Babylon = Assyria
In the OT, "Babylon" and "Assyria" are sometimes used
interchangeably of the same political power:
- The two powers spoke essentially the same
language. The cultures, religions, economics, and ambitions of these two cities
were practically identical.
- In the time of
Isaiah, Assyria conquered Babylon, and then in the time of Zedekiah Babylon
destroyed Assyria.
- Sennacherib had captured and
subjugated Babylon. "King of Babylon" = one of titles of kings of Assyria. Names
are switched in Ezr 6:22; Lam 5:6; Zep 10:10,11; Isa 14:4,25; Mic 5:5; 4:10. Cp
2Ch 33:11; Amo 5:27 with Act 7:43.
- Nahum read Isa
47 as prophecy of Assyria, not Babylon. He was Isaiah's contemporary: cp Nah
3:5,4,16 with Isa 47:2,3,9,15; Nah 1:15 with Isa 52:7; Nah 1:13 with Isa 47:6;
Zep 2:13,15 with Isa 47:8; and Zep 2:14,15 with Isa
13:21,22.
- Nahum also alludes to the "whoredoms,
witchcraft, etc" of "Babylon" (Nah 3:4,5,16 = Isa 47:3,9,15) when his subject is
still the end of Nineveh.
- In the reign of Josiah,
Pharaoh-necho went against "the king of Assyria" at Carchemish (2Ki 23:29) --
actually Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon.
- Stephen interchanged "Damascus" and
"Babylon" in Act 7:43.
- In Isa 13:19 and often in
Isa 14, "Babylon" is represented as the supreme world-power, exercising a cruel
tyranny over many nations and esp over Israel. But in Isaiah's day, Babylon was
either a conquered state of the Assyrian empire or was making sporadic attempts
at rebellion from the Assyrian yoke. Thus the "Babylon" here must be
"Nineveh/Assyria".
- The kings of Assyria took
special pride in their domination of Babylon. Sargon records as one of his royal
titles: "Viceroy of the gods of Babylon". Tiglath-pileser proudly called himself
"King of Babylon".
