Daniel 5:2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his . The Babylonian chronicles describe the actions and conquests of Cyrus in detail throughout Belshazzar's regency. Drinking bouts such as characterized Babylon were also common among other peoples, such as the Persians. Belshazzar (Balthazar), on the other hand, disappeared from history around 540 BC, when Darius the Great would have been roughly ten years of age. This explains why Belshazzar in the lineal descent from Nebuchadnezzar was honored as a coruler under Nabonidus. He was given a Babylonian name - Belteshazzar, meaning "Bel Protect his Life." 9 out of the 12 chapters in Daniel revolve around dreams. Nabonidus also had certain inscriptions made during the period of the regency edited to add prayers urging Belshazzar and the people of Babylonia to accept and receive Sn's blessing. In addressing the king, Daniel does not begin with a formal salutation as he does for instance in connection with Darius in Daniel 6:21 where he says, O king, live for ever. No doubt Daniel holds Belshazzar in contempt for his desecration of the sacred vessels. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. Belshazzar - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - StudyLight.org In its rise to power the Babylonian Empire had conquered Jerusalem, taken its inhabitants into captivity, looted its beautiful temple, and completely destroyed the city. No documents are dated to the "reign of Belshazzar", and no documents mention both Belshazzar and Nabonidus as if there was a formal co-regency. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. Not only would such a connection explain Nabonidus's rise to the throne (due to his being a member of the royal family), but it would also explain later historical traditions in which Belshazzar is described as Nebuchadnezzar's descendant. [21] Belshazzar is recorded as owning lands throughout Babylonia, for instance owning an agricultural settlement near Uruk. Belshazzar also lacked many of the prerogatives of kingship, most importantly he was not allowed to preside over and officiate the Babylonian New Year's festival, which was the exclusive right of the king himself. Thus the later tradition states that Cyrus and Darius were employed as doorkeepers of the royal palace. 184-85. The bridge was later supplemented by a tunnel mentioned by Diodorus. [45], Belshazzar partook in Babylon's defense against the invasion by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC. Instead, in verse 18 he recognizes him as king but then immediately delivers his prophetic message of condemnation. According to Berosus, Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of 43 years and was followed by his son Evil-Merodach. . After his murder the conspirators held a meeting, and by common consent conferred the kingdom upon Nabonnedus, a Babylonian and one of their gang. He was followed by King Belshazzar who ascended the throne in 3387 (374 BCE). Though oaths for most of the regency only refer to Nabonidus, some oaths from late in the regency were sworn by "the majesty of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, and Belshazzar, his son", or even by "the majesty of Nabonidus and Belshazzar". - Daniel 5:5-29: Belshazzar is killed when Cyrus of Persia invades Babylon. That means Daniel was 36 years old when Jerusalem and Solomon's temple were destroyed. Later, King Nebuchadnezzar had another dream, and again Daniel was able to interpret it. One possibility, suggested by Paul-Alain Beaulieu, is that Belshazzar was put in charge of Babylonia's defense and was moving with the army along the northern and eastern border. [26] The purpose for this prolonged stay, effectively self-exile, in Tayma are unclear and debated. Are Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar the same? - Kembrel.com Belshazzar (Babylonian cuneiform: Bl-ar-uur,[1][2] meaning "Bel, protect the king";[3] Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey Frank CLM","Frank Ruehl CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans} Blaar) was the son and crown prince of Nabonidus (r.556539 BC), the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The Revised Standard Version, following the Vulgate, adds in verse 3 and silver vessels. This act of sacrilege was an intentioned religious gesture in praise of the gods of Babylon mentioned in descending order of importance as gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. That Belshazzar well knew the blasphemous character of his act is evident from Daniel 5:13, 22. PDF Interesting Facts About Daniel - Bible Charts Belshazzar, son of Nabonidus, was the last king of Babylon during the time of Daniel . The text is definitely from the sixth century B.C. Belshazzar may have been the son of the king who is said in the same chronicle to have commanded the Babylonian army in Accad from the 6th to the 11th year of Nabunaid I; or, possibly longer, for the annals before the 6th and after the 11th year are broken and for the most part illegible. A plausible account of Berosus, in his third book, found in a fragment preserved by Josephus summarizes the history between Nebuchadnezzars death in 562 B.C. For discussion of Josephus account, see Keil, pp. Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the furnace but are unharmed. It was hard for the Babylonians to believe that even the Medes and the Persians who had surrounded their beloved city could possibly breach the fortifications or exhaust their supplies which were intended to be ample for a siege of many years. Instead, documents from the period in which Belshazzar was regent continued to be dated after the years of Nabonidus's reign. Freedman cites H. Louis Ginsberg (Studies in Daniel, pp. 245 The actual text of Berosus is as follows: After beginning the wall of which I have spoken, Nabuchodonosor fell sick and died, after a reign of forty-three years, and the realm passed to his son Evilmaraduch. Belshazzar then offers Daniel the same promise he made to the others of being clothed with scarlet and having a chain of gold and the privilege of being the third ruler in the kingdom, that is, the triumvir. 250 Cf. This, no doubt, prepared the way for the co-regency under Nabonidus which probably began 553 B.C., supporting Daniel 5. Young suggests, after some of the rabbis, that the characters may have been written vertically,281 and in that case in the Aramaic order they would have appeared as follows: If, in addition to the complications of the Aramaic, a language which was known, some unfamiliar form of their characters was used, it would indeed have required divine revelation to give a suitable explanation and interpretation, and may account for the difficulty in reading the writing. Montgomery, pp. Nebuchadnezzar died in the year 3364 (397 BCE) and was succeeded by his son Evil [pronounced eh-vil] Merodach whose reign extended for 23 years. He promises both to read and to make known the interpretation. 287 J. Keil, pp. Although there are alternative explanations and some dates vary, this succession of kings and identification of characters seems to have reasonable justification. So broad and strong were the walls that chariots four abreast could parade around its top. As Nabonidus assumed the throne in 556 B.C., only six years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, and Belshazzar was probably at least a teenager when Nebuchadnezzar diedif he was old enough to be coregent with Nabonidus in 553 B.C. it is possible that he was a genuine son of Nebuchadnezzar and that his mother, after Nebuchadnezzars death, was married to Nabonidus. Daniel was deported to Babylon (some 900 miles away) when he was sixteen years old. Under the stimulus of wine, the thought occurred to Belshazzar to bring in the gold and silver vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar almost seventy years before. Nabonidus fleeing Babylon went to Borsippa but was forced to surrender to Cyrus. Belshazzar became regent of Babylon in 549 when his father left for Tema so he was presumably already an adult at this time. Belshazzar, overcome by sickness, left the palace unobserved during the night through a rear exit. Daniel (Dn'il, or Danel) is also the name of a figure in the Aqhat legend from Ugarit. [11], The most important sources for the time of Belshazzar are the Nabonidus Chronicle, the Cyrus Cylinder, and the Verse Account of Naboniduswhich, despite its name, was commissioned by the Persian conqueror Cyrus the Great. Charles, for instance, suggests that the writing was in unfamiliar ideograms.272 This, however, is mere conjecture. Daniel 6:1-6, The administrators who are envious of Daniel tricks Darius to issue a decree prohibiting anyone to worship in the next thirty days or be thrown to the lions den. TEQEL means weighed, with the thought that Belshazzar has been put into the balances and found wanting, that is, short of true weight. Putting this together, we might expect Belshazzar to have been 40+ at the fall of Babylon when he was slain (539 BC). Since Belshazzar was the main beneficiary of the coup, through confiscating and inheriting Labashi-Marduk's estates and wealth, it is likely that he was the chief orchestrator. [20] This is supported by documents describing business transactions of Belshazzar mentioning the same locations, and even the same household and servants, as similar earlier documents of Neriglissar. [1], The ancient Greek historian Herodotus names the "last great queen" of the Babylonian Empire as Nitocris, though that name (nor any other name) is not attested in contemporary Babylonian sources. Daniel 3:1-6, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuses to pay homage to Nebuchadnezzars golden statue. In this period, a number of monarchs had succeeded Nebuchadnezzar. The fall of Lydia in 546 BC meant that the Neo-Babylonian Empire was now effectively encircled by a stronger kingdom which had nearly unlimited resources at its disposal. The reference to father may be construed as grandfather. As Pusey states, Neither in Hebrew, nor in Chaldee, is there any-word for grandfather, grandson. Forefathers are called fathers or fathers fathers. But a single grandfather, or forefather, is never called fathers father but always father only.263, The sacred vessels taken from Jerusalem had apparently been kept in storage without sacrilegious use from Nebuchadnezzars day until the occasion of this feast. Belshazzar was not allowed to officiate and oversee the Babylonian. The king was drinking wine with them. - Daniel 5:30 . This is another illustration of how critical objections based on lack of external evidence are frequently overthrown when the evidence is