Belshazzar

Biblical Account

Belshazzar appears only in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:1 and 8:1 date Daniel's visions to "the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon" and "the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar." The vision of the four beasts in chapter 7 is recorded in Daniel 7:1–8.

The account of his actions is found in Daniel 5. Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his lords. He drank wine from the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and praised gods of gold, silver, wood, and stone. Then the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote on the wall of the palace, and none of the wise men of Babylon could read the writing.

At the queen's suggestion, Daniel was summoned. Daniel first rebuked the king: although Belshazzar knew how Nebuchadnezzar had been humbled because of his pride, he had not humbled his own heart. Daniel then interpreted the inscription "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN."

• Mene: God has numbered the king's kingdom and brought it to an end.
• Tekel: The king has been weighed in the balances and found wanting.
• Peres: The kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

As he had promised, Belshazzar clothed Daniel in scarlet, put a chain of gold about his neck, and made him the third ruler in the kingdom. That very night, however, Belshazzar was slain, and Darius the Median took the kingdom (Daniel 5:30–31).

Significance Within Scripture

Daniel 5 forms a pair with the account of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled because of his pride, then acknowledged God and was restored. Belshazzar, though he knew of this, profaned the temple vessels and engaged in idolatry, and he was judged. Through these two narratives the book of Daniel highlights the theme that even the rise and fall of pagan empires lies under God's sovereignty (His authority to rule). The New Testament does not mention Belshazzar directly.

Interpretation and Debate

• The historical Belshazzar: Babylonian cuneiform records identify Belshazzar as the son of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon. Belshazzar is known to have governed while Nabonidus was away from the capital for an extended period. Before these records were deciphered in the nineteenth century, his name was not attested outside the Bible, and some questioned whether he had existed. Some interpreters explain Daniel's appointment as "third ruler" as the rank immediately below Nabonidus and Belshazzar.
• Nebuchadnezzar as "father": Daniel 5 calls Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar's father. Conservative interpreters explain this either as an ancient Near Eastern idiom referring to an ancestor or a predecessor on the throne, or as descent through the maternal line. Some critical scholars hold that Daniel was written in the second century BC and that its historical information is inaccurate. Conservative evangelical denominations, by contrast, follow the traditional view that the book was written by Daniel in the sixth century BC.
• Darius the Mede: This figure is not attested in sources outside the Bible. Accordingly, there are several views, including that the name is another designation for Cyrus or that Darius was a governor appointed by Cyrus.
• Extrabiblical traditions: The account that Cyrus's army diverted the course of the Euphrates River to enter the city of Babylon comes from Greek historians such as Herodotus. The book of Daniel contains no such account.

In the Korean Church

Sermons often cite the interpretation of Tekel, "weighed in the balances, and found wanting." On the basis of this verse, preachers warn against pride and against treating holy things lightly. In Sunday school, the "writing on the wall" scene is taught as one of the stories of Daniel, alongside the fiery furnace and the lions' den.