Strong’s Greek 5466 designates the “Chaldeans,” a people whose homeland lay in lower Mesopotamia. In the New Testament the term appears once, in Acts 7:4, within Stephen’s historical summary of God’s redemptive dealings beginning with Abraham. The word carries centuries of biblical associations that illuminate the narrative of salvation history.

Biblical Context and Usage

Acts 7:4 records: “So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God moved him to this land where you now dwell.” Stephen’s use ties directly to several Old Testament passages that describe Abraham’s call from Ur “of the Chaldeans” (Genesis 11:31; Genesis 15:7; Nehemiah 9:7). By invoking the Chaldeans, Luke situates the audience in the grand sweep of covenant history, reminding them that the gospel’s roots stretch back to God’s initial promise to Abraham.

Historical Background of the Chaldeans

1. Ethnic and Geographic Setting
• Originating in southern Babylonia, the Chaldeans rose to prominence in the first millennium B.C.
• Ur, their principal city, flourished as a commercial and religious center, famed for its ziggurat dedicated to the moon-god Nanna.
2. Political Ascendancy
• Under Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldeans established the Neo-Babylonian Empire (late seventh to sixth centuries B.C.).
• Their dominion encompassed Judah’s exile (2 Kings 24:14–16; Jeremiah 25:11–12), making the term “Chaldeans” virtually synonymous with “Babylonians” in prophetic literature.
3. Intellectual Reputation
• Ancient sources depict Chaldeans as skilled astronomers and astrologers (cf. Daniel 2:2). Their search for celestial patterns contrasts sharply with biblical revelation, which looks to the Creator rather than the creation for guidance (Isaiah 47:13–15).

Theological Significance

1. God’s Sovereign Call
• Abraham’s departure from Chaldean Ur underscores divine initiative: the Lord elects, summons, and guides His people out of idolatrous contexts into covenant relationship (Joshua 24:2–3).
2. Exile and Restoration
• The same Chaldean nation later becomes God’s instrument of judgment against Judah, illustrating both His holiness and His fidelity, for the exile paves the way for eventual restoration and the Messianic hope (Isaiah 43:14; Jeremiah 29:10–14).
3. Foreshadowing the Gospel
• Stephen’s reference places the Chaldeans at the starting line of redemptive history narrated in Acts, linking Abraham’s obedient faith to the fulfillment of God’s promise in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:8).

Ministry Reflections

• The mention of the Chaldeans invites believers to remember that God calls people from every land—no background is too enmeshed in idolatry for His grace.
• Like Abraham, modern disciples are summoned to leave spiritual “Ur” for a pilgrimage of faith (Hebrews 11:8–10).
• The rise and fall of Chaldean power cautions against trusting worldly empires; only God’s kingdom endures.

Related Scriptures

Genesis 11:31; Genesis 15:7; Nehemiah 9:7; Isaiah 13:19; Isaiah 47:1; Jeremiah 25:11–12; Jeremiah 50:1; Daniel 1:4; Daniel 2:2; Habakkuk 1:6; Acts 7:4.

See Also

Strong’s Hebrew 3778 (Kesdim, “Chaldeans”); Strong’s Greek 5467 (Babulōn, “Babylon”).