation.

Information sign More: Mysteries in Babylon

19. Church in Babylon
After the Babylonian captivity, most of the Jews found it comfortable living in Babylon. Think of living in Las Vegas today. It was hard to find enough people to go back to Jerusalem after the 70 year captivity (69 years or 70 prophetic years).

There was an active Jewish presence in Babylon at the time of Christ.

After Christ, there was a church there at the time of Peter.

Verse route1 Peter 5:13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. [kjv]
Verse routeασπαζεται υμας η εν βαβυλωνι συνεκλεκτη και μαρκος ο υιος μου [gnt]


20. 1 Peter 5:13
   1 Peter 5:13 
 All 
KJV: The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
Greek: ασπαζεται υμας η εν βαβυλωνι συνεκλεκτη και μαρκος ο υιος μου
Latin: salutat vos quae est in Babylone cumelecta et Marcus filius meus

21. Strongs - Babylon

22. Usage - Babylon
*G897 *12 Βαβυλών (bab-oo-lone') : of Hebrew origin (894); Babylon, the capitol of Chaldaea (literally or figuratively (as a type of tyranny)):-- Babylon.
Word usage per chapter Words: βαβυλων=6 βαβυλωνι βαβυλωνος=5


23. Genesis 11:9 Confusion
The name "Babel" means "confusion". This becomes clear in the LXX where the word for "Babel" is the ancient Greek word "συηχυσις""confusion".

Verse routeGenesis 11:9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. [kjv]
Verse routeבבלבלל … [he]
Verse routeδια τουτο εκληθη το ονομα αυτης συγχυσις οτι εκει συνεχεεν κυριος τα χειλη πασης της γης και εκειθεν διεσπειρεν αυτους κυριος ο θεος επι προσωπον πασης της γης [lxx]


24. Genesis 11:9
   Genesis 11:9 
 All 
KJV: Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Hebrew: על כן קרא שמה בבל כי שם בלל יהוה שפת כל הארץ ומשם הפיצם יהוה על פני כל הארץ׃
Greek: δια τουτο εκληθη το ονομα αυτης συγχυσις οτι εκει συνεχεεν κυριος τα χειλη πασης της γης και εκειθεν διεσπειρεν αυτους κυριος ο θεος επι προσωπον πασης της γης
Brenton: On this account its name was called Confusion, because there the Lord confounded the languages of all the earth, and thence the Lord scattered them upon the face of all the earth.
Latin: et idcirco vocatum est nomen eius Babel quia ibi confusum est labium universae terrae et inde dispersit eos Dominus super faciem cunctarum regionum
Wycliffe: And therfor the name therof was clepid Babel, for the langage of al erthe was confoundide there; and fro thennus the Lord scaterede hem on the face of alle cuntrees.

25. Hebrew for Babel
The Hebrew word "בבל" (ba-vel) ≈ "Babel" as in the "confusion" of languages that happened there. The corresponding Aramaic word is pronounced closer to "Babel". בבל - Babel
In English, one is said to "babble" if one says unintelligible sounds that are somewhat like spoken language.

26. Hebrew for confused
The Hebrew word "בלל" (ba-lal) ≈ "confused". בלל - confused

27. Babylonian Captivity
Hebrew alphabet 1 Hebrew alphabet 3 Hebrew gematria Ancient alef

The Babylonian Captivity lasted 70 years - 69 years using 360 day prophetic years. The original Hebrew, before the Babylonian captivity, appeared differently.

Before, the Hebrews spoke Hebrew. After, the Hebrews spoke Aramaic (similar but different). The Hebrews in Babylon were not slaves in the way we think of slaves. When given the opportunity to leave, most chose to stay in Babylon.

28. Septuagint
In the LXX, the Greek translators translated "Babel" as "confusion" whereas the modern Greek uses the place name of "Babel". Note also that the LXX uses the modern Greek word "χείλη" (HEE-lee) ≈ "lips" rather than the modern Greek word "γλώσσα" (GHLOS-sa) ≈ "tongue, language" (as found in the account of Pentecost in Acts and as use in the Modern Greek translation).

29. 1 Corinthians 14:33 Peace and confusion
Chess piecesThe word "peace" can be hard to define and is left for another time. Perhaps that can "appease" you for the time being. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 14:33, contrasts "peace" with "confusion" as in "commotions". The Greek is, literally "not standing down".

Verse route1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. [kjv]
Verse routeου γαρ εστιν ακαταστασιας ο θεος αλλα ειρηνης ως εν πασαις ταις εκκλησιαις των αγιων [gnt]
Verse routedissensionispacis … [v]


The meaning of "not following the established rules" as in "making one's own rules" could be used for the term "lawlessness" - which in English can mean "anarchy" or "commotion" or "confusion". However, there is a Greek word for this idea (and is associated with the opposite of "peace" by Paul) in 1 Corinthians 14:33.

Information sign More: Against the law: out-law or in-law
Information sign More: A mania for confusing commotions

30. End of page

by RS  admin@creationpie.org : 1024 x 640