Belshazzar died after Babylon fell to the Persian general Gobyras without resistance on Oct. 12, 539, and probably before the Persian king Cyrus II entered the city 17 days later. Even while Daniel was interpreting the writing on the wall, the prophecy was being fulfilled as the Medes and the Persians poured into the city. In spite of the problem in the word, it is probable that the offer of honor was that of being the third ruler. They were said to have had enough food stored up for 20 years. A voice tells him the meaning of the vision, and Daniel lies exhausted by the vision for many days after. The Jewish Encyclopedia. Although there are alternative explanations and some dates vary, this succession of kings and identification of characters seems to have reasonable justification. Leupold cites the ancient historian Ktesias to the effect that Persian monarchs frequently were known to dine daily with 15,000 people.257 M. E. 50:Mallowan mentions the great feast that Ashusnasirpal II gave to 69,574 guests when he dedicated his new capital city of Calah (Nimrud) in 879 b.c.258. On his return, the doorkeepers refused to admit him. His widespread troopstheir number, like that of the water of a river, could not be establishedstrolled along, their weapons packed away. Belshazzar informs Daniel of the inability of all the wise men either to read or to interpret the writing. Nebuchadnezzar II, also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, (born c. 630died c. 561 bce), second and greatest king of the Chaldean dynasty of Babylonia (reigned c. 605-c. 561 bce). Belshazzar (Balthazar), on the other hand, disappeared from history around 540 BC, when Darius the Great would have been roughly ten years of age. [17] After the accession of his father, Belshazzar emerges in the sources as a prominent businessman and the head of a wealthy household, a role that was typically not picked up by members of the royal family in the Neo-Babylonian period. Because of the variety of words that could be identified merely by the consonants, another suggestion has been made. Daniel the Prophet of the Bible, His Life and Accomplishments It may well be that because of awareness of his ancestry and religious convictions that Daniel had been demoted by Belshazzar himself. Contemporary civilization is similar to ancient Babylon in that it has much to foster human pride but little to provide human security. When the Medes and Persians under Cyrus So great was his genius that Nebuchadnezzar had made him master or chief of his wise men, which in itself was a remarkable position for one who was not a Chaldean; and this honor placed upon him testified to the confidence of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniels abilities. He was followed by King Belshazzar who ascended the throne in 3387 (374 BCE). Belshazzar 's surviving heir is his granddaughter, Vashti. All of this proved that God was greater than Nebuchadnezzar and held him responsible for his authority. He believed that Babylon was safe. Although Babylon has been only partially excavated with but a small part of the original city recovered, the system of mounds which mark the city today more or less indicate its boundaries. This article is about the Babylonian prince. 279 In the end, even the critics accept either the interpretation of Daniel (mene, numbered; tekel, weighed; peres, divided); or the reading, a maneh, a maneh, a shekel, and a half-maneh, see exposition. 115-19; Keil, pp. Although the Scriptures do not state so expressly, it is probable that the message of Daniel to the king was heard by the entire company. (Cf. Nebuchadnezzar dies and is replaced by a succession of short-lived kings. Their confidence in their gods was bolstered by their confidence in their city. To be clothed in scarlet and to wear a chain of gold about the neck were special tokens of the kings favor and certainly would have been coveted by any of the wise men. Much speculation has arisen concerning the expression that he offered them the position of being the third ruler in the kingdom. There is some question as to whether the Aramaic indicates specifically the third ruler. The ordinal numeral would be tlitay (as in Dan 2:39) whereas the Aramaic here is actually talti. Daniel 5:30-31. [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. Belshazzar | Bible Wiki | Fandom A Summary and Analysis of the Writing on the Wall at Belshazzar's Feast John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. Scholars are not agreed as to the precise meaning of this term, but the suggestion is made that it may be a title for an office of honor which did not necessarily correspond precisely to the meaning of the word. 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. A great bridge spanned the Euphrates River, connecting the eastern section and the western or new section of the city. The long chapter devoted to this incident which brought the Babylonian Empire to its close is undoubtedly recorded in the Word of God not only for its historic fulfillment of the prophecies relative to the Babylonian Empire but also as an illustration of divine dealing with a wicked world. See J. T. Milik, Priere de Nabonide et autres ecrits dun cycle de Daniel, Revue Biblique 63:407-15. In the quarter of a century which elapsed between chapter 4 and chapter 5, the further revelations given to Daniel in chapters 7 and 8 occurred. 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. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. Thus the later tradition states that Cyrus and Darius were employed as doorkeepers of the royal palace. 