The term "Chaldees" refers to the people of Chaldea, an ancient region located in the southern part of Mesopotamia, corresponding to modern-day southern Iraq. The Chaldeans are often associated with the city of Babylon and played a significant role in the history of the Near East, particularly during the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Biblical References:

The Chaldees are mentioned several times in the Bible, often in connection with the patriarch Abraham and the Babylonian Empire. In Genesis 11:28, we read about the origins of Abraham: "And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans." This passage indicates that Abraham's family originated from Ur, a prominent city in Chaldea.

In Genesis 11:31, the narrative continues: "And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan." This migration marks a significant moment in biblical history, as it sets the stage for God's covenant with Abraham and the subsequent formation of the Israelite nation.

The Chaldeans are also noted for their role in the Babylonian Empire, which conquered Judah and led to the Babylonian Exile. In 2 Kings 24:2, the text states: "And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim to destroy Judah, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by His servants the prophets." This highlights the Chaldeans as instruments of divine judgment against Judah.

Cultural and Historical Context:

The Chaldeans were known for their advancements in astronomy, mathematics, and astrology. They contributed significantly to the cultural and scientific knowledge of the ancient world. The term "Chaldean" eventually became synonymous with "Babylonian," especially during the height of the Neo-Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar II.

Nebuchadnezzar's reign is particularly notable in the Bible, as he is the king who destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple in 586 BC, leading to the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews. This event is a pivotal moment in biblical history, as it fulfilled the prophecies of Jeremiah and other prophets regarding the consequences of Israel's disobedience to God.

Theological Significance:

From a theological perspective, the Chaldeans serve as a reminder of God's sovereignty over nations and history. Despite their role as conquerors and oppressors, the Bible portrays them as instruments in God's divine plan. The rise and fall of the Chaldean Empire demonstrate the transient nature of earthly powers and the ultimate authority of God over all creation.

The account of Abraham's departure from Ur of the Chaldeans also underscores themes of faith and obedience. Abraham's willingness to leave his homeland and follow God's call is a foundational example of faith in action, setting a precedent for believers to trust in God's promises and guidance.

In summary, the Chaldees hold a significant place in biblical history, both as the origin of the patriarch Abraham and as key players in the events leading to the Babylonian Exile. Their legacy is intertwined with the unfolding of God's redemptive plan for His people.Or Chaldeans, the inhabitants of the country of which Babylon was the capital. They were so called till the time of the Captivity (2 Kings 25; Isaiah 13:19; 23:13), when, particularly in the Book of Daniel (5:30; 9:1), the name began to be used with special reference to a class of learned men ranked with the magicians and astronomers. These men cultivated the ancient Cushite language of the original inhabitants of the land, for they had a "learning" and a "tongue" (1:4) of their own. The common language of the country at that time had become assimilated to the Semitic dialect, especially through the influence of the Assyrians, and was the language that was used for all civil purposes. The Chaldeans were the learned class, interesting themselves in science and religion, which consisted, like that of the ancient Arabians and Syrians, in the worship of the heavenly bodies. There are representations of this priestly class, of magi and diviners, on the walls of the Assyrian palaces.UR OF THE CHALDEES

kal'-dez ('ur kasdim; he chora (ton) Chaldaion): For more than 2,000 years efforts have been made to identify the site of this city. The writers of the Septuagint, either being unfamiliar with the site, or not considering it a city, wrote chora, "land," instead of Ur. Eupolemus, who lived about 150 B.C., spoke of it as being a city of Babylonia called Camarina, which he said was called by some Ouria. Stephen (Acts 7:2, 4) regarded the place as being in Mesopotamia. The Talmud, however, as well as some later Arabic writers, regarded Erech (the Septuagint Orek) as the city. The cuneiform writing of this city, Urnki, would seem to support this view, but Erech is mentioned in Genesis. Ammianus Marcellinus identified the city with the castle of Ur in the desert between Hatra and Nisibis, but this was only founded in the time of the Persians. Owing to its nearness to Haran, and because Stephen placed it in Mesopotamia, Urfa or Oorfa, named Edessa by the Greeks, has also in modern times been identified as the city. But Seleucus is credited with having built this city.

The most generally-accepted theory at the present time is that Ur is to be identified with the modern Mugheir (or Mughayyar, "the pitchy") in Southern Babylonia, called Urumma, or Urima, and later Uru in the inscriptions. This borders on the district which in the 1st millennium B.C. was called Chaldea (Kaldu).

This, some hold, accords with the view of Eupolemus, because Camarina may be from the Arabic name of the moon qamar, which refers perhaps to the fact that the ancient city was dedicated to the worship of the moon-god. Another argument which has been advanced for this identification is that Haran, the city to which Terah migrated, was also a center of moon-god worship. This, however, is precarious, because Urumma or Urima in Abraham's day was a Sumerian center, and the seat of Nannar-worship, whereas Haran was Semitic, and was dedicated to Sin. Although these two deities in later centuries were identified with each other, still the argument seems to have little weight, as other deities were also prominently worshipped in those cities, particularly Haran, which fact reminds us also that the Talmud says Terah worshipped no less than 12 deities.

