Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, November 24th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Bible Encyclopedias
Dura
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Search for
or
dū´ra ( דּוּרא , dūrā' ): The name of the plain on which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, set up the great golden image which all his subjects were ordered to worship (Daniel 3:1 ). Oppert placed it to the Southeast of Babylon, near a small river and mounds bearing the name of Douair or Dûair , where, also, was what seemed to be the base of a great statue (Expéd. scientifique en Mésopotamie , I, 238 f). Others have believed that name to indicate a portion of the actual site of Babylon within the great wall (dûru ) of the city - perhaps the rampart designated dûr Šu -anna , "the rampart (of the city) Lofty-defense," a name of Babylon. The fact that the plain was within the city of Babylon precludes an identification with the city Dûru , which seems to have lain in the neighborhood of Erech (Hommel, Grundriss , 264, note 5). It is noteworthy that the Septuagint substitutes Δεειρά , Deeirá , for Dura, suggesting that the Greek translators identified it with the Babylonian Dêru , a city which apparently lay toward the Elamite border. It seems to have been called also Dûr -ı̂li , "god's rampart." That it was at some distance is supported by the list WAI , IV, 36 [38, where Dûru , Tutul and Gudua (Cuthah), intervene between Dêru or Dûr -ı̂li and Tindir (Babylon). "The plain of the dûr " or "rampart" within Babylon would therefore seem to be the best rendering.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and were generously provided by the folks at WordSearch Software.
Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. Entry for 'Dura'. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/​encyclopedias/​eng/​isb/​d/dura.html. 1915.