Nimrod (nžm'ro¬d). [Heb. Nimrod, which is usually explained to have been derived from the name of the Assyrian god Nimurta.] One of the outstanding leaders in the period between Noah and Abraham. He was a son or descendant of Cush, but distinguished himself more than the other sons of Cush mentioned in Gen 10:7, 8, who appear only as ancestral heads of tribes. Nimrod is described as a mighty hunter, a monarch, the founder of the first kingdom on earth, and the builder of several famous cities, such as Babel, Erech (Uruk), Accad, Nineveh, and Calah (vs 8-12). See The Assyrian Empire Under Ashurbanipal. In Mic 5:6 Assyria is called the land of Nimrod, and to the present day Nimrod's name clings to ruin sites; for example, the site of ancient Calah in Assyria is now called NimruÆd, and that of ancient Borsippa in Babylonia is called Birs NimruÆd. It is still unexplained how Nimrod, a Cushite, gained so much influence and power in the Mesopotamian valley, the home of the Semites.

Horn, Siegfried H., Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1979.