Baladan

Baladan was the father of Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon. He is mentioned only in the patronymic: Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon (2 Kings 20:12; Isaiah 39:1). Merodach-baladan sent envoys with letters and gifts to Hezekiah when the Judahite king recovered from his illness — an embassy that likely had political motives, as Merodach-baladan was at that time seeking allies against Assyrian power. Hezekiah showed the Babylonian envoys all his treasures, prompting Isaiah's prophecy that all those treasures would one day be carried to Babylon.

Baladan himself is otherwise unknown in the biblical text. His son Merodach-baladan is well attested in Assyrian and Babylonian records as the Chaldean chieftain who twice seized the Babylonian throne and proved one of Sargon II's most persistent opponents. Baladan's significance is entirely derived from his role as the named father of this historically prominent king.