1255. Berodak Baladan

Lexical Summary

Berodak Baladan: Berodak Baladan

Original Word: בְּרֹאדַךְ בַּלְאֲדָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Bro'dak Bal'adan
Pronunciation: beh-roh-dak' bal-ah-dan'
Phonetic Spelling: (ber-o-dak' bal-ad-awn')
KJV: Berodach-baladanBirliy
NASB: Berodach-baladan
Word Origin: [a variation of H4757 (מְראוֹדַך בַּלאָדָן - Merodach-baladan)]

1. Berodak-Baladan, a Babylonian king

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Berodach-baladan

A variation of Mro'dak Bal'adan; Berodak-Baladan, a Babylonian king -- Berodach-baladan.Birliy.

see HEBREW Mro'dak Bal'adan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
"he has given a son," a Bab. king (the same as NH4757)
NASB Translation
Berodach-baladan (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בְּרֹאדַךְ בַּלְאֲדָן proper name, masculine see below מְרֹדַךְ.

בִּרְאִי see בית בראי below בית.

בַּרְבֻּרִים see below ברר.

ברד (compare Arabic be or become cold).

Topical Lexicon

Identity

Berodach-baladan is the Babylonian ruler who appears once under this spelling (2 Kings 20:12). Elsewhere he is called Merodach-baladan (Isaiah 39:1). Contemporary cuneiform records identify him as Marduk-apla-iddina II, a Chaldean prince who usurped Babylon’s throne in the years following the Assyrian overthrow of Samaria (circa 721 BC) and again for a brief period in 703–702 BC.

Historical background

• First reign (721–710 BC): With Assyria distracted, he established independence, forged alliances with Elam, and encouraged anti-Assyrian revolts across the Levant.
• Deposition and exile: Sargon II drove him from Babylon, yet he remained a rallying point for opposition until his second, short-lived return (703–702 BC) before Sennacherib expelled him permanently.
• Final years: He died in Elam, still plotting against Assyria. The envoy to Hezekiah likely occurred during his initial reign when he sought partners in the west.

Biblical narrative (2 Kings 20:12)

“Berodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness.”

The visit followed Hezekiah’s miraculous recovery and the divine sign of the sun’s shadow reversing (2 Kings 20:8–11). Hezekiah, flattered by the diplomatic overture, displayed his treasuries and armory to the Babylonian envoys. Isaiah rebuked this act, announcing that “everything in your palace… will be carried off to Babylon” (2 Kings 20:17; Isaiah 39:6). Thus Berodach-baladan’s embassy became the catalyst for the prophecy of Judah’s future exile.

Prophetic significance

1. Foreshadowing of exile: Though Assyria was the dominant empire at the time, Isaiah’s word identified Babylon as the instrument of God’s future judgment, underscoring divine foreknowledge and the unity of Scripture.
2. Contrast of trust: Hezekiah had just trusted the LORD for healing and deliverance from Assyria (2 Kings 19). Yet his prideful reception of Babylon’s envoys illustrated how quickly the heart can shift from faith to self-exaltation.

Spiritual lessons

• Pride after blessing: Hezekiah’s openness to foreign flattery warns believers to guard humility even after great deliverances.
• Alliances versus reliance: Judah’s security rested in covenant faithfulness, not in geopolitical partnerships (Psalm 20:7).
• Certainty of God’s word: The later Babylonian captivity under Nebuchadnezzar vindicated Isaiah’s prophecy, reinforcing trust in the inerrant Scriptures.

Further biblical connections

• Isaiah 39 parallels 2 Kings 20 and uses the variant name Merodach-baladan, demonstrating textual harmony despite orthographic differences.
• Jeremiah 50–51 and Revelation 17–18 expand Babylon’s role as a symbol of worldly pride opposing God—a pattern introduced in the Berodach-baladan episode.
• 2 Chronicles 32:24–31 summarizes Hezekiah’s illness, the envoys, and the test of his heart, highlighting the didactic purpose behind recording the event.

Forms and Transliterations

בַּ֠לְאֲדָן בלאדן bal’ăḏān bal·’ă·ḏān Baladon

Englishman's Concordance

2 Kings 20:12
HEB: שָׁלַ֡ח בְּרֹאדַ֣ךְ בַּ֠לְאֲדָן בֶּֽן־ בַּלְאֲדָ֧ן
NAS: At that time Berodach-baladan a son
KJV: At that time Berodachbaladan, the son
INT: he sent Berodach-baladan A son of Baladan

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 1255
1 Occurrence

bal·’ă·ḏān — 1 Occ.