Chaldees

The Chaldees (or Chaldeans) were the inhabitants of Chaldea, the southern region of Babylonia. They rose from tribal origins in lower Mesopotamia to dominate the entire Babylonian empire under Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar II, establishing the Neo-Babylonian empire (626–539 BC) that destroyed Jerusalem and carried Judah into exile. In the Old Testament they serve as the primary agent of God's judgment on apostate Judah (2 Kgs. 25; Jer. 39; Ezek. 23). In the book of Daniel, Chaldeans is also used as a professional title for the class of astrologers, magicians, and diviners in the royal court (Dan. 2:2, 4, 5, 10), who may have been a guild descended from or associated with Chaldean priestly tradition.