The prophet Daniel, interpreting the handwriting on the wall as God's judgment on the king, foretold the imminent destruction of the city. [44] Upon Nabonidus's return to Babylon, Belshazzar was demoted from his administrative responsibilities and officials he had appointed were dismissed. Daniel experiences a vision of the four terrifying beasts but kept the vision to himself. His concern was shared by the entire assembly. 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 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. Nabonidus appoints his son, Belshazzar, as his co-regent. He believed that Babylon was safe. MENE could be considered equivalent to the maneh of Ezekiel 45:12; Ezra 2:69. 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. 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. The new Persian-Median empire succeeds the old Persian Empire which had recently been ruled by Belshazzar, who is familiar to us from the Book of Daniel. She had not attended the banquet. Daniel 3:1-6, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuses to pay homage to Nebuchadnezzars golden statue. Was Nebuchadnezzar the father of Belshazzar? - Studybuff 7:1; 8:1). Daniel Timeline - The Prophet Daniel in Biblical History 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. More specifically of the invasion of the Medes, Isaiah writes, Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media (Is 21:2), and continues, after describing their dismay, My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me. 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. 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. 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. This distinction is supported by Keil.265, Their pride in their deities may have been bolstered by the magnificence of the city of Babylon itself, interpreted as an evidence of the power of their gods. [31] These include: Though Belshazzar's authority was thus limited, he also was allowed, and assumed, certain royal responsibilities. He was 62 years old. 216-17, who discusses this quotation from Pusey. While the dimensions may be questioned, the magnificence of the city was not seriously exaggerated.267. 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. He praises God, and after seven months, his sanity is restored. The probability is that the writing was in Aramaic and therefore not entirely unknown to the wise men. 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 nobles, his wives, and his concubines. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Belshazzar, How Stuff Works - History - Biography of Belshazzar. Discoveries since Keil tend to support Herodotus and Xenophon, although not accounting for Darius the Mede. Yet this empire was to have as its last official act the honoring of one of these captives who by divine revelation predicted not only the downfall of Babylon but the course of the times of the Gentiles until the Son of man should come from heaven. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. Belshazzars predicament is another illustration of the insecurity and powerlessness of the rulers of this world when confronted by the power and wisdom of God. Like a mother, she told her son in effect to pull himself together because there must be some solution to his problem. 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. The same was true in the Gentile world, and the dowager queen was able to enter the banquet hall without an invitation. A. Brinkman, Neo-Babylonian Texts in the Archaeological Museum at Florence, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 25:202-9.). Nebuchadnezzar's . He knew Daniel and knew the history of Nebuchadnezzars experience with Gods chastening. Nebuchadnezzar dies and is replaced by a succession of short-lived kings. What Did Belshazzar Use In His Feast? - On Secret Hunt 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. Are Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar the same? - Kembrel.com 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. 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. Under these circumstances, Belshazzar would indeed be king of Babylon in the absence of his father. Also known as: Baltasar, Balthasar, Bel-shar-usur. A. v. 29-30 Belshazzar Died A Sudden Death - "In that night" - While Belshazzar partied, his enemies were encamped around Babylon. 5:1-30) and during whose reign he received two visions (Dan. [6] In the story, the conqueror who inherits Babylon is Darius the Mede, but no such individual is known to history, and the invaders were actually Persians. 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. They were said to have had enough food stored up for 20 years. While in ordinary discourse the lack of vowels could normally be supplied rather easily, in a cryptic statement such as this the addition of vowels is a problem. Daniel 5:1-25 King Belshazzar gave a big party for 1000 of his - Bible . 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. 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. The queen uses the very words which presumably she had heard Nebuchadnezzar express (Dan 4:8, 9, 18). A parallel is found in Daniel 2:27, where Daniel addresses Nebuchadnezzar without formal greeting, and in Daniel 4:19, where Daniel replies to Nebuchadnezzar simply with the expression, My lord. This was hardly a time in any case for Daniel to greet Belshazzar with such an expression as he gave to Darius, O king, live for ever, when as a matter of fact, Belshazzars hours were numbered. Putting this together, we might expect Belshazzar to have been 40+ at the fall of Babylon when he was slain (539 BC). [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. On his death Neriglisar, his murderer, succeeded to the throne and reigned four years. [22], As he was clearly the main beneficiary of the coup, Belshazzar was likely the chief orchestrator of the conspiracy ended in the deposition and death of Labashi-Marduk. 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). [12][29] Though this period has often been dubbed a "co-regency", Belshazzar never assumed an official title. 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 . Belshazzar, Neo-Babylonian Bel-shar-usur, Greek Baltasar, or Balthasar, (died c. 539 bc), coregent of Babylon who was killed at the capture of the city by the Persians. Cyrus, emperor of Persia, captures Babylon. