Nimrod

Nimrod, legendary biblical figure of the book of Genesis. Nimrod is described in Genesis 10:8–12 as “the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The only other references to Nimrod in the Bible are in Micah 5:6, where Assyria is called the land of Nimrod, and in 1 Chronicles 1:10, which reiterates his might. In the Genesis passage, the beginning of his kingdom is said to have been Babel, Erech, and Akkad, in the land of Shinar. Nimrod is said to have then built Nineveh, Calah (modern Nimrūd), Rehoboth-Ir, and Resen.

There is some consensus among biblical scholars that the mention of Nimrod in Genesis is a reference not to an individual but to an ancient people in Mesopotamia. The description of Nimrod as a “mighty hunter before the Lord” is an intrusion in this context but is probably, like the historical notices, derived from some old Babylonian saga. However, no equivalent of the name has yet been found in the Babylonian or other cuneiform records. In character, there is a certain resemblance between Nimrod and the Mesopotamian epic hero Gilgamesh.