The information embodied in these two visions, insofar as Daniel understood it, therefore was known to Daniel before the event of chapter 5 which chronologically came after chapters 7 and 8. In one case, sacred garments that Belshazzar ordered to be granted to a temple in Uruk were held back because Nabonidus had given a contrary order before departing for Tayma. Daniel 3:13-15, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego continue to refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzars golden statue. According to Berosus, Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of 43 years and was followed by his son Evil-Merodach. The next four years Neriglisar occupied the throne. [5][6] Belshazzar is portrayed as the king of Babylon and "son" of Nebuchadnezzar, though he was actually the son of Nabonidusone of Nebuchadnezzar's successorsand he never became king in his own right, nor did he lead the religious festivals as the king was required to do. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. 263-64. . If the scene can be reconstructed, it is probable that the banquet was illuminated by torches which not only produced smoke but fitful light that would only partially illuminate the great hall. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. In the midst of this atmosphere of consternation, apprehension, and fear, Daniels countenance alone reflected the deep peace of God founded on confidence in God and His divine revelation. [13], Belshazzar's father was proclaimed as king in May 556 BC,[14] and by the end of June, tablets recognising Nabonidus are known from across Babylonia. Some have claimed that the text does not plainly indicate the language. TEQEL means weighed, with the thought that Belshazzar has been put into the balances and found wanting, that is, short of true weight. He was given a Babylonian name - Belteshazzar, meaning "Bel Protect his Life." 9 out of the 12 chapters in Daniel revolve around dreams. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied. Instead, in verse 18 he recognizes him as king but then immediately delivers his prophetic message of condemnation. [8] The later authors of the Talmud and the Midrash emphasize the tyrannous oppression of his Jewish subjects, with several passages in the Prophets interpreted as referring to him and his predecessors. [15] Belshazzar's father came to the throne as a result of a conspiracy that saw the deposition and murder of the previous king, Labashi-Marduk. A handwriting appears on the wall and Belshazzar calls for Daniel who interprets it as a judgement from God. [49][51][52] He may have alternatively been killed already at the battle of Opis,[1] captured and executed, or exiled together with his father. Belshazzar could grant royal privileges identical to those granted by kings. Cf. 249 According to J. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. As he could lease out temple land, this suggests that Belshazzar, in administrative matters, could act with full royal power. The prophet Daniel, interpreting the handwriting on the wall as God's judgment on the king, foretold the imminent destruction of the city. He was selected for special service in Babylon, and was given three years of training in the best of Babylon's schools. [35] These include: The events that transpired in Babylonia during Belshazzar's regency are not well known, owing to a lack of surviving sources. Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the furnace but are unharmed. Discoveries since Keil tend to support Herodotus and Xenophon, although not accounting for Darius the Mede. (30-31) The death of Belshazzar and the rise of Darius the Mede. Was Belshazzar actually king of Babylon and was he murdered on the night that Babylon was conquered? It may even have been Belshazzar who convinced his father to stay away from Babylonia in the first place, fearing a confrontation with the Babylonian oligarchy and clergy over his father's religious beliefs. Among these buildings were the Temple of Bel, an eight-story structure, and the magnificent palace of the king, actually a complex of buildings, which have now been excavated. Leupold suggests that PHARSIN could be understood by changing the vowels to be Persians284 and might have a double meaning as indicated by Daniels explanation given to the Medes and Persians. A pun may be intended on this third word. 248 James A. Montgomery, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, p. 249. Isaiah and Jeremiah had prophesied that Babylon would fall to the Medes on just such a night of revelry as Daniel records (Is 13:17-22; 21:1-10; Jer 51:33-58). Merrill F. Unger, Ungers Bible Dictionary, pp. Still, orders by Nabonidus superseded orders by Belshazzar. [46][47] The sources also do not make Belshazzar's location clear, but it appears that he was stationed some distance away from Babylon, but that he also was no longer in Sippar, where he had stationed himself in 546 BC out of fear of Cyrus. [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. How old was Belshazzar when Nebuchadnezzar died? Belshazzar goes on in verse 14 to repeat what his mother had said concerning Daniels wisdom. Belshazzar is made to understand that Babylon will be given to the Medes and the Persians. [45] Otherwise his status and position after Nabonidus's return is never made clear. 