It should be stated that there are scholars who hold, with the Septuagint, that Ur means, not a city, but perhaps a land in which the patriarch pastured his flocks, as for instance, the land of Uri or Ura (Akkad). The designation "of the Chaldeans" was in this case intended to distinguish it from the land where they were not found.

Still another identification is the town Uru (Mar-tu) near Sippar, a place of prominence in the time of Abraham, but which was lost sight of in subsequent periods (compare Amurru, 167). This fact would account for the failure to identify the place in the late pre-Christian centuries, when Urima or Uru still flourished. Western Semites-for the name Abram is not Babylonian-lived in this city in large numbers in the age when the patriarch lived. The Babylonian contract literature from this, as well as other sites, is full of names from the western Semitic lands, Aram and Amurru. This fact makes it reasonable that the site should be found in Babylonia; but, as stated, although the arguments are by no means weighty, more scholars at the present favor Mugheir than any other site.

A. T. Clay

3778. Kasdi -- a region of S. Bab. and its inhab.
... and its inhab. NASB Word Usage Chaldea (7), Chaldeans (71), Chaldeans' (1),
Chaldees (1). Chaldeans, Chaldees, inhabitants of Chaldea. ...
/hebrew/3778.htm - 6k

Chapter xii
... word of the Lord came unto Abram, it will be found that these experiences make a
total of eight, or, counting the original word in Ur of Chaldees according to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xii.htm

The End
... was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate, between
two walls, which is by the king's garden; (now the Chaldees were against ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the end.htm

Abraham's Four Surrenders
... he departed out of Haran.". It was several years before this that God first
told him to leave Ur of the Chaldees. Then he came to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/men of the bible/i abrahams four surrenders.htm

Of the Kings and Times of the Earthly City which were Synchronous ...
... then, who succeeded his father Belus, the first king of Assyria, was already the
second king of that kingdom when Abraham was born in the land of the Chaldees. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 2 of the kings and.htm

Entire Sanctification in Patriarchal Times.
... Abraham dwelt with his father, Terah, who was an idolater, in Ur of the Chaldees,
when he received the call of God to go entirely away from his kindred and his ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter iii entire sanctification in.htm

Here Beginneth the Story of Judith
... This people dwelled first in Mesopotamia, and was of the progeny of the Chaldees,
but would not dwell there for they would not follow the gods of their fathers ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here beginneth the story of.htm

From Abraham to Egypt.
... Ur of the Chaldees, the birth place and home of Abraham, was the seat of the great
temple of the moon-god, and this sanctuary became so famous that the moon ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter iv from abraham to.htm

The Israelites
... Israel traced its origin to Babylonia. It was from "Ur of the Chaldees" that Abraham
"the Hebrew" had come, the rock out of which it was hewn. ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

Appendix. The Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament.
... It gives the history of the temple and its service from Josiah to Ezra"its restoration
by Josiah, destruction by the Chaldees, rebuilding and reestablishment ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/appendix the apocryphal books of.htm

Chapter xi
... Terah begat Abram and Nahor and Haran. And Haran begat Lot. And Haran died before
Terah, his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of Chaldees. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xi.htm

Chaldees (13 Occurrences)
... palaces. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. UR OF THE CHALDEES. kal ... site. AT Clay.
Multi-Version Concordance Chaldees (13 Occurrences). Genesis ...
/c/chaldees.htm - 15k

Chalde'ans (74 Occurrences)
... RSV). Genesis 11:28 And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in
the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. (See RSV). ...
/c/chalde'ans.htm - 29k

Terah (12 Occurrences)
... He settled in "Ur of the Chaldees," where his son Haran died, leaving behind him
his son Lot. Nahor settled at Haran, a place on the way to Ur. ...
/t/terah.htm - 13k

Ur (5 Occurrences)
... Light, or the moon city, a city "of the Chaldees," the birthplace of Haran (Genesis
11:28, 31), the largest city of Shinar or northern Chaldea, and the ...
/u/ur.htm - 15k

Haran (19 Occurrences)
... He died before his father (Genesis 11:27), in Ur of the Chaldees. ... They went
forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. ...
/h/haran.htm - 17k

Chaldea (8 Occurrences)
... The ancestor of the Hebrew people, Abram, was, we are told, born at "Ur of the
Chaldees." "Chaldees" is a mistranslation of the Hebrew Kasdim, Kasdim being the ...
/c/chaldea.htm - 25k

Chesed (1 Occurrence)
... English Versions of the Bible follows the Assyrian and Greek style of writing
the name and uses Chaldees or Chaldeans instead of Casdim. ...
/c/chesed.htm - 8k

Sarai (13 Occurrences)
... 29. She is here mentioned as the wife that Abraham "took," while still
in Ur of the Chaldees, that is, while among his kindred. ...
/s/sarai.htm - 20k

Abram (48 Occurrences)
... They went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came
to Haran and lived there. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/a/abram.htm - 21k

Nativity (9 Occurrences)
... Nativity (9 Occurrences). Genesis 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in
the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). ...
/n/nativity.htm - 11k

Where was Ur of the Chaldees? | GotQuestions.org

What was Abraham's religion before God called him? | GotQuestions.org

Questions about Places in the Bible (All) | GotQuestions.org

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