Nebuchadnezzar Inscription

INSCRIBED MUD BRICK. 605 - 562 BC

On display at Emmaus Baptist College, a simple block of dried clay offers a direct, physical connection to the world of the Bible. It is an inscribed mud brick (pictured on pg. 15) stamped with the name of Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon (605-562 BC). This is the same king who appears in Scripture, the man who conquered Judah, destroyed Solomon's Temple, and carried Daniel and the Hebrew people into captivity. This artifact, and many others in the collection at the Emmaus library, removes the Biblical narrative from the realm of mere story and places it in a solid, verifiable historical context. It is a piece of the very world that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego inhabited.

The King’s Inscription

This brick was found in the ancient southern city of Larsa. Larsa is the city mentioned in Genesis 14:1 as Ellasar, the seat of King Arioch, who joined the battle against Abraham. This brick, therefore, links the world of Abraham with the world of Nebuchadnezzar. The inscription, pressed into the wet clay in the Akkadian language, is a dedicatory text. It was intended to be buried in the temple foundation to declare the king's piety to his gods and to future rulers.

The Inscription on the brick reads: ‘Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Provider of the Ésagila temple and the Ezida temple, prime son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, am I. Ebabbara, the temple of Shamash in Larsa, I restored as it was in former times, for Shamash, my lord.’

The Temples: Nebuchadnezzar names the two most important temples in the empire: Ésagila, the massive complex for the chief god Marduk (called Merodach in Jeremiah 50:2), and Ezida, the temple for Nabu, the god of writing (called Nebo in Isaiah 46:1 and found in the name Nebuchadnezzar).

The God and Location: The brick specifies his work was on the Ebabbara (the "Shining House") in Larsa for the god Shamash. Shamash is the Babylonian name for the sun god. This is cognate with the similar sounding Hebrew word for the sun, Shemesh (שֶׁמֶשׁ).

When the Bible condemns "sun worship," it is referring to the cult of the false god Shamash. The prophets preached against this idolatry, as seen in Ezekiel 8:16 where men stood "at the door of the temple of the LORD... and they worshipped the sun toward the east." The prevalence of this cult is even seen in place names like Beth-shemesh ("House of the Sun"), a town whose ancient name was probably derived from Canaanite sun worship there.

The Taskmaster’s Material

Builders in Mesopotamia had to use mud brick. Since the great river plains of the Tigris and Euphrates had little stone, builders mixed river clay with water and a binding agent, most often straw. If you look closely at the reverse side of this brick (pg. 15), you can see the small impressions and voids left by the straw binder. This single archaeological detail brings to life one of the most vivid accounts of Israel's bondage. The Israelites in Egypt were slaves whose primary labor was making mud bricks. When Pharaoh sought to crush their spirits, he commanded: "Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves" (Exodus 5:7). This brick, made using the same ancient method, is a visual aid for understanding the brutal slave labor of the Hebrews. It reminds us that Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, the empire built from this same material, was the new "Egypt," the great power holding God's people in bondage.

From the Kiln to the King's Furnace

Common bricks were left in the sun to dry. The strongest, most permanent bricks, however, were fired in a kiln. A Babylonian brick kiln was an oven of intense heat. It was, in essence, a fiery furnace. This archaeological fact provides the exact context for the events of Daniel 3. Nebuchadnezzar, the very king who stamped this brick, used a brick kiln as his instrument of execution. When Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego) refused to worship the king's idol, they were thrown into this furnace, heated "seven times more than it was wont to be heated." The king, staring into the flames, saw a miracle that defied his power and his pagan gods. "He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Daniel 3:25).

Touch the History You Read

This brick, linking Nebuchadnezzar to a city from Genesis (Ellasar) and a false god condemned by the prophets (Shamash), is just one piece of evidence. Every year, new discoveries in the Near East add detail, context, and clarity to the world of the Bible. Archaeology does not "prove" the Bible, for our faith rests on God's Word alone. But it does affirm its historical accuracy, silencing the critics and making the text come alive. Emmaus is dedicated to this hands-on approach to Biblical education. We believe in studying the history, language, and context of the Scriptures. That is why we are so excited to invite you to consider enrolling in the Near Eastern History and Archaeology degree program at Emmaus, which will guide you beyond classroom lectures. This program in biblical archaeology will equip students to engage with the physical world of the Bible. As part of this program, our students have the opportunity to participate in active excavations and hold history in their hands.

