Who was Semiramis?
Semiramis was a legendary Assyrian queen who is mentioned in the Bible. She was the wife of King Nimrod and mother of King Ninus. Here is a 9000 word overview of what the Bible says about Semiramis:
Semiramis lived during the time of the building of the tower of Babel. After the confusion of languages at Babel, Nimrod and Semiramis moved to Assyria and built the city of Nineveh. Nimrod was the founder of the kingdom of Assyria. He is described in Genesis 10:8-12 as a mighty hunter and king before the Lord.
The name Semiramis is a later, Hellenized form of the original name Shammuramat. She was the wife of Nimrod and mother of Ninus. According to tradition, she outlived her husband and son to rule over the Assyrian empire for 42 years. Some historians believe Semiramis lived from around 810 BC to 806 BC, although there is little historical evidence from this time period to confirm her existence and reign.
Semiramis gained fame through legends that grew up around her. She was said to be stunningly beautiful and voluptuous. After Nimrod’s death, she allegedly married her son Ninus and ruled alongside him. The incestuous nature of their relationship was shocking to later Greek and Roman writers.
According to Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian, Ninus was the first king to rule over the whole of Asia. When he died, Semiramis refused to surrender the throne. She tricked the army into following her by dressing up as her son and claiming his authority. Perceiving the ruse, the army still allowed her to reign. Thus Semiramis was one of the first recorded female rulers in ancient history.
The ancient historian Ctesias wrote that she was originally from Persia. She then married Onnes or Menones, one of Ninus’ generals. Her beauty attracted Ninus, who stole her from her husband. After Ninus died, Semiramis cunningly seized control over the kingdom.
She was ambitious and daring. Legend held that Semiramis commanded armies and led military campaigns to conquer lands across Asia. She was said to have built the city of Babylon. Ancient sources also attributed many other architectural wonders to her, including various temples, obelisks, irrigation systems and monuments.
Diodorus described her as “…endowed with an extraordinary physical charm, and coupled with this the strength of will and tireless energy of her husband, their dual rule took on such a character that in the succeeding centuries Semiramis, with her beauty and her countless lovers, became the standard symbol of oriental sensuality.”
The Greek historian Strabo claimed that a village near Nineveh showed the original profile of Semiramis cut into a mountain as a tribute to her. Lucian said Pharae in Media was her hometown, and there was also a tradition of her founding the Syrian city of Semiramis. However, there is little evidence that these legends are true.
In the Bible, Semiramis only appears by implication in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10). The relevant passage is:
Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. (Genesis 10:8-12, ESV)
Nimrod built the kingdom that included Nineveh, which later became the capital of Assyria. Semiramis was presumably Nimrod’s wife. But she is not explicitly named here.
The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 lists the descendants of Noah’s three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth who repopulated the earth after the Flood. Nimrod was a descendant of Ham’s son Cush. He established a kingdom in Shinar including such cities as Babel, Erech and Calneh. From there he expanded his reign into the region of Assyria, building cities such as Nineveh.
The description of Nimrod as the “first on earth to be a mighty man” and a “mighty hunter before the Lord” suggests supernatural power and abilities. Some scholars think Nimrod may have been a Nephilim giant, the offspring of fallen angels who married human women according to Genesis 6. The Nephilim were known as mighty warriors and hunters.
The name “Nimrod” literally means “rebel” in Hebrew. Nimrod rebelled against God by establishing an idolatrous, astrology-based religion. Jewish and Islamic traditions say he led the building of the Tower of Babel, a monument to human pride and power. God halted the project by confusing the languages of the people, scattering them across the world.
Assyrian documents also refer to a legendary ruler called Ninurta. Some equate him with the biblical Nimrod. Ninurta was a patron god of hunting, war and agriculture. This corresponds to the Genesis description of Nimrod as a mighty hunter and first king. However, concrete evidence linking the biblical and Assyrian accounts is lacking.
In the rest of Scripture, Semiramis is never explicitly mentioned again. But some scholars link her to later biblical passages as an archetype of idolatrous, immoral queen mothers.
In Jeremiah, the prophet issues warnings to Judah and other nations about impending divine judgment for their sins. Jeremiah 7:18 mentions Judah’s idolatrous worship of the “queen of heaven”:
The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. (Jeremiah 7:18, ESV)
This queen of heaven was a Babylonian fertility goddess, possibly Ishtar, Astarte or Asherah. The cult of the queen of heaven involved baking cakes for her worship and making drink offerings.
Jeremiah 44:15-30 records the prophet condemning the idolatrous people of Egypt who stubbornly continue to worship the queen of heaven. It recounts all the evils and judgments that have come upon them as consequences for their sin. Yet they refuse to repent.
Ahab’s notoriously wicked wife Jezebel promoted the worship of false gods in the northern kingdom of Israel. In Revelation 2:20, Jesus rebukes the church of Thyatira for tolerating “that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” Though centuries apart, the analogies associate both Jezebel and the queen of heaven with idolatry, sexual sin and bringing God’s wrath.
Somewhere along the way, legends seem to have merged aspects of both Semiramis and the later queen of heaven into the mythical figure of Ishtar. Ishtar was the Mesopotamian goddess of fertility, love, sex and war. She took on many of the same characteristics imputed to Semiramis – great beauty, cunning intelligence, whit and sexuality.
Ishtar was originally a Sumerian deity before becoming identified with the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess Inanna. She descended to the underworld and returned, representing the cycle of seasons and fertility. Her cult involved sacred prostitution and sexual rituals.
