247 See Raymond P. Dougherty, Nabonidus and Belshazzar. A Summary and Analysis of the Writing on the Wall at Belshazzar's Feast of natural causes. Nebuchadnezzar II | Biography, Accomplishments, & Facts exhibits its remarkable accuracy.249 The controversy over Belshazzar, because of the extensive investigation and great variety of findings, has become one of the most complicated problems in the entire book, but the problem itself is comparatively simple. Daniel 1:18-20, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzars dream about a statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. Man may have the first word, but God will have the last word. Probably before the babble of conversation in the banquet room had subsided, the king began to cry aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. Only three classes of wise men are mentioned, but it is doubtful whether any class was intentionally omitted as verse 8 refers to all the kings wise men. The astrologers were actually the magicians; the Chaldeans were a broad class of scholars and learned men in the lore of the Babylonians; and the soothsayers corresponded more closely to the modern concept of astrologers, although they may have also practiced sorcery. He was 62 years old. 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. 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. 263 Edward B. Pusey, Daniel the Prophet, p. 346. Here was a man who did not fear man and feared only God. 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. Who was Belchazzar? Babylonian King in the Bible - Bible Study Tools [43] Belshazzar appears to have worked to restore Marduk's status in his father's absence. [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. 216-17, who discusses this quotation from Pusey. Daniel 5:1-25 King Belshazzar gave a big party for 1000 of his - Bible [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. Freedman cites H. Louis Ginsberg (Studies in Daniel, pp. [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. 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. (30-31) The death of Belshazzar and the rise of Darius the Mede. [29][1] The Verse Account of Nabonidus, a biased[13] document probably written after Nabonidus was deposed by Cyrus the Great, states that Nabonidus entrusted Belshazzar with the kingship, but there are no records of Belshazzar assuming the royal title. Nebuchadnezzar himself had died in 562 B.C. 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. Verse 1 of chapter 5 introduces the fact that Belshazzar as king of Babylon had made a great feast to which a thousand of his lords had been invited with their wives. This articleincorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:Singer, Isidore; etal., eds. 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. 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. 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. 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. 5:1-4 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar is not mentioned in building inscriptions, which usually mention the king responsible. 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. Belshazzar Babylonian King - Amazing Bible Timeline Too often the world, like Belshazzar, is not willing to seek the wisdom of God until its own bankruptcy becomes evident. It is related by the people who inhabited this city, that, by reason of its great extent, when they who were at the extremities were taken, those of the Babylonians who inhabited the centre knew nothing of the capture (for it happened to be a festival); but they were dancing at the time, and enjoying themselves, till they received certain information of the truth. Like a mother, she told her son in effect to pull himself together because there must be some solution to his problem. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. [27][28] During Nabonidus's absence, Belshazzar was put in charge of the administration in Babylonia. [42], It is possible that a noteworthy return to orthodox Babylonian religion, following early attempts by Nabonidus to exalt the moon god Sn over the traditional Babylonian supreme deity Marduk, can be attributed to Belshazzar. He died about 561 and was succeeded by his son Awil-Marduk (Evil-Merodach of 2 Kings). 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. 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. Some of these prophecies may have their ultimate fulfillment in the future (Rev 17-18). 248 James A. Montgomery, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, p. 249. 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. 67-68. 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. He believed that Babylon was safe. . Was Nebuchadnezzar the father of Belshazzar? - Studybuff It seems likely that skirmishes along the border were frequent from then until Babylon's fall. Herodotus pictures hundreds of towers at appropriate intervals reaching another 100 feet into the air above the top of the wall.266, Modern interpreters view Herodotus figures as greatly exaggerated, with the real dimensions only about one-fourth of what Herodotus claimed. Belshazzar was the first-born son of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He promises both to read and to make known the interpretation. The text is definitely from the sixth century B.C. 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. Approximately twenty-three years elapsed between chapter 4 and chapter 5. 288 John C. Whitcomb, Jr., Darius the Mede, p. 73. Daniel describes graphically in verse 19 how Nebuchadnezzar was feared and had absolute authority of life and death over his people and, accordingly, was an absolute sovereign. The situation before Belshazzar had all the elements of a great drama. Nebuchadnezzar's . That would make him about 85 to ninety years old at his death. See also Keil, p. 179, citing Athenaeus, as does Young, p. 118. Keil, pp. Daniel (Dn'il, or Danel) is also the name of a figure in the Aqhat legend from Ugarit. 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. [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. 1., and Xenophon, inform us. 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. The interpretation of Daniel is clear and much more satisfactory than the alternatives offered by some expositors. Belshazzar goes on in verse 14 to repeat what his mother had said concerning Daniels wisdom. This was not prompted by disrespect nor by the evident fact that they would be short-lived. As Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he ordered his servants to bring the gold and silver cups. 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. Jeremiah 52:7-14, 2 Kings 25:4-10, Nebuchadnezzar makes a golden statue and orders everyone to worship it or be thrown into the furnace. The inability of the wise men to decipher the writing only increased the concern of Belshazzar. 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. Belshazzar's Impious Feast 1 Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. [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. | 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. After his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar died, his uncle had reigned for two years, only to be murdered by a brother-in-law. . The bridge was later supplemented by a tunnel mentioned by Diodorus. 