Calneh(canneh)
“Fort of the god Anu”
Summary
One of Nimrod's four original cities in the land of Shinar, later conquered by Assyria and cited by prophets as an example of divine judgment on proud nations.
☩Nimrod's City
Calneh was the fourth city of Nimrod's kingdom, following Babel, Erech, and Accad in the land of Shinar. The name is thought to mean 'the fort of the god Anu,' who was one of the chief objects of Babylonian worship. It is probably identical with the Calno of Isaiah and the Canneh of Ezekiel.
☩Prophetic References
In the time of the prophet Amos, Calneh appears to have been an independent principality. However, it was soon conquered by Assyria and never recovered its prosperity. Isaiah's rhetorical question 'Is not Calno as Carchemish?' demonstrates that Calneh fell to Assyrian might just as other great cities had, serving as a warning to Judah. Ezekiel mentions Canneh (likely the same city) among places that traded with Tyre, indicating it remained a commercial center even after its political decline.
☩Identification
Scholars have proposed various identifications for Calneh. Some identify it with Ctesiphon on the Tigris, supported by the Chaldee translation and the fact that the district was called Chalonitis by the Greeks. More recent explorers suggest the site is modern Niffer (ancient Nippur), about sixty miles southeast of Babylon, which the Talmud identifies with Calneh and Arab traditions regard as the original Babylon where Nimrod attempted to build his tower.
Related Verses4 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Calneh," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Calneh," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Calneh," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Calneh," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).