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. If the setting can be reconstructed, Nabonidus previously had gone forth from Babylon to fight the Medes and the Persians and had already been captured. Like the other words, it is a passive participle. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. According to Herodotus, Babylon was about fourteen miles square, with great outer walls 87 feet thick and 350 feet high, with a hundred great bronze gates in the walls. So broad and strong were the walls that chariots four abreast could parade around its top. Prophecy anticipating the fall of Babylon is found in both Isaiah and Jeremiah, written many years before. The latter relates the story thus, Cyropd., lib. Through proclaiming his father as the new king, Belshazzar also made himself the first-in-line to the throne. Belshazzar and Daniel | the church of Christ | Daniel Chapter 5 Herodotus gives an interesting account of the circumstances surrounding the capture of Babylon: Cyrus then advanced against Babylon. As Nabonidus was relatively old at the time, Belshazzar could expect to become king within a few years. 00:00. [56], The broad consensus among scholars is that the Book of Daniel was compiled shortly after the Maccabean Revolt in the 160s BC. The chronology of the three Babylonian kings is given in the Talmud as follows: Nebuchadnezzar reigned forty-five years, Evil-merodach twenty-three, and Belshazzar was monarch of Babylonia for two years, being killed at the beginning of the third year on the fatal night of the fall of Babylon (Meg. The queen urged, however, that now he be brought in to solve the present problem. Babylonian chronicles refer to the crown prince being stationed at home in Babylonia with "his army". When Nabonidus went into exile (550), he entrusted Belshazzar with the throne and the major part of his army. Cf. Did Daniel have a wife in the Bible? 5:24-28 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. How old was Daniel when Belshazzar was king? Belshazzar - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - StudyLight.org While the dimensions may be questioned, the magnificence of the city was not seriously exaggerated.267. The effect upon the king and his associates was immediate. BELSHAZZAR - JewishEncyclopedia.com Nebuchadnezzar II was the eldest son and successor of Nabopolassar, founder of the Chaldean empire. 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. 5:31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Belshazzars situation and his knowledge of Nebuchadnezzars humbling made all the more blasphemous his taking of the vessels captured in Jerusalem from the house of the Lord and using them to drink wine in praising the gods of Babylon. and the fall of Babylon 539 B.C. Here the discussion is lost in a maze of conflicting facts in extrabiblical literature concerning which the critics themselves are not agreed. 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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The outer wall seems to have been only seventeen miles in circumference, instead of about fifty-six as Herodotus claimed, with much fewer towers and gates; and probably even the towers were not more than 100 feet tall. Almost seventy years have passed since the events of chapter 1 of Daniel. Daniel 6:6-9, Daniel is spotted by the administrators while he is worshiping the Lord inside his house, and they report him to Darius. Athenaeus quotes Heracleides of Cumae, the author of Persian History, in describing in detail the custom of drinking to excess after dinner.259 The luxury of both the drinking and the eating is also illustrated in Athenaeus in describing dinners among the Persians of high station as follows: For one thousand animals are slaughtered daily for the king; these comprise horses, camels, oxen, asses, deer, and most of the smaller animals; many birds also are consumed, including Arabian ostrichesand the creature is largegeese, and cocks.260. Belshazzar's fate is not known, but is often assumed that he was killed during Cyrus the Great's Persian invasion of Babylonia in 539 BC, presumably at the fall of the capital Babylon on 12 October 539 BC. 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. : heart) (and therefore) ordered him to march against his city Babylon He made him set out on the road to Babylon going at his side like a real friend. Before morning they killed Belshazzar and took over his kingdom (v 31). Here was Daniel, an old man well in his eighties, with the marks of godly living evident in his bearingin sharp contrast to the wine-flushed faces of the crowd. With only the fingers of the hand visible and producing writing upon the wall, the spectacle immediately attracted attention. 5. Belshazzar's Feast And The Fall Of Babylon | Bible.org 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. Daniel 10:2-3, Daniel dies at 84 years old. 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. This same son of the king is most probably mentioned . Too often the world, like Belshazzar, is not willing to seek the wisdom of God until its own bankruptcy becomes evident. 