For a map of Babylon in sixth century B.C., see D. J. Wiseman, Babylon, in The New Bible Dictionary, pp. Daniel 4:27-37. [26] The purpose for this prolonged stay, effectively self-exile, in Tayma are unclear and debated. The implication in the clause whiles he tasted the wine is that Belshazzar in his right mind probably would not have committed this sacrilegious act. It is possible that Belshazzar had campaigned against the Persians on Lydia's behalf a year prior, in 547 BC. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. Belshazzar under Nabonidus was considered the second ruler, and the position of a third ruler would be the highest that he could offer. The account of Cyrus, himself, of the fall of Babylon has now been recovered in an inscription on a clay barrel: Marduk, the great lord, a protector of his people/worshipers, beheld with pleasure his (i.e., Cyrus) good deeds and his upright mind (lit. Now, in chapter 5, this prophecy is about to be fulfilled. The crisis produced by the inability of the wise men to interpret the handwriting on the wall is met by the entrance of one described as the queen. Much speculation surrounds the identity of this person as it is related to the larger question of Belshazzars lineage. the second year of Darius the King King of what, exactly ? In the seventeenth year of his reign Cyrus advanced from Persia with a large army, and, after subjugating the rest of the kingdom, marched upon Babylonia. Nabonidus was allowed to live in Carmania until the time of his death, but he was not allowed to come to Babylonia.245, The account of Berosus preserved by Josephus is supported by other evidence such as the short fragment of Abydenus preserved by Eusebius.246, Until the discovery of the Nabonidus Cylinder, no mention of Belshazzar, whom Daniel declares to be king of Babylon, had been found in extrabiblical literature. 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. As this phenomenon only began late in the regency period, it is not clear whether this was a prerogative that had been granted to Belshazzar, or if he inserted his name into oaths in violation of an agreement with his father. The downfall of Babylon is in type the downfall of the unbelieving world. Since there is little change in the prominent members of Neriglissar's and Labashi-Marduk's former household under Belshazzar, it is probable that Belshazzar becoming the master of the household was met with relatively little opposition. : 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. [21] Belshazzar is recorded as owning lands throughout Babylonia, for instance owning an agricultural settlement near Uruk. How old was Daniel when Belshazzar was king? Daniel 3:12, Nebuchadnezzar confronts Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego about their disobedience. When Nabonidus went into exile (550), he entrusted Belshazzar with the throne and the major part of his army. After his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar died, his uncle had reigned for two years, only to be murdered by a brother-in-law. 162-79; and Leupold, pp. This was not prompted by disrespect nor by the evident fact that they would be short-lived. when conquered by the Medes. Nebuchadnezzar's . Belshazzar (Balthazar), on the other hand, disappeared from history around 540 BC, when Darius the Great would have been roughly ten years of age. 315-16. 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. Daniel 3:13-15, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego continue to refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzars golden statue. A favorite target of critics of faith concerns two kings mentioned eight times each in the book of Daniel: Belshazzar and Darius the Mede. Daniel 5:1-4, A handwriting appears on the wall and Belshazzar calls for Daniel who interprets it as a judgement from God. 115-16; and T. G. Pinches, Babel, Babylon, in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1:350. Some have claimed that the text does not plainly indicate the language. 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. and reigned until 539 b.c. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). Still, orders by Nabonidus superseded orders by Belshazzar. Because his rule was arbitrary and licentious, he was assassinated by Neriglisar after he had reigned only two years. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain He and all his nobles were slain together, in the midst of their feasting and revelling, as Herodotus, lib. This is the first point at which this ch. This same son of the king is most probably mentioned . 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. 24-26) as holding that only three kings are referred to, viz., Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach and Belshazzar. His widespread troopstheir number, like that of the water of a river, could not be establishedstrolled along, their weapons packed away. 9:41, cited by C. F. Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, p. 164. Nabonidus was absent from Babylon from 553 BC to 543 or 542 BC, in self-imposed "exile" at Tayma in Arabia, for unknown reasons. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. Daniel as the prophet of God is the channel through which divine revelation would come, and Belshazzar in his extremity was willing to listen. 254 For further discussion of this problem, see Young, pp. Norman Porteous, Daniel: A Commentary, p. 76. [25] In 546 BC, Cyrus the Great crossed the Tigris to invade Lydia, ostensibly a Babylonian ally, and though Belshazzar took up a defensive position with his army, perhaps expecting a sudden Persian attack against Babylonia itself, no aid was sent to the Lydians, who were swiftly conquered by Cyrus. Daniel had a reputation among the Babylonian courts. 114 ff. