Question
Who was Nimrod?
Answer
Nimrod was a great-grandson of Noah (son of Kush, who was the son of Ham). His story is briefly given in Gen. 10:8-12, where he is called "a mighty hunter before Ha-Shem". He was king in Babylon, and afterwards in Assyria, where he was the founder of the city of Nineveh. The Talmud (Eruvin 53a) identifies him with the king who tried to kill Abraham when he was a child (because of his opposition to idolatry).