216-17, who discusses this quotation from Pusey. Then help is sought too late, as in the case of Belshazzar, and the cumulative sin and unbelief which precipitated the crisis in the first place becomes the occasion of downfall. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 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. 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. 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. Belshazzar 's surviving heir is his granddaughter, Vashti. A voice tells him the meaning of the vision, and Daniel lies exhausted by the vision for many days after. Even while Daniel was interpreting the writing on the wall, the prophecy was being fulfilled as the Medes and the Persians poured into the city. After a decisive victory at the battle of Opis, the Persian army, on 12 October,[48] led by Ugbaru, entered Babylon without a fight. [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. 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. As soon as a suitable number of the wise men had assembled, the king addressed them offering the reward that, if one of them could read the writing and show the interpretation, he would be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck and become third ruler in the kingdom. The Babylonian chronicles describe the actions and conquests of Cyrus in detail throughout Belshazzar's regency. Merrill F. Unger, Ungers Bible Dictionary, pp. 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. the interesting discussion of Belshazzar by C. Boutflower, In and Around the Book of Daniel, pp. When Daniel was brought before the king, he addressed a natural question to reassure himself of the identity of Daniel. Cyrus, emperor of Persia, captures Babylon. 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. The king was drinking wine with them. All of this proved that God was greater than Nebuchadnezzar and held him responsible for his authority. The queen urged, however, that now he be brought in to solve the present problem. Omissions? 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. Daniel 6:10-15, Darius orders Daniel to be thrown into the lions den and wishes Daniel that he be saved by his God. Young states, The identity of Belshazzar has long caused difficulty to commentators. That means Daniel was 36 years old when Jerusalem and Solomon's temple were destroyed. 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. 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 reference to Nebuchadnezzar as the father of Belshazzar, as previously indicated, should probably be either grandfather or greatgrandfather as the same term would be used for any of these designations. In any case Daniel read the writing as Aramaic, and the suggestion of puns in the language (see later discussion) depends upon the Aramaic. 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. 1., and Xenophon, inform us. This same son of the king is most probably mentioned . [27][28] During Nabonidus's absence, Belshazzar was put in charge of the administration in Babylonia. According to Berosus, Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of 43 years and was followed by his son Evil-Merodach. 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. Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom. 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. Although the Scriptures do not state so expressly, it is probable that the message of Daniel to the king was heard by the entire company. [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. For further discussion, see exposition of Daniel 5:25-27. In the interpretation of the image in chapter 2, Daniel had predicted to Nebuchadnezzar, After thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee (Dan 2:39). What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? 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. Young, The Prophecy of Daniel, p. 115. Darius used little . 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. The same was true in the Gentile world, and the dowager queen was able to enter the banquet hall without an invitation. the second year of Darius the King King of what, exactly ? 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 goes on in verse 14 to repeat what his mother had said concerning Daniels wisdom. If she were the wife of Nabonidus who was in captivity she probably would not have desired to come alone. [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. Daniel 6:26-27, Daniel prays and fasts about what lies ahead and the Jewish peoples indifference to their captivity. [12][29] Though this period has often been dubbed a "co-regency", Belshazzar never assumed an official title. 5:24-28 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. 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. Daniel 2:26-45, Nebuchadnezzar begins siege of Jerusalem. 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 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. 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. 248 James A. Montgomery, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, p. 249. 287 J. 5:10-12 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed. Daniel 5:5-29, Belshazzar is killed when Cyrus of Persia invades Babylon. 251 H. H. Rowley, The Historicity of the Fifth Chapter of Daniel, Journal of Theological Studies 32:12. It is possible in the decline of the Babylonian Empire that the number of the wise men was far more limited at this point in history than it was under Nebuchadnezzars reign. Charles, for instance, suggests that the writing was in unfamiliar ideograms.272 This, however, is mere conjecture. 7. 252 N. W. Porteous, Daniel: A Commentary, p. 76. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. 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. In the midst of this atmosphere of consternation, apprehension, and fear, Daniels countenance alone reflected the deep peace of God founded on confidence in God and His divine revelation. Daniel 3:19-25, Nebuchadnezzar experiences visions of a tree and being driven away from people and losing his sanity. Still, orders by Nabonidus superseded orders by Belshazzar. It is possible that Belshazzar had campaigned against the Persians on Lydia's behalf a year prior, in 547 BC. 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. 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. 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. As Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he ordered his servants to bring the gold and silver cups. Instead, in verse 18 he recognizes him as king but then immediately delivers his prophetic message of condemnation.