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. Charles, for instance, suggests that the writing was in unfamiliar ideograms.272 This, however, is mere conjecture. According to Rex A. Turner, in his book "Daniel . The difficulty of the wise men in reading the writing may have been that it was written in Aramaic script without the vowels being supplied; but if written in cuneiform, the vowels would have been included. Suiting the action to the word, Cyrus and Darius grasped a heavy ornament forming part of a candelabrum, and with it shattered the skull of their royal master (Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah 3:4).[58]. At his death his son Laborosoarchod, who was only a child, reigned for nine months until a conspiracy resulted in his being beaten to death. [57], In the Book of Daniel, Belshazzar is not malevolent (he rewards Daniel and raises him to high office). He died about 561 and was succeeded by his son Awil-Marduk (Evil-Merodach of 2 Kings). When the Medes and Persians under Cyrus 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. He was 62 years old. Belshazzar was not allowed to date documents after his own "regnal years". [30] Though it is clear that Belshazzar during his father's absence assumed many responsibilities typically only held by the king,[22] several prerogatives were also kept solely by Nabonidus. The first is the Babylonian king whom Daniel records was feasting when Babylon fell (Dan. Daniel 3:1-6, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuses to pay homage to Nebuchadnezzars golden statue. . There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation. [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. Daniel 2:26-45, Nebuchadnezzar begins siege of Jerusalem. 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. 11 or 12) 539 B.C., as indicated in the Nabonidus Chronicle,288 so the world will be overtaken by disaster when the day of the Lord comes (1 Th 5:1-3). Now Belshazzar was all too eager to have the gifts of this man exercised to interpret the writing. Having been interpreted to mean divided, it is also understood as a reference to the Aramaic word for Persian, thereby hinting a Persian victory over Babylon. Belshazzar appears as a central character in the story of Belshazzar's feast in the Biblical Book of Daniel,[4] recognized by scholars as a work of historical fiction. [53] During a feast, Babylonians eat and drink from the holy vessels of Yahweh's temple, and "king" Belshazzar sees a hand writing the words mene, mene, tekel, upharsin on a wall. 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. [12][29] Though this period has often been dubbed a "co-regency", Belshazzar never assumed an official title. The effect upon the king and his associates was immediate. 115-19; Keil, pp. 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). Freedman cites H. Louis Ginsberg (Studies in Daniel, pp. 249 According to J. Verse 2 cites that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines drink from them; and this fact is restated in the actual act in verse 3 where only the golden vessels are mentioned. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? MENE could be considered equivalent to the maneh of Ezekiel 45:12; Ezra 2:69. That means Daniel was 36 years old when Jerusalem and Solomon's temple were destroyed. On the other hand, such a careful scholar as Edward J. Apprised of his coming, Nabonnedus led his army to meet him, fought and was defeated, whereupon he fled with a few followers and shut himself up in the town of Borsippa. Daniel 5 says Belshazzar was king, and was making a great feast when (famously) a hand appeared and wrote a message of judgment on the wall. This, no doubt, prepared the way for the co-regency under Nabonidus which probably began 553 B.C., supporting Daniel 5. The latter surrendering, without waiting for investment, was humanely treated by Cyrus, who dismissed him from Babylonia, but gave him Car-mania for his residence. 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". Nabonidus left Babylon in May 553 BC to campaign in the west. He was followed by Neriglissar, also spelled Nergal-shar-usur, a son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar who died in 556 b.c. The Babylonian kings are often mentioned together as forming a succession of impious and tyrannical monarchs who oppressed Israel and were therefore foredoomed to disgrace and destruction. E. G. Kraeling (The Handwriting on the Wall, Journal of Biblical Literature 63 [1944]: 11-18) assuming that five kings are in viewi.e., mene is given twice and the upharsin equals two half-minassuggests that the five kings following Nebuchadnezzar were intended, viz., Evil-Merodach, Neriglissar, Labashi-Marduk, Nabonidus and Belshazzar. Cf. Some of these prophecies may have their ultimate fulfillment in the future (Rev 17-18). 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. Belshazzar was entrusted with many typically royal prerogatives, such as granting privileges, commanding portions of the army, and receiving offerings and oaths, though he continued to be styled as the crown prince (mr arri, literally meaning "son of the king"), never assuming the title of king (arru). However, the narration here must be considered in the form of a condensation; and probably Daniel addressed the king in a formal way. - Daniel 12:13: 538 BC: Cyrus allows the Jews to return to Judea and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem . Belshazzar's fate is not known, since none of the sources record it. Merrill F. Unger, Ungers Bible Dictionary, pp. These facts are pertinent to Belshazzars situation as they were well known by everyone as Daniel expresses it in verse 22, And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this. The contrast between the supreme power of Nebuchadnezzar and the very limited power of Belshazzar is also evident. A voice tells him the meaning of the vision, and Daniel lies exhausted by the vision for many days after. As Keil expresses it, It is not quite certain what the princely situation is which was promised to the interpreter of the writing That it is not the ordinale of the number third, is, since Havernick, now generally acknowledged.270 However, recent scholarship has tended to confirm the translation the third ruler. Franz Rosenthal, for instance, confidently translates the term one-third (ruler), triumvir.271. He believed that Babylon was safe. TEQEL means weighed, with the thought that Belshazzar has been put into the balances and found wanting, that is, short of true weight. 