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. A solution of the problem has depended largely on the premises of the scholars dealing with it. Belshazzar became regent of Babylon in 549 when his father left for Tema so he was presumably already an adult at this time. Like the other words, it is a passive participle. 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". 258 M. E. L. Mallowan, Nimrud, in Archaeology and Old Testament Study, p. 62. [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. 268 Cf. Daniel 6:10-15, Darius orders Daniel to be thrown into the lions den and wishes Daniel that he be saved by his God. 264 Otto Zockler, Daniel, Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, p. 126. The effect upon the king and his associates was immediate. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. The disaster of the world, however, does not overtake the child of God; Daniel survives the purge and emerges triumphant as one of the presidents of the new kingdom in chapter 6. 315-16. 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. Herodotus gives an interesting account of the circumstances surrounding the capture of Babylon: Cyrus then advanced against Babylon. Daniel does not record his immediate successors, and extrabiblical literature is somewhat confused. Some have claimed that the text does not plainly indicate the language. 216-17, who discusses this quotation from Pusey. 7:1; 8:1). Daniel as the prophet of God is the channel through which divine revelation would come, and Belshazzar in his extremity was willing to listen. On the other hand, such a careful scholar as Edward J. All of this proved that God was greater than Nebuchadnezzar and held him responsible for his authority. 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. The storehouses of Babylon were still abundant with food and wine, and there is evidence that there was plenty of both at this feast. At Daniel's request, his three countrymen were also placed in positions of authority as administrators of Babylon. What Daniel is saying is that he will give an unprejudiced interpretation with no attempt to seek favor from the king. Was Belshazzar actually king of Babylon and was he murdered on the night that Babylon was conquered? 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. [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. Cyrus, emperor of Persia, captures Babylon. Belshazzar was not allowed to date documents after his own "regnal years". 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. 115-19; Keil, pp. How old was Daniel when Belshazzar was king? It may even have been Belshazzar who convinced his father to stay away from Babylonia in the first place, fearing a confrontation with the Babylonian oligarchy and clergy over his father's religious beliefs. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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). Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the furnace but are unharmed. when conquered by the Medes. the interesting discussion of Belshazzar by C. Boutflower, In and Around the Book of Daniel, pp. The probability is that the writing was in Aramaic and therefore not entirely unknown to the wise men. 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. Knowing Daniel was a wise elder statesman, the new leaders gave him a prestigious place in their government (Daniel 6:1-2). The Jewish Encyclopedia. [6] This is typical of the "tale of court contest" in which historical accuracy is not an essential element. Cyrus took Babylon, and after giving orders to raze the outer walls of the city, because it resented a very redoubtable and formidable appearance, proceeded to Borsippa to esiege Nabonnedus. [50] It is often assumed that Belshazzar was killed by the Persians at Babylon when the city fell, on 12 October. 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. [25] October 543 BC is the return date most supported by surviving Babylonian documentation. Ezra 6:14-18. 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. 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. Norman Porteous, for instance, writes, On the other hand it is known that Belshazzar was a historical person, the son of the last Babylonian king Nabonidus, who acted as regent of Babylon for several years before its fall, while his father was absent at the oasis of Teima in Arabia.252 This would begin Belshazzars regency about 553 B.C., when Nabonidus went to Teima. [27][28] During Nabonidus's absence, Belshazzar was put in charge of the administration in Babylonia. 252 N. W. Porteous, Daniel: A Commentary, p. 76. 287 J. 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. That would make him about 85 to ninety years old at his death. 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. 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. Now these holy vessels are distributed among the crowd and used as vessels from which to drink wine. feast at which the writing appeared on the wall, Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Mede took over Babylon (Daniel 5:30). Then came in all the kings wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. For the duration of the decade-long absence of his father, Belshazzar served as regent in Babylon. - Daniel 5:5-29: Belshazzar is killed when Cyrus of Persia invades Babylon. So broad and strong were the walls that chariots four abreast could parade around its top. "That two deserters, Gadatas and Gobryas, having assisted some of the Persian army to kill the guards, and seize upon . This implies a twofold difficulty. His grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken these cups from the Temple in Jerusalem. John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. Daniel 12:13, Cyrus allows the Jews to return to Judea and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar, son of Nabonidus, was the last king of Babylon during the time of Daniel . The next four years Neriglisar occupied the throne. 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. [45], Belshazzar partook in Babylon's defense against the invasion by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC. 24-26) as holding that only three kings are referred to, viz., Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach and Belshazzar. Nabonidus assumed the throne in 556 b.c. There was, however, nothing insolent or discourteous in Daniels address to the king; and the charges were stated in a factual and objective way. Still, orders by Nabonidus superseded orders by Belshazzar. 5:30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. Q. Instead, documents from the period in which Belshazzar was regent continued to be dated after the years of Nabonidus's reign. [35] These include: The events that transpired in Babylonia during Belshazzar's regency are not well known, owing to a lack of surviving sources. 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. The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. 162-79; and Leupold, pp. He's also one of the most well-known Old Testament villains. 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. [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 king was drinking wine with them. Instead, in verse 18 he recognizes him as king but then immediately delivers his prophetic message of condemnation. [58], The Midrash literature enters into the details of Belshazzar's death. 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. Belshazzar, overcome by sickness, left the palace unobserved during the night through a rear exit. 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. 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. The great Euphrates River flowed through the middle of the city in a general north-south direction and was bordered by walls on each side to protect the city from attack from the river.
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