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. Most expositors disagree with Keil, who identifies Belshazzar with Evil-Merodach, preferring the identification of a son of Nabonidus, based on later evidence not available to Keil.255 The identifications of Leupold are more satisfactory.256. [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. Freedman cites H. Louis Ginsberg (Studies in Daniel, pp. 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. Now Belshazzar was all too eager to have the gifts of this man exercised to interpret the writing. Daniel does not explain the difficulty in reading the writing on the wall, but the problem apparently was not that it was a strange language but rather what the words signified prophetically. 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. 57-59; cf. In any event, there is no proof for the suggestion discussed by Keil that the classification of wise men mentioned purposely excluded Daniel. This would be understandable if she was elderly and the widow of Nebuchadnezzar. There are various theories concerning Nabonidus's origins, and in turn what claim he had to the throne, since it is not made clear in any contemporary sources. When Daniel was brought before the king, he addressed a natural question to reassure himself of the identity of Daniel. Belshazzar and Daniel | the church of Christ | Daniel Chapter 5 feast at which the writing appeared on the wall, Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Mede took over Babylon (Daniel 5:30). The identity of this conqueror, unknown outside the Bible by this name, has touched off endless controversy and discussion which will be considered in the next chapter. When the Medes and Persians under Cyrus Nabonidus was absent from Babylon from 553 BC to 543 or 542 BC, in self-imposed "exile" at Tayma in Arabia, for unknown reasons. Finally, the tidings come, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground (Is 21:9). Q. A Clay Cylinder and Daniel's History | Mind Renewers Daniel 5:1-25 ERV. That means Daniel was 36 years old when Jerusalem and Solomon's temple were destroyed. Nabonidus fleeing Babylon went to Borsippa but was forced to surrender to Cyrus. 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. John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. This page was last edited on 31 March 2023, at 23:09. 257 Montgomery mentions a marriage feast of Alexander with 10,000 guests (Montgomery, p. 250). Daniel 3:19-25, Nebuchadnezzar experiences visions of a tree and being driven away from people and losing his sanity. The storehouses of Babylon were still abundant with food and wine, and there is evidence that there was plenty of both at this feast. [48] Nabonidus was captured and possibly exiled to Carmania. 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. 5:30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. [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". 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. As he could lease out temple land, this suggests that Belshazzar, in administrative matters, could act with full royal power. His widespread troopstheir number, like that of the water of a river, could not be establishedstrolled along, their weapons packed away. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us, Daniel, along with his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (later named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), is taken to Babylon, where they are ordered to learn Babylonian culture on Nebuchadnezzars orders. Although such ancient records are notoriously inaccurate and at best are fragmentary, the argument of the critics was that Belshazzar never existed because his name did not appear in any of the ancient records. How can we understand the different dates in Haggai & Daniel about King 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. The drama of the writing on the wall and its interpretation is now brought to its fulfillment as Belshazzar keeps his promise. Belshazzar is made to understand that Babylon will be given to the Medes and the Persians. How old was Belshazzar when Nebuchadnezzar died? The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. As Keil points out, the king was ready to listen to anyone who could interpret the writing.269. 114 ff. All Rights Reserved. After a decisive victory at the battle of Opis, the Persian army, on 12 October,[48] led by Ugbaru, entered Babylon without a fight. 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. Drinking bouts such as characterized Babylon were also common among other peoples, such as the Persians. 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. According to Berosus, Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of 43 years and was followed by his son Evil-Merodach. - Daniel 5:30 . The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. How old was Daniel when he was taken into captivity? There was plenty of water from the Euphrates River which bisected the city. 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. 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. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. Herodotus gives an interesting account of the circumstances surrounding the capture of Babylon: Cyrus then advanced against Babylon. [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. I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. [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. Belshazzar Babylonian King - Amazing Bible Timeline 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. Because he could hardly proclaim himself as king while his father was still alive, Belshazzar proclaimed Nabonidus as king. 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). How old was Daniel when Belshazzar was king? 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. Daniel was deported to Babylon (some 900 miles away) when he was sixteen years old. 115-19; Keil, pp. being about threescore and two years old. [45] Otherwise his status and position after Nabonidus's return is never made clear. (30-31) The death of Belshazzar and the rise of Darius the Mede. 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. [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. [49] The last tablet dated to Nabonidus's reign is from Uruk and is dated to 13 October, which is considered the end date of his reign. 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. 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. 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.