King
Nebuchadnezzar
King of Babylon · Exile · 605–562 BC
Nebuchadnezzar — William Blake
Summary
The greatest king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire who conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and took Israel into exile. He encountered Daniel and the three Hebrew men, was struck with madness for seven years for his pride, and ultimately praised the God of Israel.
- Among the passages here, Nebuchadnezzar is first named in 2 Kings 24:1: “During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded.”
- The record places Nebuchadnezzar in Exile.
- 93 verses name Nebuchadnezzar, in 9 books.
- 6 moments stand in order on this page, each with its verse.
On this page
Start here
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
Daniel 4:37→- 6 key events in order
- 93 verses name Nebuchadnezzar, across 9 books
In Scripture
- Verses
- 93
- Books
- 9
Nebuchadnezzar
- Role
- King of Babylon
- Era
- Exile
- Dates
- 605–562 BC
- Tribe
- Babylon
- Father
- Nabopolassar
The life in order
from the events the row records, with the first and last verse that names the person among the passages this page stands on
1Where the passages this page records open
2What the record holds, in its own order
- Conquered Jerusalem — three deportationsDaniel 1:1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
- Dream of the great treeDaniel 4:10-27In these visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this come to pass: There was a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was great.
- Seven years of madnessDaniel 4:33At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from mankind. He ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
- Restoration and praise of GodDaniel 4:34-37But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
Biography
Nebuchadnezzar II was the king who brought God's judgment on Judah — the rod of divine wrath prophesied by Jeremiah and Habakkuk. He conquered Jerusalem in three deportations (605, 597, 586 BC), destroying Solomon's Temple and the city itself. Yet his story is also one of the most remarkable conversion narratives of an ancient monarch.
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to his golden statue and were thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter, a fourth figure — "like a son of the gods" — walked with them, and they emerged unharmed. When he published his dream of a great tree that would be cut down, Daniel interpreted it as God's judgment on Nebuchadnezzar's pride.
Exactly as predicted, he was struck with a madness called boanthropy (believing he was an ox), lived in the fields for seven years, and when his reason returned he lifted his eyes to heaven and praised the Most High. He published a decree of praise to the God of Daniel throughout the empire. Daniel 4 is written largely in his own voice.
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
Key events
- 2Dream of the statue — Daniel's interpretationDaniel 2→
Dreamed of a statue of metals representing world empires; Daniel interpreted it, revealing the kingdom that would never be destroyed
- 3Fiery furnace — three Hebrew menDaniel 3→
Had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thrown into a furnace; a fourth figure appeared with them; they emerged unharmed
What they got right, and what they got wrong
Strengths
Military genius, greatest builder in Babylonian history, administrative excellence, ultimately came to acknowledge God
Weaknesses
Overwhelming pride, idolatry (golden statue), violent cruelty, destruction of the Temple
Lessons
Pride is the fundamental sin of powerful people, and God is able to humble the proudest. Nebuchadnezzar had to lose everything — reason, dignity, humanity itself for seven years — before he acknowledged that heaven rules. True greatness comes by recognizing God's sovereignty.
Spiritual significance
Nebuchadnezzar is one of Scripture's greatest examples of God humbling a proud king to bring him to worship. He witnessed more direct miraculous interventions than almost any biblical figure — the fiery furnace, Daniel's interpretations, his own madness and restoration — and ultimately came to acknowledge the Most High God as sovereign over all earthly kingdoms.
Nebuchadnezzar in Scripture
Open a book to read its mentions here. Text: Berean Standard Bible. Names repeat in Scripture, so some of these verses may speak of another person called Nebuchadnezzar. The two marks are drawn from the chapters this page's own references stand in.
Old TestamentNew Testamentsegment width = share of mentions
Old Testament9 books · 93 mentions
2 Kings8 mentions
- 2 Kings 24:1During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded. So Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years, until he turned and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
- 2 Kings 24:10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
- 2 Kings 24:11And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it.
- 2 Kings 24:13As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 24:15Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
3 further mentions in 2 Kings, read them in the book.
1 Chronicles1 mention
2 Chronicles6 mentions
- 2 Chronicles 36:6Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jehoiakim and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
- 2 Chronicles 36:7Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon some of the articles from the house of the LORD, and he put them in his temple in Babylon.
- 2 Chronicles 36:10In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 36:13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,
1 further mention in 2 Chronicles, read them in the book.
Ezra5 mentions
- Ezra 1:7King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods.
- Ezra 2:1Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
- Ezra 5:12But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon.
- Ezra 5:14He also removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor
- Ezra 6:5Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.
Nehemiah1 mention
Esther1 mention
Jeremiah38 mentions
- Jeremiah 21:2“Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, since Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is waging war against us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us something like all His past wonders, so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”
- Jeremiah 21:7‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’
- Jeremiah 22:25In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread, who want to take your life—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Chaldeans.
- Jeremiah 24:1After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, as well as the officials of Judah and the craftsmen and metalsmiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon, the LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the LORD.
- Jeremiah 25:1This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
33 further mentions in Jeremiah, read them in the book.
Ezekiel4 mentions
- Ezekiel 26:7For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company of troops.
- Ezekiel 29:18“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder made raw. But he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the labor they expended on it.
- Ezekiel 29:19Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will carry off its wealth, seize its spoil, and remove its plunder. This will be the wages for his army.
- Ezekiel 30:10This is what the Lord GOD says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Daniel29 mentions
- Daniel 1:1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
- Daniel 1:18Now at the end of the time specified by the king, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
- Daniel 2:1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit, and sleep escaped him.
- Daniel 2:28But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:
- Daniel 2:46At this, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, paid homage to Daniel, and ordered that an offering of incense be presented to him.
24 further mentions in Daniel, read them in the book.
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