Places in the Bible Today:

Babylon 3

Data

Translated NameBabylon
Typesettlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

4 Possible Identifications

  1. another name for Rome (ancient): more than 95% confidence

    1. panorama of ruins at RomeRome

  2. not a place (symbolic): 15% confidence
  3. another name for Babylon 1 (ancient): less than 10% confidence

    1. Ishtar gate from BabylonBabylon

  4. another name for Jerusalem (ancient): less than 10% confidence

    1. aerial cityscape of JerusalemJerusalem

Verses (6)

Rev 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:2, 18:10, 18:21

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookBabylon the Great
OpenBible.info (2007)Babylon
OpenBible.infoa3f0756 (Babylon 3)
TIPNRBabylon@Gen.10.10
UBS Names Databasent ID_190

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Babylon (place)
  2. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013): Babylon
  3. CSB Study Bible (2017): Rev 16:17-21
  4. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Babylon
  5. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011): Babylon
  6. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Babylon in the NT
  7. IVP New Testament Bible Background Commentary (1993): Rev 14:8
  8. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Babylon
  9. New Bible Dictionary (1996): Babylon
  10. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009): Babylon, NT
  11. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988): Babylon
  12. Revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary (2012): Rev 17:1-18 overview
  13. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Babylon
  14. Wright, New Testament in Its World (2019): Rev 17:1-19:10
  15. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Babylon
  16. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010): Babylon (NT)
  17. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): 1Pet 5:13; Rev 14:8

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others (in this case, another name for Rome), then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Places with Similar Names

Thumbnail Image Credits

Chalaph, Radomir Vrbovsky, Godot13

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.