The Aramaic form of the name of Babylon's most famous king, who reigned from about 605 to 562 BC. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, destroyed Solomon's temple in 586 BC, and carried the people of Judah into exile — the defining catastrophe of Old Testament history. In Daniel, he appears as both adversary and eventual acknowledger of God's sovereignty, moving from arrogant self-exaltation to humbled confession (Dan 2–4). Ezra recalls him as the one who carried away the temple vessels (Ezra 5:12, 14; 6:5). The spelling varies between נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר and נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר, but all forms refer to the same individual. Transliterations across languages — Spanish 'Nabucodonosor,' French 'Nebucadnetsar,' German 'Nebukadnezar' — preserve distinct traditions of rendering the Babylonian name Nabû-kudurri-uṣur.