uncovered.253, Additional evidence that Nabonidus was away from Babylon on the night of Daniel 5 is given in the fragment from Berosus, previously cited, which indicates that Nabonidus had left Babylon only to be vanquished in battle and flee to Borsippa. [56], The broad consensus among scholars is that the Book of Daniel was compiled shortly after the Maccabean Revolt in the 160s BC. Nabonidus appoints his son, Belshazzar, as his co-regent. The command given to Abraham to cut in pieces three heifers (Genesis 15:9) as a part of the covenant established between him and his God was thus elucidated as symbolizing Babylonia, which gave rise to three kings, Nebuchadnezzar, Amel-Marduk, and Belshazzar, whose doom is prefigured by this act of "cutting to pieces" (Midrash Genesis Rabbah xliv.). Although it is possible to question the historicity of portions of the Prayer of Nabonidus, as it is undoubtedly apocryphal, the consensus of both liberal and conservative scholarship seems to take the account as repeating in the main a true story. Nabonidus also sometimes sent orders to Belshazzar, which Belshazzar was forced to respect and implement. This would be understandable if she was elderly and the widow of Nebuchadnezzar. The word for doubts ( qitrin) is actually knots, joints, difficult problems. The conspirators appointed Nabonidus, one of their number, who reigned for seventeen years before being defeated by Cyrus the Persian. Many of the streets were lined with buildings three and four stories high. In any case, the king was in no position to dispute with Daniel, even though Daniels words brought even greater fear and apprehension to his heart. If she were the wife of Nabonidus who was in captivity she probably would not have desired to come alone. 282 Since Prince, who wrote his commentary in 1899, many others have followed the suggestion of Clermont-Ganneau (Journal Asiatique) 1886, that the inscription contained a string of weight names. Daniel 3:13-15, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego continue to refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzars golden statue. But as they had been long aware of the restless spirit of Cyrus, and saw that he attacked all nations alike, they had laid up provisions for many years, and therefore were under no apprehensions about a siege. It is not at all surprising that the former king (or regent in this case, as Nabonidus was technically still king) was killed by the conquering power. [10] It is alternatively possible that later traditions of Belshazzar being a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar are derived from royal propaganda, and that there was no connection to the previous ruling Chaldean dynasty. 208-14. While the feast was in progress with its drinking of wine and shouting of praises to the gods of Babylon, suddenly there appeared the fingers of a mans hand which wrote on the plastered wall of the palace. 288 John C. Whitcomb, Jr., Darius the Mede, p. 73. The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. When the Medes and Persians under Cyrus Having stationed the bulk of his army near the passage of the river where it enters Babylon, and again having stationed another division beyond the city, where the river makes its exit, he gave order to his forces to enter the city as soon as they should see the stream fordable. Daniel 5:1-25 ERV. Daniel 8:1-12, Belshazzar holds a great feast and uses the holy vessels taken from Jerusalem. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 115-16; and T. G. Pinches, Babel, Babylon, in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1:350. Not only the record in Daniel but also the external evidence is now sufficient to support the conclusion that Belshazzars coregency is almost beyond question. Only when Nebuchadnezzar was properly humbled did God restore him to his glory and kingdom. 5:13-16 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. For his wisdom, Daniel was honored by King Nebuchadnezzar and placed in authority over all the wise men of Babylon. Belshazzar is made to understand that Babylon will be given to the Medes and the Persians. That means Daniel was 36 years old when Jerusalem and Solomon's temple were destroyed. It would have been quite improper for the entire company to keep on talking, especially in these dramatic circumstances, when Daniel was reporting to the king. Critics, having to recede from their former position that no such person existed, have since centered their attack on the fact that the word king does not occur in connection with Belshazzar on any extant Babylonian records.250 The establishment of Nabonidus as the father of Belshazzar, or at least his stepfather, nullifies most of the critical objections, although Rowley in an extensive discussion maintains stoutly that to call Belshazzar a king must still be pronounced a grave historical error.251, Since Rowley, however, even liberal scholars have tended to accept the explanation that Belshazzar acted as a regent under his father, Nabonidus. Cf. [16] The sources suggest that while he was part of the conspiracy, Nabonidus had not intended, nor expected, to become king himself and he was hesitant to accept the nomination. Daniel had not been assembled with the other wise men because he probably was in semiretirement and was no longer chief of the wise men. Knowing Daniel was a wise elder statesman, the new leaders gave him a prestigious place in their government (Daniel 6:1-2). This omission, however, was later remedied, as mentioned above, by the discovery of the name of Bel-shar-usur (Belshazzar) on cylinders in which he is called the son of Nabonidus. How God holds in derision the rulers of the world who take counsel against Him (Ps 2:1-4)! About seventy years had elapsed since the capture of Jerusalem recorded in Daniel 1. 