סַמְגַּר נְבוֹ
Samgar-Nebo, a Babylonian general
Definition
Samgar-Nebo is the name of a Babylonian military official present at the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. He is listed among the chief officers of King Nebuchadnezzar who entered the city after its walls were breached (Jeremiah 39:3). The name is of foreign, likely Babylonian, origin, and his title 'Samgar' may be linked to a military or administrative role. As a proper noun, it refers solely to this specific historical figure involved in a pivotal moment of judgment against Judah.
Biblical Usage
This name is used only once in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 39:3. It appears in a historical list of Babylonian officials who 'sat in the Middle Gate' of Jerusalem, asserting their authority over the conquered city. The usage is purely referential, identifying a participant in the fulfillment of God's prophetic judgment through the Babylonian empire.
Etymology
The name 'Samgar-Nebo' is of foreign origin, as noted in Strong's. 'Samgar' is possibly a title or a corrupted form of a Babylonian name, while 'Nebo' refers to the Babylonian god Nabu, a deity of wisdom and writing. The name means something like 'Nebo has granted' or 'O Nebo, protect!', embedding it firmly within the pagan Babylonian cultural and religious context.
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not theologically loaded, its appearance is significant. Samgar-Nebo represents the human instruments of God's disciplinary judgment. His presence at Jerusalem's fall underscores the reality of God using even pagan nations and their officials (who worship other gods) to accomplish His sovereign purposes, a major theme in the prophets like Jeremiah.
As a Babylonian name incorporating the god 'Nebo', it immediately identifies the bearer as a pagan foreigner from the empire that conquered Judah. In the original setting, this name would have sounded distinctly alien and associated with the oppressive power that destroyed the kingdom. His role as a high official sitting in Jerusalem's gate symbolized the complete transfer of political and military authority from Judah to Babylon.
Nebushasban (Nᵉbûwshasbân, H5021) — Another Babylonian official named in the same verse (Jeremiah 39:3), also bearing the name of the god Nebo. Nergal-Sharezer (Nêrgal Sharʼeʹtser, H5371) — A Babylonian prince and official listed alongside Samgar-Nebo in Jeremiah 39:3.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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