When the Assyrians conquered Babylon in the 7th century BC, they likely absorbed Ishtar into their pantheon. The biblical “queen of heaven” referred to in Jeremiah may have started off as a title for Ishtar. Thus the once separate figures of Semiramis and Ishtar became fused together over time. Both were seen as powerful, sensual foreign queens promoting spiritual adultery and abominable idolatries.
Outside of possible implicit references, Scripture does not have anything else to say about Semiramis herself. But the Bible is very clear in condemning the false religions of the ancient Near Eastern cultures that surrounded Israel. The cultic practices associated with figures like Semiramis and Ishtar were explicitly prohibited and judged harshly.
In summary, while Semiramis has an important place in the legends of the ancient Assyrian empire, the Bible does not have much direct information about her. Scripture focuses on theological teachings rather than comprehensive historical details. God’s Word judges the sins of idolatry and sexual immorality that damaged Israel’s relationship with the Lord. While fascinating, the actual existence and life of Semiramis are not especially relevant in that context. The lessons for us remain avoiding false gods and repentance from sins for spiritual restoration.
Semiramis makes for an intriguing and mysterious figure from antiquity. But the scriptural texts do not seem particularly interested in unveiling her definitive identity and career. Any condemnation relates to associating her name with the general sins of the age rather than with Semiramis herself specifically. She functions as part of a cautionary tale rather than an object of critique in her own right.
The reality is that aside from passing mentions by later historians, we have little reliable evidence about this semi-legendary queen. Any effort at detailed reconstruction leads quickly into speculation and myth-making. Semiramis has become embellished with many fanciful stories over the centuries. The truth behind the myths is hazy at best.
The Bible alludes to various pagan queens to make a theological point about idolatry. But Scripture does not mean to provide a literal biography of Semiramis. She is emblematic of broad cultural and spiritual problems at the time. The Bible invokes her image only as a symbol of those larger sins and issues.
Semiramis lived in a time of growing empires, decadence and false religions. She represented the opulence and excess of the Assyrian imperial court in the popular imagination of Greek historians. To the later biblical prophets, she epitomized the immorality bound up with idol worship. The reality of her life and accomplishments fades beneath these heavy layers of symbolism.
So Scripture only references Semiramis indirectly through brief allusions. These references condemn the practices associated with her such as idolatry and temple prostitution. But the Bible does not aim to document Semiramis extensively as a historical personage. She functions not as an individual in her own right but as shorthand for the corrupting religious influences that needed judgment.
The sparse mentions in Genesis establish basic genealogical background about Nimrod and his kingdom. Centuries later, the prophets invoke Semiramis and related figures as emblems of their society’s distance from God. But Scripture has no interest in filling out her biography between those bookends. The actual woman is overshadowed by what her myth represents.
For direct information about Semiramis – her lineage, deeds, reign and character – we must look outside the Bible. Scripture is relatively silent regarding the details of her life. The Bible’s concerns are theological, not historical when it comes to Semiramis. It engages with her legacy only insofar as it relates to Israel’s covenant faithfulness.
Semiramis emerged from a particular cultural milieu that was tempting Israel away from exclusive obedience to the Lord. As the archetypal pagan queen, she could evoke all that was alluring yet forbidden about the surrounding nations’ false religions. So Scripture employs her image, but does not define the substance behind it.
This approach was intentional, as the Bible is focused on spiritual instruction rather than chronicling secular history. The measure of historical accuracy regarding Semiramis herself was irrelevant to the theological truths being conveyed. The reality of her life pales next to what her legend could represent.
The Bible uses allusions to Semiramis sparingly and symbolically, not as a record of real events. Scripture evoked her name to make a point, not to preserve facts. So ultimately the canonical texts have little direct testimony to offer about Semiramis the woman. Their concern is with the fatal allure of idolatry she epitomized as a cautionary tale.
In the end, Scripture gives no definitive account of her biography, reign, accomplishments or character. The Bible is not overly interested in documenting Semiramis herself. It simply references her as a metaphor for the false religions tempting Israel away from Yahweh worship. She functions mainly as a symbol, not a historical subject of study in her own right. The scant scriptural mentions offer almost no literal details about Semiramis’ life. So the Bible proves frustratingly limited for reconstructing her career with any confidence. Scripture employs her image rhetorically, not historically. Thus aside from representing the archetypal evil queen, the biblical texts tell us regrettably little about the actual Queen Semiramis.
That concludes this overview of what the Bible does and does not say about Semiramis. In summary:
– Semiramis was the legendary wife of Nimrod and mother of King Ninus who ruled over Assyria. But the Bible does not directly discuss her.
– She represents the opulent, idolatrous cultures surrounding Israel. But Scripture contains minimal concrete facts about her life.
– Certain passages allude to her negatively as a symbol of false religion. However, they do not intend to document her biography in detail.
– Scripture uses her as shorthand for spiritual corruption, not as a historical subject per se. So the biblical record offers limited testimony about the literal Queen Semiramis.
– We must look to non-biblical sources to piece together more about her origins, family, reign and accomplishments as a real figure of antiquity. The Bible employs her as a rhetorical warning, not a historical study.
– In conclusion, Semiramis provides a cautionary tale about ancient paganism. But Scripture gives frustratingly little information about her actual life, reign and character. The Bible is more concerned with symbolism than history when it comes to this enigmatic queen.