Footnote

“Sheshach,” MVg; T, “Babel.” This appears to be a cryptographic name for Babel (Babylon) by the device called ʼath·bashʹ that disguises the true name by taking the last letter of the Heb. alphabet, Taw, for the first, ʼAʹleph, and the second to the last letter, Shin, for the second letter, Behth, and so on. Thus in “Babel” each Behth, “b,” would stand for Shin, Laʹmedh would stand for Kaph, and the name would become She·shakhʹ.