287 J. When this took place, the Persians who were appointed to that purpose close to the stream of the river, which had now subsided to about the middle of a mans thigh, entered Babylon by this passage. With what eloquent scorn Daniel declares that Belshazzar, his lords, wives and concubines had drunk wine from these sacred vessels and had praised 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.278. How old was Daniel when Belshazzar was king? As the writing according to Daniel was written over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the kings palace, it may have appeared in an area of greater illumination than the rest of the room and thus also have attracted more attention. See J. T. Milik, Priere de Nabonide et autres ecrits dun cycle de Daniel, Revue Biblique 63:407-15. 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. [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. In vain did he pled that he was the king. [29] It is probable that Nabonidus, a reformer, and Belshazzar, apparently more religiously conservative, did not see eye to eye in religious matters. Knowing Daniel was a wise elder statesman, the new leaders gave him a prestigious place in their government (Daniel 6:1-2). Through proclaiming his father as the new king, Belshazzar also made himself the first-in-line to the throne. 272 R. H. Charles, The Book of Daniel, pp. of natural causes. 164-71. His son, Laborosoardoch, a mere boy, occupied it for nine months, when, owing to the depraved disposition which he showed, a conspiracy was formed against him, and he was beaten to death by his friends. In some cases, such as a ritual performed at the tempel of Bunene in Sippar, inscriptions attribute it to Nabonidus while surviving letters prove that Belshazzar was responsible. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. It may well be that because of awareness of his ancestry and religious convictions that Daniel had been demoted by Belshazzar himself. Daniel dies at 84 years old. Belshazzar goes on in verse 14 to repeat what his mother had said concerning Daniels wisdom. Ibid., p. 214. According to Berosus, Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of 43 years and was followed by his son Evil-Merodach. 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. 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. 5:1-30) and during whose reign he received two visions (Dan. 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. Belshazzar's Impious Feast 1 Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. Belshazzar had been known only from the biblical Book of Daniel (chapters 5, 78) and from Xenophons Cyropaedia until 1854, when references to him were found in Babylonian cuneiform inscriptions. When Daniel was brought before the king, he addressed a natural question to reassure himself of the identity of Daniel. In many respects, Babylon was the most fabulous city of the ancient world both for the beauty of its architecture and for the safety of its huge walls and fortifications. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. If she were the wife of Nabonidus who was in captivity she probably would not have desired to come alone. King Belshazzar gave a big party for 1000 of his officials. This would involve the premise that Nabonidus, although usually living at Teima, had returned to Babylon for a visit just prior to the siege of Babylon, had gone out to battle before Babylon was actually surrounded, and then was defeated, thereby permitting the Persians to besiege Babylon itself. 253 The new evidence confirming the theory that Nabonidus was absent is found in the statement in the Prayer of Nabonidus that Nabonidus was at the oasis of Teima in Arabia at this time. John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. [41] As Nabonidus's stay in Tayma continued, Belshazzar as became acutely aware of the threat presented by the Achaemenids, as he is recorded as having expended resources at projects in Sippar and nearby defenses. Putting this together, we might expect Belshazzar to have been 40+ at the fall of Babylon when he was slain (539 BC). When Nebuchadnezzar died, Daniel was one of the most powerful men in Babylon and doubtless had his own house and was well provisioned for retirement. Daniel 7:1-7, Daniel receives a vision of a ram and a goat. Daniel 3:19-25, Nebuchadnezzar experiences visions of a tree and being driven away from people and losing his sanity. Belshazzar was the first-born son of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. [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. being about threescore and two years old. According to the queen, Daniel had the spirit of the holy gods. In the time of Nebuchadnezzar, to whom she refers as thy father, Daniel had been found to have the wisdom of gods and possessing light, that is, enlightenment, understanding or insight, and in general wisdom comparable to the wisdom of the gods. Belshazzar, overcome by sickness, left the palace unobserved during the night through a rear exit. 266 Herodotus, History of the Persian Wars, 1:178-83. The prophet Daniel, interpreting the handwriting on the wall as God's judgment on the king, foretold the imminent destruction of the city. 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. There was plenty of water from the Euphrates River which bisected the city. [48] Nabonidus was captured and possibly exiled to Carmania. He knew Daniel and knew the history of Nebuchadnezzars experience with Gods chastening. Daniel is clothed with scarlet, a chain of gold put about his neck, and a proclamation issued that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. This implies a twofold difficulty. They would naturally want to hear what he had to say. 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.

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