5:24-28 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. He was 62 years old. He delivered into his (1:e., Cyrus) hands Nabonidus, the king who did not worship him (i.e., Marduk).287. Daniel 7:1-7, Daniel receives a vision of a ram and a goat. Although the author of the Book of Daniel describes Belshazzar as the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon, Belshazzar was, in fact, neither. Daniel 3:12, Nebuchadnezzar confronts Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego about their disobedience. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Who succeeded Belshazzar as king of Babylon? A. Brinkman, Probably the first recorded mention of Belshazzar, Prince of Babylonia under Nabonnedus is in a cuneiform text 135 in a collection at the Archaeological Museum in Florence published in 1958-60 by Professor Karl Ober-huber of the University of Innsbruck. The Jewish Encyclopedia. . And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this: But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Daniels reply to the king is properly called a sermon, and as King says, What a great sermon it is!276 Daniel begins by disavowing any interest in the gifts or rewards which the king offered. Jeremiah is explicit, And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts. However, the narration here must be considered in the form of a condensation; and probably Daniel addressed the king in a formal way. Daniels excellent qualities manifested themselves in an excellent spirit, unusual knowledge and understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, difficult sentences, and dissolving of doubts, that is, solutions to problems. Daniel 6:10-15, Darius orders Daniel to be thrown into the lions den and wishes Daniel that he be saved by his God. Daniel 6:21-22, Darius orders Daniel to be freed out of the lions den and have the administrators thrown in instead, along with their wives and children. MENE could be considered equivalent to the maneh of Ezekiel 45:12; Ezra 2:69. Daniel 5:30 Commentaries: That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king Young in his discussion on this point gives J. Dymeley Prince282 the credit for the suggestion that the maneh refers to Nebuchadnezzar, the shekel (of much less value) to Belshazzar, and the half-minas refers to the Medes and the Persians.283 Daniels explanation, however, is far more cogent and reasonable, and does not give any indication that the words mean other than he indicates. A handwriting appears on the wall and Belshazzar calls for Daniel who interprets it as a judgement from God. John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. Belshazzar - Wikipedia Then the kings countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. According to the accounts in the Bible and Xenophon, Belshazzar held a last great feast at which he saw a hand writing on a wall the following words in Aramaic: mene, mene, tekel, upharsin. The prophet Daniel, interpreting the handwriting on the wall as Gods judgment on the king, foretold the imminent destruction of the city. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Belshazzar's fate is not known, since none of the sources record it. The battle probably took place much as Herodotus records it.286. 538), using the sacred vessels of the temple, which Nebuchadnezzer had brought from Jerusalem. [43], Regardless of any potential animosity between Nabonidus and Belshazzar, Belshazzar retained the status of crown prince and intended successor, as a handful of documents still reference the "son of the king". The same was true in the Gentile world, and the dowager queen was able to enter the banquet hall without an invitation. The situation before Belshazzar had all the elements of a great drama. [24] Nabonidus made Tayma his provisional seat and he would stay there for about a decade, not returning to Babylon until September or October of 543 or 542 BC. Much has been made of the reference of Belshazzars relationship to Nebuchadnezzar, who is described as his father in verse 2; and even Keil is influenced by this to consider Belshazzar a literal son of Nebuchadnezzar.261 This is not entirely impossible, of course, for as Leupold shows,262 Nabonidus could have married a widow of Nebuchadnezzar who had a son by Nebuchadnezzar who then could be adopted by Nabonidus by way of strengthening his own hold upon the throne. The queen uses the very words which presumably she had heard Nebuchadnezzar express (Dan 4:8, 9, 18). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). While the dimensions may be questioned, the magnificence of the city was not seriously exaggerated.267. B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, pp. "That two deserters, Gadatas and Gobryas, having assisted some of the Persian army to kill the guards, and seize upon .
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