Before the Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar arose to power, the empire of Assyria ruled the world, as described in: "And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Who are you like in your greatness? Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of a high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations." (Ezekiel 31:1-6)
In 625 BC there was a revolt of the countries of Media, Babylon, and Egypt, all at once. The king of Assyria in person subdued the revolt in Media; while he sent his trusted general, Nabopolassar, to bring Babylon into subjection again. Both were entirely successful, Nabopolassar performing his part so well as to merit and receive from his sovereign the honorable title "King of Babylon." This Nabopolassar was the father of Nebuchadnezzar.
Affairs in the government of Assyria went from bad to worse, so that in 612 BC there was another grand revolt on the part of the same three countries, led this time by Nabopolassar himself. This one was completely successful: Nineveh was made a heap of ruins; and the Assyrian Empire was divided into three great divisions:
1. Media, holding the northeast and the extreme north,
2. Babylon holding Elam and all the plain and valleys of the Euphrates and the Tigris, and
3. Egypt holding all the country west of the Euphrates.
The seal of this alliance between Babylon and Media was the marriage of the daughter of the king of Media to Nebuchadnezzar, son of Nabopolassar.
It was in the performance of his part in the alliance against Assyria, that Pharaoh-Necho king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates when King Josiah of Judah went out to fight with him, and was slain at Megiddo. (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:20-22) Then as all this western territory pertained to the king of Egypt, it was in exercise of his legitimate sovereignty, gained by conquest, that he removed Shallum, the son of Josiah, from being king of Judah, and appointed Eliakim king of Judah in his stead, changing his name to Jehoiakim, and laid a tax upon the land. (1 Chronicles 3:15; 2 Kings 23:31-35)
Pharaoh-Necho, however, was not left very long to enjoy his share of the vanished empire of Assyria. In the year 607 BC, Nabopolassar associated Nebuchadnezzar with himself as king, and sent him on an expedition in invasion of the territory of Pharaoh-Necho. Thus it was that: "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim [607 BC] king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it." (Daniel 1:1)
He took part of the vessels of the house of God, and a number of captives, among whom was Daniel, and carried them to Babylon. This, of course, was resented by Pharaoh-Necho. Accordingly, "in the fourth year of Jehoiakim" he came out of Egypt on an expedition against Babylon. He went no farther than to Carchemish, however; for there he was met by Nebuchadnezzar, as is related in Jeremiah 46:1-10.
"Necho was overcome and put to flight; one single battle stripped him of all his conquests, and compelled him to retire into Egypt."--Lenormant. "And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt." (2 Kings 24:7)
At the time when Cyaxares of Media, Nabopolasser of Babylon, and Necho of Egypt, formed their triple alliance for the destruction of the Assyrian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabopolassar, was united in marriage to Amyitis, the daughter of Cyaxares.
Not long after the destruction of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire, there was war between Media and Lydia; but during a great battle there occurred an eclipse of the sun, which so awed both armies that they ceased fighting. This lull was seized upon by Nabopolasssar to intervene and ask both kings to come to an agreement, out of respect to the gods, who had so manifestly shown their displeasure by darkening the sun. He was successful. Peace was established, and the agreement was sealed by the marriage of the daughter of the king of Lydia to the son of the king of Media.
Thus Babylon, both by the prestige of her ancient and mighty name and by the good offices of Nabopolassar, strengthened herself in the position of a controlling influence over the two strong kingdoms of Media and Lydia. And when, shortly after this, Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabopolassar, conquered Necho of Egypt, at Carchemish by the Euphrates, drove him back to Egypt, and took possession of all his territories, even up to the River of Egypt itself, Babylon secured the decidedly predominant power over all.
Thus matters stood when, in 604, Nabopolassar died, and was succeeded immediately by Nebuchadnezzar, having already so signally displayed his ability in war by the defeat of the king of Egypt and the conquest of all Palestine and Syria, easily maintained the dignity and predominance of Babylon before all nations.
In addition to this, the family relationship of Babylon with Media and Lydia was now closer than before; for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was son-in-law to the king of Media, and brother-in-law to the heir of the throne of Media, who was sonin-law to the king of Lydia. All these influences gave Babylon, at the very beginning of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an easy predominance, which was only strengthened at every step throughout the long reign of the mighty Nebuchadnezzar.
Such was the position of Babylon before the world at the end of Daniel's three years of study in Babylon, when he had most successfully passed the final examination, and was chosen, with his three companions, to "stand before the king." (Daniel 1:5)--Advent Review, March 15, 1898.