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. [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. Belshazzar played a pivotal role in the coup d'tat that overthrew the king Labashi-Marduk (r.556 BC) and brought Nabonidus to power in 556 BC. Cyrus took Babylon, and after giving orders to raze the outer walls of the city, because it resented a very redoubtable and formidable appearance, proceeded to Borsippa to esiege Nabonnedus. He was 62 years old. As Young points out, however, the very character of this absolute authority delegated to Nebuchadnezzar by God also made Nebuchadnezzar responsible.277 This is demonstrated and supported by Nebuchadnezzars experience of insanity in Daniel 4 when, as Daniel expresses it, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Daniel then itemizes in detail the characteristics of Nebuchadnezzars insanity, how he lived with the wild beasts, ate grass like the ox, and was wet with the dew of heaven. He was given a Babylonian name - Belteshazzar, meaning "Bel Protect his Life." 9 out of the 12 chapters in Daniel revolve around dreams. He's also one of the most well-known Old Testament villains. 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. The famed hanging gardens of Babylon were large enough to support trees. Daniel 5:30 That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, Darius makes the decree public. In Babylonia, temples usually carried out offerings to the king, such as sacrificing a specified number of sheep. The prophet Daniel, interpreting the handwriting on the wall as God's judgment on the king, foretold the imminent destruction of the city. 249 According to J. Having stationed his forces and given these directions, he himself marched away with the ineffective part of his army; and having come to the lake, Cyrus did the same with respect to the river and the lake as the queen of the Babylonians had done; for having diverted the river, by means of a canal, into the lake, which was before a swamp, he made the ancient channel fordable by the sinking of the river. Belshazzar, overcome by sickness, left the palace unobserved during the night through a rear exit. Daniel (biblical figure) - Wikipedia Belshazzar was not even the first ruler in the kingdom and was humiliated by the fact that Babylon was besieged and had already lost its power over the provinces surrounding the city. But the Babylonians, having taken the field, awaited his coming; and when he had advanced near the city, the Babylonians gave battle, and, being defeated, were shut up in the city. The great Euphrates River flowed through the middle of the city in a general north-south direction and was bordered by walls on each side to protect the city from attack from the river. Without any battle, he made him enter his town Babylon, sparing Babylon any calamity. A solution of the problem has depended largely on the premises of the scholars dealing with it. Later, King Nebuchadnezzar had another dream, and again Daniel was able to interpret it. 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. Within these walls were beautiful avenues, parks, and palaces. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. After his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar died, his uncle had reigned for two years, only to be murdered by a brother-in-law. One can well imagine the tense moment as these ringing words reached every ear in the vast hall in the deathlike silence that greeted Daniels prophetic utterance. [54] Belshazzar is killed that night, and Darius the Mede takes the kingdom. Daniel himself records with graphic simplicity the fulfillment of his prophecy in the words, In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. The concluding verse of the chapter in English versification records how Darius the Median became ruler of Babylon at the age of 62 years. 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. Against Apion, in Josephus 1:221-25. The bridge was later supplemented by a tunnel mentioned by Diodorus. 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. 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. Instead, documents from the period in which Belshazzar was regent continued to be dated after the years of Nabonidus's reign. of natural causes. [25] October 543 BC is the return date most supported by surviving Babylonian documentation. Since the publication of Raymond Doughertys scholarly research .on Nabonidus and Belshazzar, based on the Nabonidus Cylinder and other sources, there is no ground for questioning the general historicity of Belshazzar; and only the details of the scriptural account unverified by extrabiblical sources can be challenged by the critics.247 Montgomery states that the story is unhistorical but nevertheless contains indubitable reminiscences of actual history.248. 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. Daniel 6:16, Darius hurries to the lions den the following day to see what happened to Daniel and learns to his astonishment that Daniel is unharmed. Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed in purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made concerning him that he should rank third in the kingdom. Whether, therefore, someone else made the suggestion to him in his perplexity, or whether he himself devised the plan, he had recourse to the following stratagem. Like a mother, she told her son in effect to pull himself together because there must be some solution to his problem. 271 F. Rosenthal, A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, p. 71. He was succeeded by Laborosoarchad, also known as Labashi-Marduk, a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, who was assassinated after less than a year. 89-93. There are actually so many plausible possibilities in Daniels account, supported by the evidence cited, that the storm of objections can hardly be taken seriously.254.