Strange Story: Daniel 1 The Name Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar was actually a Jewish mockery of his real name, which was Nebuchadrezzar. The small alteration caused by changing the n to an r made a big difference in the meaning. Several meanings have been offered for Nebuchadrezzar as follows: “Nebo protect my heir (my first born son), Nebo protect the boundary, Nebo protect your servant.”

In contrast Nebuchadnezzar meant “Nebo protect my jackass.”

You will notice that the book of Daniel consistently utilizes the incorrect name for this king. It seems that the Jews often used mocking names unless they were in earshot of people who would be offended. So the biblical text is simply using the name that the other Jews were accustomed to using. At the same time, the writer of the biblical text knew it was a mockery and he used it that way on purpose. Even when the Bible mentions the military exploits of this king, or the splendor of his kingdom, it utilizes this mocking name to remind the reader that this man was not that great after all. True greatness comes from faithfully following the true God, as Daniel did.