以赛亚书 13章19节 到 13章19节 背景资料 上一笔 下一笔

     * Babylon.
       Babylon, whose destruction and utter ruin are here predicted,
       was situated in the midst of a large plain, having a very deep
       and fruitful soil, on the Euphrates, about 252; miles
       south-east of Palmyra, and the same distance north-west of
       Susa and the Persian gulf, in lat. 32; degrees 30' N. and long.
       44; degrees 20' E.  According to Herodotus, it formed a perfect
       square, each side of which was 120; stadia, and consequently
       its circumference 480; stadia, or sixty miles; inclosed by a
       wall 200; cubits high, and fifty wide, on the top of which were
       small watch towers of one story high, leaving a space between
       them, through which a chariot and four might pass and turn.
       On each side were twenty-five gates of solid brass; from each
       of which proceeded a street, 150; feet broad, making in all
       fifty streets; which, crossing each other at right angles,
       intersected the city into 676; squares, extending four stadia
       and a half on each side, along which stood the houses, all
       built three or four stories high, and highly decorated towards
       the street; the interior of these squares being employed as
       gardens, pleasure grounds, etc.  Its principal ornaments were
       the temple of Belus, having a tower of eight stories, upon a
       base of a quarter of a mile square; a most magnificent palace;
       and the famous hanging gardens, or artificial mountains raised
       upon arches, and planted with large and beautiful trees.
       Cyrus took it by diverting the waters of the Euphrates, which
       ran through the midst, and entering by the channel; and the
       river being never restored to its proper course, overflowed
       the whole country, and made it a morass.  Darius Hystaspes
       afterwards depopulated the place, lowered the walls, and
       demolished the gates; Xerxes destroyed the temples; the
       building of Seleucia nearly exhausted it of its inhabitants; a
       king of the Parthians carried a number of them into slavery,
       and destroyed the most beautiful parts; so that modern
       travellers describe it as a mass of shapeless ruins, the
       habitation of wild beasts.

     # 14:4-6,12-15; Jer 51:41; Da 2:37,38; 4:30|
     * when God overthrow.  Heb. the overthrowing of.
     # Ge 19:24; De 29:23; Jer 49:18; 50:40; Zep 2:9|