Genesis 10:10

10:10 The primary regions ¹  of his kingdom were Babel, ²  Erech, ³  Akkad, ⁴  and Calneh ⁵  in the land of Shinar. ⁶ 

Genesis 11:2

11:2 When the people ⁷  moved eastward, ⁸  they found a plain in Shinar ⁹  and settled there.

Isaiah 11:11

11:11 At that time ¹⁰  the sovereign master ¹¹  will again lift his hand ¹²  to reclaim ¹³  the remnant of his people ¹⁴  from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, ¹⁵  Cush, ¹⁶  Elam, Shinar, ¹⁷  Hamath, and the seacoasts. ¹⁸ 

Daniel 1:2

1:2 Now the Lord ¹⁹  delivered ²⁰  King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, ²¹  along with some of the vessels ²²  of the temple of God. ²³  He brought them to the land of Babylonia ²⁴  to the temple of his god ²⁵  and put ²⁶  the vessels in the treasury of his god.

Zechariah 5:11

5:11 He replied, “To build a temple ²⁷  for her in the land of Babylonia. ²⁸  When it is finished, she will be placed there in her own residence.”

[10:10]  ¹ tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.

[10:10]  ² tn Or “Babylon.”

[10:10]  ³ sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.

[10:10]  ⁴ sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.

[10:10]  ⁵ tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).

[10:10]  ⁶ sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.

[11:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:2]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”

[11:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”

[11:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:11]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[11:11]  ¹² tc The Hebrew text reads, “the sovereign master will again, a second time, his hand.” The auxiliary verb יוֹסִיף (yosif), which literally means “add,” needs a main verb to complete it. Consequently many emend שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) to an infinitive. Some propose the form שַׁנֹּת (shannot, a Piel infinitive construct from שָׁנָה, shanah) and relate it semantically to an Arabic cognate meaning “to be high.” If the Hebrew text is retained a verb must be supplied. “Second time” would allude back to the events of the Exodus (see vv. 15-16).

[11:11]  ¹³ tn Or “acquire”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “recover.”

[11:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the remnant of his people who remain.”

[11:11]  ¹⁵ sn Perhaps a reference to Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt (so NIV, NLT; NCV “South Egypt”).

[11:11]  ¹⁶ tn Or “Ethiopia” (NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[11:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “Babylonia” (NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).

[11:11]  ¹⁸ tn Or perhaps, “the islands of the sea.”

[1:2]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “gave.”

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “hand,” which is often used idiomatically for one’s power and authority. See BDB 390 s.v. יָד 2.

[1:2]  ²² tn Or “utensils”; or “articles.”

[1:2]  ²³ tn Heb “house of God.”

[1:2]  ²⁴ sn The land of Babylonia (Heb “the land of Shinar”) is another name for Sumer and Akkad, where Babylon was located (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1, 9; Josh 7:21; Isa 11:11; Zech 5:11).

[1:2]  ²⁵ tn Or “gods” (NCV, NRSV, TEV; also later in this verse). The Hebrew term can be used as a numerical plural for many gods or as a plural of majesty for one particular god. Since Nebuchadnezzar was a polytheist, it is not clear if the reference here is to many gods or one particular deity. The plural of majesty, while normally used for Israel’s God, is occasionally used of foreign gods (cf. BDB 43 s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1, 2). See Judg 11:24 (of the Moabite god Chemosh); 1 Sam 5:7 (of the Philistine god Dagon); 1 Kgs 11:33 (of the Canaanite goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom); 2 Kgs 19:37 (of the Assyrian god Nisroch). Since gods normally had their own individual temples, Dan 1:2 probably refers to a particular deity, perhaps Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, or Marduk’s son Nabu, after whom Nebuchadnezzar was named. The name Nebuchadnezzar means “Nabu has protected the son who will inherit” (HALOT 660 s.v. נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר). For a discussion of how temples functioned in Babylonian religion see H. Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, 77-81.

[1:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “brought.” Though the Hebrew verb “brought” is repeated in this verse, the translation uses “brought…put” for stylistic variation.

[5:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “house” (so NIV, NRSV, CEV).

[5:11]  ²⁸ sn The land of Babylonia (Heb “the land of Shinar”) is another name for Sumer and Akkad, where Babylon was located (Gen 10:10). Babylon throughout the Bible symbolizes the focus of anti-God sentiment and activity (Gen 11:4; 14:1; Isa 13–14; 47:1-3; Jer 50–51; Rev 14:8; 17:1, 5, 18; 18:21).