275 Arthur Jeffery, The Book of Daniel, Introduction and Exegesis, in The Interpreters Bible, 6:426. [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. His thin courage, bolstered by wine drunk from vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had plundered and were seemingly a symbol of the power of the gods of Babylon, now deserted him. If, however, the Babylonians had been aware of it beforehand, or had known what Cyrus was about, they would not have suffered the Persians to enter the city, but would have utterly destroyed them; for, having shut all the little gates that lead to the river, and mounting the walls that extend along the banks of the river, they would have caught them as in a net; whereas the Persians came upon them by surprise. Did Daniel have a wife in the Bible? [12] As all of these ancient Babylonian documents were written after Babylon was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire, they are biased in favor of Cyrus, and against Nabonidus and Belshazzar. Daniel 3:12, Nebuchadnezzar confronts Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego about their disobedience. Nabonidus assumed the throne in 556 b.c. Belshazzar is not mentioned in building inscriptions, which usually mention the king responsible. Hearing the unusual clamor at the banquet and learning of the distress of her son, because of her position she was able to enter the banquet hall freely and speak to the king. Some have found, in the six materials mentioned, a typical reference to the number of the world amenable to judgment because of its hostility to God.264 In the original, the gods of gold and silver are separated by the conjunction and, not true of the listing of the gods of brass, iron, wood, and stone, as if there were two classes of deities. 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. [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. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. [54] Belshazzar is killed that night, and Darius the Mede takes the kingdom. Omissions? 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. The reference to Nebuchadnezzar as the father of Belshazzar, as previously indicated, should probably be either grandfather or greatgrandfather as the same term would be used for any of these designations. 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. - Daniel 5:30 . The first is the Babylonian king whom Daniel records was feasting when Babylon fell (Dan. There was plenty of water from the Euphrates River which bisected the city. His grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken these cups from the Temple in Jerusalem. Her address is courteous, O king, live for ever, but directly to the point. 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. 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. 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. Because of the variety of words that could be identified merely by the consonants, another suggestion has been made. 315-16. Daniel 1:18-20, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzars dream about a statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. But we have to acknowledge that this is speculation. 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. The king was drinking wine with them. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire (Jer 51:57-58). This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Then came in all the kings wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Herodotus's description of Nitocris contains a wealth of legendary material that makes it difficult to determine whether he uses the name to refer to Nabonidus's wife or mother, but William H. Shea proposed in 1982 that Nitocris may tentatively be identified as the name of Nabonidus's wife and Belshazzar's mother. 164-71. His widespread troopstheir number, like that of the water of a river, could not be establishedstrolled along, their weapons packed away. Daniel 5:30-31. 3 . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Babylonian chronicles refer to the crown prince being stationed at home in Babylonia with "his army". The Verse Account of Nabonidus states that Nabonidus campaigned in Arabia with the "army of Akkad" (possibly referring to troops of Babylonian origin) whereas Belshazzar was entrusted at home with the "army of all the lands" (possibly referring to troops of foreign origin). 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. Problems of his relationship will be considered at the proper place in the exposition, including the possibility that Belshazzars mother was a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and thus in the royal line, whereas Nabonidus was not. This same son of the king is most probably mentioned . This was not prompted by disrespect nor by the evident fact that they would be short-lived. Drinking bouts such as characterized Babylon were also common among other peoples, such as the Persians. 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. Some have denied his historicity The kings name, however, has now appeared upon the cuneiform documents, so that there can be no question as to his historicity. The conspirators appointed Nabonidus, one of their number, who reigned for seventeen years before being defeated by Cyrus the Persian. He knew Daniel and knew the history of Nebuchadnezzars experience with Gods chastening. 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. 272 R. H. Charles, The Book of Daniel, pp. 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.

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