5:13-16 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. There Nabonnedus spent the remainder of his life, and there he died^ Flavius Josephus. For further discussion, see exposition of Daniel 5:25-27. Following Cyrus decree, around 50,000 Jews return home to Judea, led by Zerubbabel. 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. Then came in all the kings wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Daniel does not record his immediate successors, and extrabiblical literature is somewhat confused. B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, pp. Daniel 2:26-45, Nebuchadnezzar begins siege of Jerusalem. 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. Those critical of the authenticity and accuracy of Daniel, especially those zealous to prove second-century authorship, proceed on the premise that Daniel must be in error until he is proved otherwise. There may have been a division of the Babylonian army. Within these walls were beautiful avenues, parks, and palaces. 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. 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. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 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. Cf. After a decisive victory at the battle of Opis, the Persian army, on 12 October,[48] led by Ugbaru, entered Babylon without a fight. If Belshazzar began his reign in 553 b.c, when Nabonidus went to Teima, the visions of chapters 7 and 8 actually occurred about twelve years before the events of chapter 5. Isaiah 14:22, "And I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant and son and grandchild, saith the Lord", is applied to the trio: "Name" to Nebuchadnezzar, "remnant" to Amel-Marduk, "son" to Belshazzar, and "grandchild" Vashti (ib.). Daniel 5:30. A. Brinkman, Probably the first recorded mention of Belshazzar, Prince of Babylonia under Nabonnedus is in a cuneiform text 135 in a collection at the Archaeological Museum in Florence published in 1958-60 by Professor Karl Ober-huber of the University of Innsbruck. [35] These include: The events that transpired in Babylonia during Belshazzar's regency are not well known, owing to a lack of surviving sources. 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. 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. Daniel, in his condemnation of Belshazzar before interpreting the handwriting on the wall, honors King Nebuchadnezzar . Nabonidus fleeing Babylon went to Borsippa but was forced to surrender to Cyrus. Daniel had not been assembled with the other wise men because he probably was in semiretirement and was no longer chief of the wise men. 115-19; Keil, pp. That means Daniel was 36 years old when Jerusalem and Solomon's temple were destroyed. He was given a Babylonian name - Belteshazzar, meaning "Bel Protect his Life." 9 out of the 12 chapters in Daniel revolve around dreams. [44] Upon Nabonidus's return to Babylon, Belshazzar was demoted from his administrative responsibilities and officials he had appointed were dismissed. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. According to Berosus, Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of 43 years and was followed by his son Evil-Merodach. In this period, a number of monarchs had succeeded Nebuchadnezzar. The Jewish Encyclopedia. 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. 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. Belshazzar informs Daniel of the inability of all the wise men either to read or to interpret the writing. Cyrus, emperor of Persia, captures Babylon. She had not attended the banquet. 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. - Daniel 12:13: 538 BC: Cyrus allows the Jews to return to Judea and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem . 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 became regent of Babylon in 549 when his father left for Tema so he was presumably already an adult at this time. [26] The purpose for this prolonged stay, effectively self-exile, in Tayma are unclear and debated. Later, King Nebuchadnezzar had another dream, and again Daniel was able to interpret it. 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. In the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible, Belshazzar is referred to as Nebuchadnezzar's (grand)son. Writing on the Wall - Mission Bible Class 251 H. H. Rowley, The Historicity of the Fifth Chapter of Daniel, Journal of Theological Studies 32:12. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). Daniel (biblical figure) - Wikipedia This would mean right about the time of his death, around 490-485 BC, since he was born around 550 BC, and lived for about 65 years. Vashti: The Forgotten Queen of Persia | My Jewish Learning 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. [54] Daniel interprets the writing as a judgment from Yahweh, the god of Israel, foretelling the fall of Babylon. 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. Nebuchadnezzar II was the eldest son and successor of Nabopolassar, founder of the Chaldean empire. In any event, there is no proof for the suggestion discussed by Keil that the classification of wise men mentioned purposely excluded Daniel. While the dimensions may be questioned, the magnificence of the city was not seriously exaggerated.267. 5:29-31 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. Daniel 5:5-29, Belshazzar is killed when Cyrus of Persia invades Babylon. Sermons and Outlines - Sermon Notebook Belshazzar was killed that night, and the city taken by the Medes and Persians. Daniel 5:1 Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. Updates? The only other similar case is Neriglissar, though Neriglissar lacked royal blood and had not been the intended successor to the throne, and abandoned his estates upon becoming king, seemingly entrusting them to Labashi-Marduk, his crown prince, and a figure of unclear connections called Nabu-sabit-qate. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. The first is the Babylonian king whom Daniel records was feasting when Babylon fell (Dan. The queen uses the very words which presumably she had heard Nebuchadnezzar express (Dan 4:8, 9, 18). and reigned until 539 b.c. Belshazzar's feast: analysis. Now these holy vessels are distributed among the crowd and used as vessels from which to drink wine. 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. BELSHAZZAR - JewishEncyclopedia.com Belshazzar, overcome by sickness, left the palace unobserved during the night through a rear exit. His widespread troopstheir number, like that of the water of a river, could not be establishedstrolled along, their weapons packed away. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. Her address is courteous, O king, live for ever, but directly to the point. 264 Otto Zockler, Daniel, Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, p. 126. How old was Daniel when Belshazzar was king? 266 Herodotus, History of the Persian Wars, 1:178-83. 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. Midway in the long wall opposite the entrance there was a niche in front of which the king may well have been seated. 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. Quora - A place to share knowledge and better understand the world Bible Q | How old was Belshazzar when he died? In vain did he pled that he was the king. 5. Belshazzar's Feast And The Fall Of Babylon | Bible.org After his murder the conspirators held a meeting, and by common consent conferred the kingdom upon Nabonnedus, a Babylonian and one of their gang.

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