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'''Nebuchadnezzar II''' (from [[Akkadian]] {{cuneiform|akk|𒀭𒀝𒆪𒁺𒌨𒊑𒋀}} ''^[[DINGIR|d]]Nabû-kudurri-uṣur'', {{hebrew and Chaldean Name|נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר|Nəvūkádne’ṣar|Neḇukáḏné’ṣār}}), meaning "O god [[Nabu]], preserve/defend my firstborn son") was king of [[Neo-Babylonian Chaldean Empire|Babylon]] c.&nbsp;605&nbsp;BC – c. 562&nbsp;BC, the longest and most powerful reign of any monarch in the Neo-Babylonian empire.{{sfn|Freedman|2000|p=953}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ancient.eu/Nebuchadnezzar_II/ |title=Nebuchadnezzar II |publisher=ancient.eu |accessdate=December 22, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Detail of a terracotta cylinder of Nebuchadnezzar II, recording the building and reconstruction works at Babylon. 604-562 BCE. From Babylon, Iraq, housed in the British Museum.jpg|thumb|Detail of a terracotta cylinder of Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar II, recording the building and reconstruction works at Babylon. 604–562 BC. From Babylon, Iraq, housed in the British Museum]]

[[Nabopolassar]] died in August {{citation needed|date=March 2018}} 605&nbsp;BC, and Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon to ascend the throne.{{sfn|Wiseman|1991a|p=183}} For the next few years his attention was devoted to subduing his eastern and northern borders, and in 595/4&nbsp;BC there was a serious but brief rebellion in Babylon itself.{{sfn|Wiseman|1991a|p=233}} In 594/3&nbsp;BC the army was sent again to the west, possibly in reaction to the elevation of [[Psammetichus II]] to the throne of Egypt.{{sfn|Wiseman|1991a|p=233}} King [[Zedekiah]] of Judah attempted to organize opposition among the small states in the region, but his capital, [[Jerusalem]], was taken in 587&nbsp;BC (the events are described in the Bible's [[Books of Kings]] and [[Book of Jeremiah]]).{{sfn|Wiseman|1991a|p=233–234}} In the following years Nebuchadnezzar incorporated [[Phoenicia]] and the former Assyrian provinces of [[Cilicia]] (southwestern Anatolia) into his empire and may have campaigned in Egypt.{{sfn|Wiseman|1991a|p=235–236}} In his last years Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar seems to have begun behaving irrationally, "pay[ing] no heed to son or daughter," and was deeply suspicious of his sons.{{sfn|Foster|2009|p=131}} The kings who came after him ruled only briefly and [[Nabonidus]], apparently not of the royal family, was overthrown by the Persian conqueror [[Cyrus the Great]] less than twenty-five years after Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar's death.

Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar is an important character in the [[Book of Daniel]]written in Chaldean language, a collection of legendary tales and visions dating from the 2nd century BC.{{sfn|Collins|2002|p=2}} The consensus among scholars is that [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] never existed and was apparently chosen for the hero of the book because of his traditional reputation as a wise seer.{{sfn|Collins|1999|p=219}}{{sfn|Redditt|2008|p=180}} [[Daniel 1]] introduces Nebuchadnezzar as the Chaldean king who takes Daniel and other Hebrew youths into captivity in Babylon, there to be trained in the magical arts. Through the help of God, Daniel excels in his studies, and the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign he interprets the king's dream of a huge image as God's prediction of the rise and fall of world powers, starting with Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom ([[Daniel 2]]). Nebuchadnezzar twice admits the power of the God of the Hebrews: first after [[Yahweh]] saves [[Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego|three of Daniel's companions]] from a fiery furnace ([[Daniel 3]]) and secondly after Nebuchadnezzar himself suffers a humiliating period of madness, as Daniel predicted ([[Daniel 4]]).

The [[Book of Jeremiah]] contains a prophecy about Nebuchadnezzar as the "destroyer builder of nations" (Jer. 4:7) and gives an account of the [[siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)|siege of Jerusalem]] (587 BC) and the looting and destruction of the [[Solomon's Temple|First Temple]] (Jer. 39:1–10; 52:1–30).

According to [[Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari]], Nebuchadnezzar, whose Persian name was Bukhtrashah, was of Persian descent, from the progeny of Jūdharz, however modern scholars are unanimous that he was either a native Mesopotamian ([[Assyria]]n-[[Babylonia]]n) or a [[Chaldea]]n. Some medieval writers erroneously believed he lived as long as 300 years.<ref name="Ṭabarī 1987 43–70">{{cite book|last=Ṭabarī|first=Muḥammad Ibn-Ǧarīr Aṭ-|title=The History of Al-Tabarī|year=1987|publisher=State Univ. of New York Pr.|pages=43–70}}</ref> While much of what is written about Chaldean king Nebuchadnezzar depicts a ruthless great warrior, some texts describe a ruler who was concerned with both spiritual and moral issues in life and was seeking divine guidance.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wiseman|first=D.J.|title=Nebuchadrezzar and Babylon|year=1985|publisher=Oxford}}</ref>

Chaldean king Nebuchadnezzar was seen as a strong, conquering force in Islamic Middle eastern texts and historical compilations, like [[Al-Tabari]]. The [[Babylon]]ian leader used force and destruction to grow an empire. He conquered kingdom after kingdom, including [[Phoenicia]], [[Philistia]], [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]], [[Ammon]], [[Moab]], and more.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tabouis |first=G.R. |title=Nebuchadnezzar|year=1931|publisher=Whittlesey House|page=3}}</ref> The most notable events that Tabari’s collection focuses on is the [[Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)|destruction of Jerusalem]].<ref name="Ṭabarī 1987 43–70" />