This coming May, Emmaus students will be joining the dig at Shiloh in Israel, an active excavation at a site where verified biblical history is being made. Archaeologists have identified the very site where the Tabernacle stood (Joshua 18:1) for over 300 years. They have uncovered the ancient city gate complex, the same gate where Eli the high priest sat waiting for news from the battle, and where he "fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died" (1 Samuel 4:18). The dig has also yielded extensive evidence of the sacrificial system, with thousands of excavated sacrificial animal bones confirming Shiloh's role as the center of Israel's worship. It was at Shiloh that Hannah prayed for a son, and where the young prophet Samuel first heard the voice of the LORD (1 Samuel 1-4). Through Emmaus Baptist College and ABR (Associates for Biblical Research), you can be part of the excavation team uncovering the history of this biblical site.

A Foundation That Endures

Nebuchadnezzar's mighty empire is gone. His temples to the dead gods Marduk, Nabu, and Shamash are in ruins. His royal bricks, once buried in foundations, are now museum pieces. But the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego lives. The "fourth man in the fire," the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ, is the eternal King. This brick from Larsa shows that while the world's kingdoms rise and fall, the truth of God's Word endures. The Lord does not promise to keep His people from the fire, but He makes a far greater promise: He will be with us in the fire.

"When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee" - Isaiah 43:2.

Transcription: dAG-NIG2.DU-ŠEŠ LUGAL Ba-bi-lu.KI za-nin E2SAG.IL2 ù Ε2.ΖI.DA ap-lu SAG.KAL ša dAG-ap-lu-ŠEŠ LUGAL Ba-bi-lu.KI a-na-ku E2BABBAR.RA E2 dUTU šá UD.UNUG.KI ki-ma la-bi-rim-ma a-nа dUTU EN-ia е-рú-uš

Read in Akkadian as: “Nabû-kudurrī-uṣur šar Bābili, zāninu Esagil u Ezida, aplu rabû ša Nabû-apla-uṣur, šar Bābili, anāku. E-babbarra bīt Šamaš ša Larsā kīma labīrimma ana Šamaš bēlīya epūš”

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Understanding Cuneiform: A Glimpse into Ancient Writing

𒀭𒀝𒆪𒁺𒌫𒊑𒌶

𒈗 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠

𒍝𒉌𒅔 𒂍𒊕𒅍

𒅇 𒂍𒍣𒁕

𒌉𒍑 𒀀𒊭𒊑𒁺

𒊭 𒀭𒀝𒌉𒍑𒌶

𒈗 𒁀𒁉𒇻𒆠 𒀀𒈾𒆪

The inscription on Nebuchadnezzar's brick is written in cuneiform, one of the oldest writing systems in the world, developed by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia around 3500-3000 BC.

Wedge-Shaped Marks: The word cuneiform comes from the Latin cuneus, meaning "wedge," and forma, meaning "shape." The characteristic wedge-shaped impressions of this text were made by a reed stylus pressed into wet clay.

From Pictures to Sounds: Cuneiform started as pictograms (simple pictures representing objects) but quickly evolved. Scribes began using signs to represent syllables or sounds (a system called syllabic writing) and also logograms (signs representing whole words or concepts). This made it a complex, versatile system.

Durable Records: Unlike papyrus or parchment, clay tablets were extremely durable, especially if baked. This allowed for vast libraries of administrative records, legal codes, myths, and royal decrees to survive, giving us an unparalleled window into ancient Mesopotamian civilizations.

Many Languages: While invented by the Sumerians, cuneiform was adopted and adapted to write many different languages across the Near East, including Akkadian (Babylonian and Assyrian dialects), Eblaite, Elamite, Hittite, Hurrian, and Urartian. The brick in the Emmaus museum is an example of Akkadian cuneiform.