Question: Is Nineveh a real city or is it just a fictional place used in the Bible for teaching purposes?
Nineveh was the capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire and one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world:
· Location: Located in modern-day Mosul, Iraq, on the eastern bank of the Tigris River
· History: The city was occupied from around 6000 BC to AD 600. It became the Assyrian capital around 700 BC under Sennacherib, who transformed the existing city into his imperial capital. Nineveh was destroyed in 612 BC by a coalition led by Babylonians and Medes
· Size: The city wall of Nineveh had a circumference of over 12 km
· Importance: Nineveh was a major centre for the development of arts and learning. It was also home to gardens, statuary, parks, and a zoo
· Name: The name of the city is likely related to the prefix Nin or Nina, which often appears in the names of deities. It could have meant "House of the Goddess" or "House of Ishtar"
· Notable features: The palace of Sennacherib included a throne room suite, a bīt-ḫilāni room, and cast bronze columns with lion bases (Google).
· (Comment): Nineveh is noted in the Bible for sin and vice; which is why Jonah was requested by God to visit and to warn the Citizens! (Jonah is in the Belly of “the great fish”; for 3 days and nights;) which is a precursor to the Lord’s “death and Resurrection”; which was the only sign that He would allow for Israel; when He was pressed for a sign of His Messiahship!
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