Lexical Summary Babelay: Babylonians Original Word: בּבְלִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Babylonia (Aramaic) patrial from Babel; a Babylonian -- Babylonia. see HEBREW Babel NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) from Babel Definition inhab. of Bab. NASB Translation Babylonians (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [בָּֽבְלַי] adjective, of a people plural emphatic as substantive בָּֽבְלָיֵא Ezra 4:9 the Babylonians. Topical Lexicon Entry Heading: Babli (Babylonians)Historical Setting The single biblical use of בּבְלִי occurs in the Persian-period narrative found in Ezra 4:9. Cyrus the Great had already allowed the first group of Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the temple (Ezra 1:1–4). By the reign of Artaxerxes I, various ethnic groups transplanted throughout the former Assyrian and Babylonian empires were living in the province “Beyond the River” (west of the Euphrates). These settlers—including the Babylonians—formed a coalition to hinder the restoration work in Jerusalem. Occurrence in Scripture Ezra 4:9 names the Babylonians among those who signed a letter of accusation to Artaxerxes: “From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues—the judges and officials, the administrators and supervisors, the Persians, the men of Erech, and Babylon, the Susanchites (that is, the Elamites)—” (Berean Standard Bible). The term is a gentilic describing people whose ancestral origin was Babylon. Though resident in Samaria or its environs, they retained an ethnic identity distinct enough to be listed separately. Babylonian Presence in the Post-Exilic Province After successive deportations under the Assyrian and Babylonian monarchies (2 Kings 17:24; 2 Kings 24:14–16), transplanted populations were strategically settled to secure imperial control. By Persian times these groups, loyal to their imperial patrons and wary of a resurgent Judah, opposed the rebuilding of both temple and city walls. Their letter contributed to the temporary cessation of the project (Ezra 4:23–24). Thus, even in the Persian era, Babylonian influence remained an obstacle to covenant restoration in the land. Continuity of the Babylon Motif 1. Babel/Babylon begins as a symbol of human pride and organized rebellion against God at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9). The rare appearance of בּבְלִי in Ezra 4:9 gently reminds the reader that Babylon’s opposition, while mutating across eras, persists until the final victory of God’s kingdom. Theological Reflections • God’s sovereign purposes advance despite opposition. The pause forced by the Babylonians and their allies only set the stage for renewed prophetic encouragement through Haggai and Zechariah, leading to completion of the temple (Ezra 6:14–15). Ministry Applications 1. Perseverance: When modern believers face bureaucratic, cultural, or ideological pressure, Ezra 4 shows that setbacks do not nullify divine mandates. Related Topics • Babel—origin of the Babylon motif (Genesis 11:1–9) Forms and Transliterations בָבְלָיֵא֙ בבליא ḇā·ḇə·lā·yê ḇāḇəlāyê vavelaYeLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezra 4:9 HEB: (אַרְכְּוָיֵ֤א ק) בָבְלָיֵא֙ שֽׁוּשַׁנְכָיֵ֔א [דִּהוּא NAS: the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, KJV: the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, INT: the secretaries Archevite the Babylonians the men forasmuch 1 Occurrence |