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. 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. [56], The broad consensus among scholars is that the Book of Daniel was compiled shortly after the Maccabean Revolt in the 160s BC. 278 There is a remarkably close parallel to the language of 5:23 in the Prayer of Nabonidus found in Qumran Cave 4:See J. T. Milik, pp. 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. How old was Belshazzar when Nebuchadnezzar died? As Keil points out, the king was ready to listen to anyone who could interpret the writing.269. He is considered perhaps the world's foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy.John is perhaps best known for his bestselling work on Bible prophecy, Armageddon More. Like Nebuchadnezzar before him, Belshazzar was soon to experience divine judgment but without the happy ending. Daniel does not record his immediate successors, and extrabiblical literature is somewhat confused. 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. That means Daniel was 36 years old when Jerusalem and Solomon's temple were destroyed. 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. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied. Belshazzar | king of Babylonia | Britannica 263 Edward B. Pusey, Daniel the Prophet, p. 346. Nebuchadnezzar dies and is replaced by a succession of short-lived kings. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? 249 According to J. 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. Knowing Daniel was a wise elder statesman, the new leaders gave him a prestigious place in their government (Daniel 6:1-2). 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. [35] These include: The events that transpired in Babylonia during Belshazzar's regency are not well known, owing to a lack of surviving sources. 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. Although the precise identity of Belshazzar may continue to be debated, available facts support accepting Daniels designation of Belshazzar as king. This same son of the king is most probably mentioned . According to Daniel, his countenance changed, that is, changed color and became pale. 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. 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. Updates? However, the narration here must be considered in the form of a condensation; and probably Daniel addressed the king in a formal way. Bible Q | How old was Belshazzar when he died? 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. 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 effect upon the king and his associates was immediate. - Daniel 5:5-29: Belshazzar is killed when Cyrus of Persia invades Babylon. 271 F. Rosenthal, A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, p. 71. Because of the variety of words that could be identified merely by the consonants, another suggestion has been made. What happened to King Belshazzar in the book of Daniel? A voice tells him the meaning of the vision, and Daniel lies exhausted by the vision for many days after. That such a large feast should be held by a monarch like Belshazzar is not at all strange. 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. Babylonian chronicles refer to the crown prince being stationed at home in Babylonia with "his army". 266 Herodotus, History of the Persian Wars, 1:178-83. MENE could be considered equivalent to the maneh of Ezekiel 45:12; Ezra 2:69. the second year of Darius the King King of what, exactly ? Belshazzar's feast: analysis. The Writing on the Wall That would make him about 85 to ninety years old at his death. The queen uses the very words which presumably she had heard Nebuchadnezzar express (Dan 4:8, 9, 18). Daniel first reminds Belshazzar that God gave Nebuchadnezzar his great kingdom and the honor that went with it. 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. Although the size of the banquet is not amazing, the situation was most unusual. This explains why Belshazzar in the lineal descent from Nebuchadnezzar was honored as a coruler under Nabonidus. All of these honors, however, were short-lived and useless, as Daniel well knew, and typical of the honors of this world. Belshazzar's fate is not known, since none of the sources record it. 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. 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. Many of the streets were lined with buildings three and four stories high. 257 Montgomery mentions a marriage feast of Alexander with 10,000 guests (Montgomery, p. 250). He knew for instance that Daniel was of the captivity of Judah and that he was one of the captives which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem. Was Nebuchadnezzar a believer? Who succeeded Belshazzar as king of Babylon? 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. 315-16. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. According to Berosus, Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of 43 years and was followed by his son Evil-Merodach. Nebuchadnezzar II | Biography, Accomplishments, & Facts This article is about the Babylonian prince. Under these circumstances, Belshazzar would indeed be king of Babylon in the absence of his father. A solution of the problem has depended largely on the premises of the scholars dealing with it. How old was Daniel when Belshazzar was king? Daniel 5:30-31. Nabonidus assumed the throne in 556 b.c. That means Daniel was 36 years old when Jerusalem and Solomon's temple were destroyed. A system of inner and outer walls with a water moat between the walls made the city very secure. 268 Cf. Belshazzar was killed that night, and the city taken by the Medes and Persians. 258 M. E. L. Mallowan, Nimrud, in Archaeology and Old Testament Study, p. 62. Daniel 1:3-7, Daniel and his friends complete their three years of learning. Darius used little . 