Meaning of the Name Nimrod

Its origin is uncertain; tradition links it with the Hebrew root m-r-d, 'to rebel', and explains it as 'rebel'. This is most likely a later wordplay; scholars have proposed links with the Mesopotamian god Ninurta or with certain Akkadian and Assyrian kings. Nemrut is the form established in Arabic and Turkish, and the Turkish adjective nemrut, 'surly, cantankerous', derives from the tyrant image of later tradition.

Origin

The name Nimrod is of Uncertain; a Hebrew wordplay and Mesopotamian proposals origin.

Who is Nimrod in the Bible?

Nimrod appears in the table of nations in Genesis as Ham's grandson and the son of Cush; he is the one who becomes a mighty one on the earth and is introduced as a mighty hunter before the LORD. His kingdom begins with cities such as Babel, Erech and Akkad in the land of Shinar. The book of Micah calls Assyria the land of Nimrod.

The story of Nimrod in the Bible

Nimrod, known in Turkish as Nemrut, appears in only a few verses of the Bible, yet he became one of history's most discussed figures. The table of nations in Genesis 10 says that Cush, son of Noah's son Ham, fathered Nimrod. Nimrod is the one who began to be a mighty one on the earth and is a mighty hunter before the LORD; his name even became a saying. The beginning of his kingdom is Babel, Erech, Akkad and Calneh in the land of Shinar; the text then tells of a move into Assyria and the building of Nineveh and nearby cities. For this reason the prophet Micah, centuries later, calls Assyria the land of Nimrod. The Bible says nothing more about Nimrod and does not explicitly describe him as wicked. Yet the mention of Babel at the start of his kingdom led interpreters to associate him with the story of the Tower of Babel. In later Jewish and Islamic traditions Nimrod appears as a tyrant who defied God and had Abraham thrown into the fire; these details developed within tradition, not in the biblical text. The Turkish adjective nemrut, for a surly person, reflects this image.

Is Nimrod mentioned in the Quran?

The name Nimrod does not appear in the Quran. The Quran speaks, without naming him, of a ruler who disputed with Abraham about his Lord, and Islamic tradition generally knows this ruler as Nimrod. In the Bible, Nimrod appears in Genesis as a mighty hunter whose kingdom began in Babel.

Verses where Nimrod appears

• Genesis 10:8 — Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth.
• Genesis 10:9 — He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, “like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh”.
• Genesis 10:10 — The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.