Erech, an ancient Mesopotamian city that was part of Nimrod's kingdom and later inhabited by people who opposed the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.
Also known as Uruk · Archevite
Erech, also known as Uruk or Warka, was an ancient Mesopotamian city located in the southern part of modern-day Iraq. It is mentioned twice in the Bible, in Genesis 10:10 and Ezra 4:9.
In Genesis 10:10, Erech is listed as one of the cities that formed the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom in the land of Shinar (Babylonia). Nimrod, a mighty hunter and ruler, is described as establishing a powerful kingdom that included the cities of Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh.
Ezra 4:9 mentions the people of Erech among those who wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes of Persia, opposing the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple and the city walls after the Babylonian exile. This suggests that inhabitants of Erech were among those deported and resettled in other parts of the Persian Empire, and they sought to hinder the Jewish returnees' efforts to reestablish their homeland.
Archaeologically, Erech is one of the oldest cities in Mesopotamia, with evidence of continuous habitation from the 5th millennium BC. It was an important center of Sumerian culture and religion, known for its impressive ziggurats and the Gilgamesh Epic, one of the earliest known works of literature.
The biblical mentions of Erech, though brief, attest to its significance as an ancient Mesopotamian city and its interaction with the history and people of Israel, both in the early stages of civilization and during the post-exilic period.
Approximate location: 32.322, 45.636 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
(LXX., “Orech”), length, or Moon-town, one of the cities of Nimrod’s kingdom in the plain of Shinar (Gen. 10:10); the Orchoe of the Greeks and Romans. It was probably the city of the Archevites, who were transplanted to Samaria by Asnapper (Ezra 4:9). It lay on the left bank of the Euphrates, about 120 miles south-east of Babylon, and is now represented by the mounds and ruins of Warka. It appears to have been the necropolis of the Assyrian kings, as the whole region is strewed with bricks and the remains of coffins. “Standing on the summit of the principal edifice, called the Buwarizza, a tower 200 feet square in the centre of the ruins, the beholder is struck with astonishment at the enormous accumulation of mounds and ancient relics at his feet. An irregular circle, nearly 6 miles in circumference, is defined by the traces of an earthen rampart, in some places 40 feet high.”
(length), one of the cities of Nimrod’s kingdom in the land of Shinar, (Genesis 10:10) doubtless the same as Orchoe, 82 miles south and 43 east of Babylon, the modern designations of the site—Warka, Irka and Irak—bearing a considerable affinity to the original name.
length; health; physic
E'RECH (enduring), a city of Nimrod. Gen 10:10. Its people are called Achevites and noticed in connection with the Babylonians. Ezr 4:9, Jerome identifies Erech with Edessa, in Mesopotamia: others identity it with Orchoe or Orech of the Greek and Roman geographers. It corresponded to modern Warka, about 120 miles south-east of Babylon, where there are ruins of ancient buildings, and a rampart of earth nearly 6 miles in circumference and some places 40 feet high. There are ruins of three considerable buildings, the most important one being 200 feet square and about 100 feet high. Many of the bricks bear the name of Urukh, a king who is said to have lived about b.c. 2250. Warka is desolate — a city of tombs which even the jackal and hyena appear to shun.
E'RECH (enduring), a city of Nimrod. Gen 10:10. Its people are called Achevites and noticed in connection with the Babylonians. Ezr 4:9, Jerome
identifies Erech with Edessa, in Mesopotamia: others identity it with Orchoe or Orech of the Greek and Roman geographers. It corresponded to modern Warka, about 120 miles south-east of Babylon, where there are ruins of ancient buildings, and a rampart of earth nearly 6 miles in circumference and some places 40 feet high. There are ruins of three considerable buildings, the most important one being 200 feet square and about 100 feet high. Many of the bricks bear the name of Urukh, a king who is said to have lived about b.c. 2250. Warka is desolate — a city of tombs which even the jackal and hyena appear to shun.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0751
His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.