263-64. He believed that Babylon was safe. Now Belshazzar was all too eager to have the gifts of this man exercised to interpret the writing. Daniel 2:26-45, Nebuchadnezzar begins siege of Jerusalem. 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. 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. Norman Porteous, Daniel: A Commentary, p. 76. (30-31) The death of Belshazzar and the rise of Darius the Mede. A Clay Cylinder and Daniel's History | Mind Renewers Daniel the Prophet of the Bible, His Life and Accomplishments Daniel 6:10-15, Darius orders Daniel to be thrown into the lions den and wishes Daniel that he be saved by his God. Only when Nebuchadnezzar was properly humbled did God restore him to his glory and kingdom. Ibid., p. 214. He was followed by King Belshazzar who ascended the throne in 3387 (374 BCE). 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. Here was a man who did not fear man and feared only God. PDF Interesting Facts About Daniel - Bible Charts Interestingly, the wall behind the niche was covered with white plaster as described by Daniel, which would make an excellent background for such a writing.268. 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. being about threescore and two years old. Here the discussion is lost in a maze of conflicting facts in extrabiblical literature concerning which the critics themselves are not agreed. [12][29] Though this period has often been dubbed a "co-regency", Belshazzar never assumed an official title. 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. 5:1-30) and during whose reign he received two visions (Dan. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. This prince, whose government was arbitrary and licentious, fell a victim to a plot, being assassinated by his sisters husband, Neriglisar, after a reign of two years. 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. 254 For further discussion of this problem, see Young, pp. She had not attended the banquet. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Belshazzar, How Stuff Works - History - Biography of Belshazzar. [5][6][7] Daniel's Belshazzar is not malevolent (he, for instance, rewards Daniel for his interpretation of "the writing on the wall"), but in later Jewish tradition Belshazzar was presented as a tyrant who oppresses the Jewish people. In the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible, Belshazzar is referred to as Nebuchadnezzar's (grand)son. Daniel 1:1-2, Jeremiah 25:1), Jehoiakim died, and his son Jehoiachin became king (2 Kings 24:6). Archeological research is complicated by a change in the course of the Euphrates River and a higher water level, but more than 10,000 inscribed texts have been discovered. Daniel experiences a vision of the four terrifying beasts but kept the vision to himself. He appears on the Bible Timeline Poster right before the fall of Babylon. 5. Belshazzar's Feast And The Fall Of Babylon | Bible.org The same was true in the Gentile world, and the dowager queen was able to enter the banquet hall without an invitation. 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. His grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken these cups from the Temple in Jerusalem. [31] These include: Though Belshazzar's authority was thus limited, he also was allowed, and assumed, certain royal responsibilities. He promises both to read and to make known the interpretation. (Cf. How old was Daniel when Belshazzar was king? On his return, the doorkeepers refused to admit him. 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. Because his rule was arbitrary and licentious, he was assassinated by Neriglisar after he had reigned only two years. But for Belshazzar, Daniel immediately speaks out and delivers the cold hard facts. Nabonidus fleeing Babylon went to Borsippa but was forced to surrender to Cyrus. 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 . Through his mother, he might have been a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar II (r.605562 BC), though this is not certain and the claims to kinship with Nebuchadnezzar may have originated from royal propaganda. There was, however, nothing insolent or discourteous in Daniels address to the king; and the charges were stated in a factual and objective way. This text indicates that a person known as Bel-sarra-usur was a res sarri, an officer of the king, under Neriglissar who came to the throne in 560 B.C., as had been earlier pointed out in a text YBC 3765:2 published by R. P. Dougherty in 1929 in Nabonidus and Belshazzar, pp. 246 Eusebius, Praeper. For pictures and further details, see R. K. Harrison, Babylon, in The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, pp. Daniel 10:2-3, Daniel dies at 84 years old. Nabonidus left Babylon in May 553 BC to campaign in the west. See also Keil, p. 179, citing Athenaeus, as does Young, p. 118. Nebuchadnezzars humiliating experience in chapter 4 had been followed by his death in 562 b.c. 288 John C. Whitcomb, Jr., Darius the Mede, p. 73. He was followed by Neriglissar, also spelled Nergal-shar-usur, a son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar who died in 556 b.c. 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. The prophet Daniel, interpreting the handwriting on the wall as God's judgment on the king, foretold the imminent destruction of the city. Home; Blog; Bible survey. 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. 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. He praises God, and after seven months, his sanity is restored. Though he is referred to in the Book of Daniel as the son of Nebuchadrezzar, the Babylonian inscriptions indicate that he was in fact the eldest son of Nabonidus, who was king of Babylon from 555 to 539, and of Nitocris, who was perhaps a daughter of Nebuchadrezzar. That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. How can we understand the different dates in Haggai & Daniel about King 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. 