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Nebuchadnezzar's Hermeneutical Dilemma

St Mary's College, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JU

Nebuchadnezzar is a name irrevocably linked in Jewish tradition with the complete destruction of Jerusalem in the sixth century BCE. His ruthless behaviour at home and abroad has resulted in a lopsided view of his character and achievements with the pendulum swinging strongly in the direction of the villainy. But this should not blind the reader of the Old Testament to his virtues, which are extolled both in the neo- Babylonian texts of the period which name him 'king of justice', and in biblical tradition, where he is seen as God's special agent in disciplining the Jews, as a severe but righteous judge, and even as God's 'servant'.

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