Nimrod the Mighty: A Riddle, Wrapped in A Mystery, Inside an Enigma
By Andrew Packer
This document provides an analysis of the biblical figure Nimrod based on the few passages that mention him.
Nimrod is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Shinar (Lower Mesopotamia). The Bible states that he was “a mighty hunter before the Lord [and] … began to be mighty in the earth”. Some later (non-biblical) traditions identified Nimrod as the ruler who had commissioned the construction of the Tower of Babel, and that identification led to his reputation as a king who had been rebellious against God.
It seeks to unravel the “enigma” of Nimrod by focusing on the biblical context rather than extra-biblical speculation.
Key points made include:
- Nimrod is singled out in unusual detail in Genesis 10, connected to both the Flood and Tower of Babel narratives.
- His name is best understood to mean “let us rebel”, fitting the context of rebellion at Babel.
- He is described as a “mighty hunter before the Lord”, understood by most commentators historically to mean a tyrant who hunted men in rebellion against God, not a benign hunter.
And Cush begat Nimrod:
he began to be a mighty one in the earth. Gen 10:8
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD:
wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. Gen 10:9
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Gen 10:10
Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, Gen 10:11
And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. Gen 10:12
Introduction
Many Christians today may have only heard the name “Nimrod” when it is being used to
mock someone for being silly or foolish.
His name only appears four times in the whole Old Testament [1] and there is very little information given about him in those verses.
His name first appears in Genesis 10, The Table of Nations, and there it says of Nimrod that he
“became a mighty one in the earth.
He was a mighty hunter before YHWH…”
LOR:
YHWH is another name for Satan.
The Masoretes – Library of Rickandria
What does that phrase even mean though?
There are a several questions that must be answered before this text can be fully understood:
- Why is the description so abruptly inserted into the Table of Nations?
- Is his name significant?
- Is the description of him a good description or a bad description?
- Is it even possible to determine?
- Does this matter for the Church today?
This paper will seek to answer these questions and give a clearer picture of who Nimrod the son of Cush actually was.
The Enigma of Nimrod
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, Nimrod is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an
enigma.
This makes the study of Nimrod extremely interesting and yet at the same time extremely difficult.
Gen. 10:8-9
I Chron. 1:10
And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof:
thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. Micah 5:6
Before jumping into the Biblical text, it is important to get some understanding of where the focus of Nimrod studies has been in recent years.
More recent studies seem to be overly obsessed with trying to figure who in history Nimrod is patterned after, actually was, or could have possibly been. [2]
Biblical scholars seem just as obsessed with this historical “Nimrod”, often dealing very little with what the text actually says and instead spend their time speculating where the text came from and who it is describing.
This paper, while not ignoring these studies, will instead seek to unravel this enigma based on the Biblical context without trying to tie Nimrod down to any specific extra-biblical historic character.
How Do These Verses Fit the Immediate and Broader Context?
This summary of Nimrod’s life takes place in Genesis 10, The Table of Nations.
This is
sandwiched in between the flood narrative and the Tower of Babel narrative.
Nimrod is listed under the section listing the descendants of Ham.
Ham (in Hebrew: חָם), according to the Table of Nations in the Book of Genesis, was the second son of Noah and the father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan. Ham’s descendants are interpreted by Josephus and others as having populated Africa. The Bible refers to Egypt as “the land of Ham” in Psalm 78:51; 105:23, 27; 106:22; 1 Chronicles 4:40.
The first thing that sticks out about this summary of Nimrod is the change in wording.
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Nimrod the Mighty: A Riddle, Wrapped in A Mystery, Inside an Enigma