287 J. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. About seventy years had elapsed since the capture of Jerusalem recorded in Daniel 1. 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". 252 N. W. Porteous, Daniel: A Commentary, p. 76. It is possible that Belshazzar had campaigned against the Persians on Lydia's behalf a year prior, in 547 BC. 00:00. Before morning they killed Belshazzar and took over his kingdom (v 31). [44] Upon Nabonidus's return to Babylon, Belshazzar was demoted from his administrative responsibilities and officials he had appointed were dismissed. 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. [20], By examining surviving documents from Belshazzar's time as crown prince, it appears that the estates of Neriglissar's family were confiscated after Labashi-Marduk's death and that they were claimed and taken over by Belshazzar. After his murder the conspirators held a meeting, and by common consent conferred the kingdom upon Nabonnedus, a Babylonian and one of their gang. One preserved document, which regards the granting of the privilege to cultivate a tract of land belonging to the Eanna temple in Uruk, is virtually identical to similar privileges issued by Nabonidus, though it is specified to have been issued by Belshazzar. For example, in the passage, "As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him" (Amos 5:19), the lion is said to represent Nebuchadnezzar, and the bear, equally ferocious if not equally courageous, is Belshazzar. Keil, pp. What Daniel is saying is that he will give an unprejudiced interpretation with no attempt to seek favor from the king. The Bible refers to him as his son ( Daniel 5:2 ), but really the original language seems to hint they're family, or. [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. Nabonidus also sometimes sent orders to Belshazzar, which Belshazzar was forced to respect and implement. 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. There was plenty of water from the Euphrates River which bisected the city. Ev. 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. Some have claimed that the text does not plainly indicate the language. In beginning his explanation of the handwriting on the wall, Daniel first of all reads the writing; and for the first time, the words are introduced into the text of this chapter. Montgomery, pp. 3 . [21] Belshazzar is recorded as owning lands throughout Babylonia, for instance owning an agricultural settlement near Uruk. A. Brinkman, Neo-Babylonian Texts in the Archaeological Museum at Florence, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 25:202-9.). [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. Young, The Prophecy of Daniel, p. 115. Then came in all the kings wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Like the other words, it is a passive participle. There may have been a division of the Babylonian army. 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). PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. Discoveries since Keil tend to support Herodotus and Xenophon, although not accounting for Darius the Mede. [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. [29] It is probable that Nabonidus, a reformer, and Belshazzar, apparently more religiously conservative, did not see eye to eye in religious matters. 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. Daniel spoke in measured tones the condemnation of that which was blasphemous in the sight of the holy God. 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. All of this proved that God was greater than Nebuchadnezzar and held him responsible for his authority. 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. As Nabonidus was relatively old at the time, Belshazzar could expect to become king within a few years. 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. 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. At Daniel's request, his three countrymen were also placed in positions of authority as administrators of Babylon. Instead, in verse 18 he recognizes him as king but then immediately delivers his prophetic message of condemnation. Belshazzar - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - StudyLight.org 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. 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. 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. J. 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. The large reward that was offered, however, was to no avail, for the wise men who assembled could not read the writing nor interpret it. Belshazzar's reign as king (not when he was acting in his father's stead) was incredibly brief and he only ruled two years before the Persians took over Babylon in 539 B.C. when conquered by the Medes. What Did Belshazzar Use In His Feast? - On Secret Hunt 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. It is clear that the New Year's festival was not celebrated, and that there was concern regarding the rising power of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great. Belshazzar, being greatly alarmed at the mysterious handwriting on the wall, and apprehending that someone in disguise might enter the palace with murderous intent, ordered his doorkeepers to behead anyone who attempted to force an entrance that night, even though such person should claim to be the king himself. 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. The whole surrounding territory of the city of Babylon and the related provinces already had been conquered. 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.

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