Athbash

A Hebrew cryptograph, a secret writing system used to hide messages.

  • The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is replaced by the last letter.

  • The second letter is replaced by the next-to-last letter.

  • This pattern continues for all letters.

This secret writing system was used in Jeremiah 51:1 for the word “Chaldea." It was also used in Jeremiah 25:26 and 51:41 for the word “Babylon” (written as “Sheshach.”)

The Septuagint, the early Greek translation of the Old Testament, correctly translated these codes as “Chaldea” and “Babylon” respectively.

From Tyndale Bible Dictionary, adapted by Mission Mutual. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Scripture References (3)