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Metaphysical meaning of Nebuchadnezzar (mbd)

Metaphysical meaning of Nebuchadnezzar (mbd)
Nebuchadnezzar, neb-u-chad-nez'-zär (Heb. fr. Chald.)--Nebo chief protector; Mercury fire of the gods; Nebo the lord of brightness; Nebo the original fire; may Nebo protect; great king of Mercury.

King of Babylon, who conquered Judea and took the Jewish people, as a nation, captive to Babylon (Dan. 1:1; 2; 3; 4). He is called Nebuchadrezzar in the book of Jeremiah (see Jer. 52:28).

Meta. The word Nebuchadnezzar means Nebo chief protector, or may Nebo protect. Nebo was the Babylonian or Chaldean god of wisdom (Nebo the lord of brightness). Nebuchadnezzar represents in us the human will backing itself up by the human intellect; this brings about human judgment. A king always represents some function of the will. The will intrenched in intellectual learning, giving its full attention to material subjects, is very powerful up to a certain point. It feels itself to be all-powerful, but there comes a time when it realizes its weakness and inability, as Nebuchadnezzar learned.

The Hebrew developments from the word Nebuchadnezzar or Nebuchadrezzar are: pouring out of restraining tribulation; outflowing of stored-up calamities; pouring forth of adverse treasures. Take these in conjunction with the idea of "judgment" as explained in the former paragraph, and we perceive that Nebuchadnezzar also represents the emotional child of nature, who wants to fulfill all desires of the soul whether they be good for him or not. The world is full of these Nebuchadnezzar people. We call them psychics. They are loath to stand on their own judgment in any matter. When decision is required of them they fly to some oracle. It may be a friend whose good advice they ask, or a medium, or they may even resort to the tossing of a coin or the cutting of a deck of cards. They are willful and they rule arbitrarily. Refusing to bring forth their own good judgment, they become mendacious and tyrannical. The ultimate of this sort of action is a return to the animal-instinct plane of consciousness, as described in Daniel 5:21.

It is really a dangerous thing to neglect the development of judgment. If we go to our friends for advice we are weakened. If we act without judgment we fall short in our efforts; and if we trust to oracles and luck we become demoralized and animalized, and suffer the result.

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Preceding Entry: Nebo
Following Entry: Nebushazban