Nimrod, a great-grandson of Noah, was a powerful king in the era following the Great Flood. He was known as a powerful hunter and one of the first kings in history. In Midrashic literature, he is identified as the instigator of the ill-fated project to build the great Tower of Babel, as the rival of Abraham (whom he tried to kill on multiple occasions), and as one of the kings in the four-king alliance that conquered large sections of the Fertile Crescent.

Nimrod in the Torah

Despite Nimrod's prominence, the Torah dedicates only three verses1 to his entire career, from which we glean:

  • His lineage: his father was Kush, the oldest son of Ham, the son of Noah. Meaning his grandfather and great-grandfather had survived the Great Flood.
  • He became such a strong man and hunter that people often referenced his legendary abilities. The hunting detail is significant because humankind had only been permitted to hunt and eat meat after the Great Flood.2
  • He became a ruler. In fact, he is the first person in the Torah described as having a kingdom. It began with four great cities: Bavel, Erekh, Akkad, and Kalneh, located in a land called Shinar, or southern Mesopotamia. Incidentally (or maybe not so incidentally), that is the same land to which the descendants of Noah migrated and built the great tower.

So far, we have a powerful hunter king who ruled over the great cities of Mesopotamia, possibly the first king ever. But this is not the full picture.

Nimrod the Rebel King

When we turn to Midrashic literature, we see a new personality with a new career. The Midrash reveals that his imperialistic intentions were not so innocent. His name Nimrod comes from the root word M-R-D, “rebel.” He was the quintessential rebel against G‑d.3

Nimrod’s career began when a large-scale migration occurred several generations after the Great Flood.4 Many nations and tribes were searching for land that could support a large population. They found the Mesopotamian plain and settled there. Nimrod stood out among the people for his great strength, which some say came from the garments gifted to Adam and Eve by G‑d after the Tree of Knowledge incident, which had been passed down through the generations due to their special qualities, ending up in Nimrod’s possession. These garments endowed him with dominance over animals, and this unnatural ability caused the people to crown him king.5

As the newly declared ruler over a collection of tribes and nations in a large fertile plain, Nimrod instigated the plan to build the tower of Babel. His intention was to ascend to heaven and thereby bypass G‑d’s power, which he believed was only in the water. He succeeded in turning a whole generation against G‑d.6

According to one Midrash, Abraham passed by the monumental construction project and, recognizing their intentions, cursed them.7 The end of the story is quite well known: G‑d decided to destroy their arrogance by destroying their ability to understand one another, dividing them into 70 nations and tribes, each with their own language. Since they could no longer communicate normally, the project was abandoned and the separate nations dispersed throughout the world. But that was not the first time Abraham and Nimrod crossed paths. Nor would it be the last.

For more on the Tower of Babel and the dispersion, see: The Tower of Babel.

Nimrod Encounters Abraham

The Midrash Hagadol cites a tradition that earlier in Nimrod’s kingship he had set himself up as a deity and compelled his subjects to worship him.8 At this time, he was notified by his court astrologers that a boy was born who would threaten his own kingdom and have a profound influence on the entire world. Nimrod attempted to have Terach, the father of this newborn child, deliver the infant to death, but Terach thought quickly and switched out Abraham with a baby of a maidservant who had just been born, thereby saving young Abraham.

Later, when Abraham publicly expressed his disdain for the polytheism of his time, Nimrod realized that he had not, in fact, dealt with the threat that his astrologers had foretold.

Nimrod then threw Abraham into prison, and after a long period ordered him executed by burning. Miraculously, Abraham was not harmed by the flames and survived unscathed.

For more on Nimrod throwing Abraham into a fire, see: Nimrod and Abraham

Nimrod the Conqueror

Nimrod’s influence shrank significantly due to the dispersion, but his imperial ambitions did not subside. According to the Midrash, Nimrod is one and the same as another Biblical character, Amrafel, who appears in the iconic battle between the four kings and the five kings. He was named Amrafel after throwing Abraham into the fire because Amrafel is related to the words “amar pol,” which means “[Nimrod] said to cast [Abraham into the fire].”

Read more about Nimrod’s two names: What Was Nimrod's Real Name?

Rebranded as Amrafel,9 he made strategic alliances with a collection of kings in the region and began an imperial campaign, spearheaded by Kedarla’omer of Elam (in modern southwest Iran). They managed to conquer an agriculturally rich region on the opposite end of the Fertile Crescent, in and around what is now the Dead Sea, which was then fertile land.10 The main cities of the five city-states were the iconic Sodom and Amorah, which had been established after the dispersion.

After collecting tribute for 12 years, followed by 13 years of rebellion,11 the four kings assembled their armies and made their way to the Dead Sea region. They achieved a decisive victory over the five local kings, forcing them into retreat. Of those who managed to avoid capture, many fell into clay pits while the rest fled to the nearby mountains. Among the captured was Lot, nephew of Abraham and resident of Sodom.

Abraham Defeats Nimrod/Amrafel

When news of the defeat of the regional alliance and Lot’s capture reached Abraham, he immediately took action, arming his entourage for battle. Some say it was only his most loyal servant, Eliezer, whom he took to battle, and the two of them alone took on this formidable force.12

Miraculously, Abraham and Eliezer chased them all the way to Syria, returning the land to its original rulers.

For more on the battle between the four kings versus the five, and Abraham’s intervention, see: Abraham's Miraculous Battle to Save Lot

But Nimrod’s time had not yet come and he escaped to live another day, again reminded of the prophecy that his kingdom would fall by the hands of a young baby that he hadn’t managed to kill.

Indeed, many years later, a new generation of Abraham’s family fulfilled the prophecy from centuries earlier. Esau, Abraham’s grandson, was a great hunter in his day just as Nimrod was all those years earlier. He heard about the garments that Nimrod wore, which gave him power over animals, and wanted them for himself. He tracked Nimrod down, murdered him, and took the garments for himself.13 This ended Nimrod’s long career, which had started at least 175 years earlier.14

Ultimately, Nimrod’s behavior is categorized by the Sages as “recognizing the creator and intending to rebel against Him.”15 This type of behavior—where one is sensitive to G‑d’s presence and recognizes the value of G‑dly awareness, but wants nothing to do with it—is considered irredeemable.16

One lesson we may learn from this story is how Abraham dealt with Nimrod’s hubris. When Abraham discovered G‑d, he began to spread this knowledge to the world. He ignored his polytheistic surroundings and disregarded the danger he was putting himself into. Indeed, he suffered in prison for many years due to his efforts, but that did not faze him. Even after being thrown into a fire, surviving only by a miracle, he continued his G‑dly work spreading the knowledge of G‑d to the world.

The correct response to tyranny and resistance to spreading goodness and truth isn’t always accomplished by engaging and battling the opponent, but by ignoring the challenges and pushing through.17