MERATHAIM

(Mer·a·thaʹim) [probably, Double Rebellion].

A designation applying to Babylon or, possibly, to a particular territory in Babylonia. (Jer 50:21, 23, 24) It may allude to the nar marratu of Babylonian inscriptions, considered to be the Persian Gulf where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers enter into it. It is evidently a play on the Hebrew verb ma·rahʹ (be rebellious). As a dual form derived from ma·rahʹ, Merathaim may point to the intensity of Babylon’s rebellion. From the days of its founder Nimrod, Babylon’s course was one of rebellion against Jehovah.​—Ge 10:8-10.