True Life Study: Nimrod

To me the name Nimrod to me is synonymous with idiot. I remember when I was little the name was used when we would call someone stupid or other such mean name. After doing this study I have come to learn that the biblical Nimrod was no idiot. He must have been pretty intelligent in fact. He was called a mighty hunter before the Lord. The literal meaning of his name is מרד, marad, he rebelled. He was a bad dude, but had some pretty amazing feats that most of us know of, but we just don’t know who instigated them. Nimrod is the son of Cush, who is the son of Ham, the son of Noah. This means that Nimrod was a great grandson of Noah. Nimrod whose name translates “he rebelled” was just a few generations from the man that was noted as the ONLY man left pleasing to the Lord. It is kind of ironic to me that such an evil man can come that close to such a great man in the same family.

The Bible refers to Nimrod four times. Two of the times name him the son of Cush, one time referring to him as a mighty hunter, and the other time refers to Assyria as the land of Nimrod. This shows that we do not get much information on Nimrod from The Bible, and must rely on other sources to understand more about who he was.

A few things that are accredited to Nimrod include instigating the construction of The Tower of Babel, he started the kingdom of Babylon, and Assyria is called the land of Nimrod. “Some Bible students have linked Nimrod to Tukulti-Ninurta, an Assyrian king (about 1246-1206 B.C.). Others think that Amenophis III of Egypt (about 1411-1375 B.C.) or the heroic Gilgamesh might have been the ancient Nimrod. Regardless, extremely popular legends involve Nimrod as a ruler in both Assyrian and Egyptian lore. Nimrod shows that the great Mesopotamian culture had its origin from the creative work of the God of Israel.” (Clarke’s Old Testament Commentary)

According to Clarke’s Old Testament Commentary and other biblical time lines it is said that Nimrod built Babylon of 2233 B.C. or A.M 1771. This really does not mean a lot to me, and probably would not to most people, but I found a few more interesting facts about this. According to the same timeline Noah died at the age of 950 years in year A.M 2006 or 1998 B.C. This is 235 years after Nimrod built Babylon and the tower of Babel. I think it is highly interesting that Noah’s great grandson started wreaking havoc on the Earth while Noah was still alive. Noah, at one point the only righteous man left, saw the whole world wiped away, but then his great grandchild, whom which he had to have encountered, started to cause separation from God again.

Nimrod accomplished a lot. He did a lot of major things. He can be linked to many kings, and kingdoms. He is one of the main people responsible for all of the idol worship as well. Nimrod was accredited with throwing Abraham into furnace, for Abraham would not worship the idols that Nimrod had set up. He did such terrible things that Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible goes so far to claim him as “The first full-time minister of Satan was Nimrod, Noah’s wicked and apostate grandson”. This shows that Nimrod was a pretty evil man to be considered the first full-time minister of Satan!

Also according to Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible I read that according to secular history and traditions tells us that Nimrod was married. He married a woman who was “as evil and demonic as himself”. She was named Semerimus, and she knew about God’s promise of the messiah. She claimed that her firstborn son Tammuz, fulfilled the prophecy that we know Jesus came and fulfilled. In doing this she claimed to be the queen of heaven, she put herself and her son in the center of worship, she claimed to be the way to salvation, and she and her son made such claims which led to the beginning of a completely new cult or as Wilmington calls “satanic church”.

Nimrod is also accredited with starting the first Monarchy. This meaning that he was one of the first “kings” of our world. This was not a God ordained appointment, as the first Israelite king was Saul. Monarchies ruled for many years and still do exist, though in recent years democracy has begun to take over.

A lot of things came about from Nimrod and his family. From great cities to a terrible religion, much is to go with this name. I never knew that this name “Nimrod” could carry such a powerful meaning. I just thought Nimrod was a stupid person, but now realize that he had to be fairly intelligent if he came up with ideas causing terrible religion and a city as great as Babylon. When I think of the greatest city of all history I think of Babylon. I will now forever think of Nimrod with Babylon. Though he did many terrible things, I also look at the creative side of him in which came from the same great creator that we do, and see what he still did even though he was not living a righteous life.