Belshazzar King - Babylon Waning

When Nabonidus was in Lebanon recuperating from an illness, just before setting out on a campaign against Tema in western Arabia, he summoned his eldest son (Belshazzar), and "entrusted the kingship to him". This was in "the third year." If this was the third regnal year, it was in the winter of 553/552. Some scholars think it was in the third year after the completion of a temple at Haran if so, Belshazzar's appointment as coregent occurred two or three years later, but some time before Nabonidus' seventh regnal year, in which Nabonidus was in Tema. From that time on Belshazzar controlled the affairs of Babylonia as his father's coruler, while Nabonidus resided in Tema for many years. According to the "Verse Account of Nabonidus," Belshazzar held the "kingship." Daniel therefore made no mistake when he called Belshazzar "king," though critics formerly declared that Daniel here erred.

Belshazzar held a great feast. From vs. 28 and 30 it can be concluded that the feast took place during the night that Babylon fell to Cyrus' forces. Xenophon preserved the tradition that at the time of Babylon's fall "a certain festival had come round in Babylon, during which all Babylon was accustomed to drink and revel all night long" (Cyropaedia vii. 5. 15). It is inexplicable that Belshazzar should have made a feast immediately after the fall of Sippar, and only a few days after the lost battle at Opis (see Vol. III, p. 49). Apparently, he felt recklessly secure in his capital, protected by strong walls and a system of canals which could, in case of danger, put the surrounding country under water and so make it difficult for an invader to reach the city.

During the feast a Mysterious Hand writes a message on the wall that Daniel is called to interpret. The message of doom happens that very night. Although Belshazzar is not mentioned in the cuneiform sources describing the fall of Babylon, Xenophon declares that "the impious king" of Babylon, whose name is not mentioned in the account, was slain when Cyrus' army commander Gobryas entered the palace (Cyropaedia vii. 5. 30). Although it must be recognized that Xenophon's narrative is not historically reliable in all details, many of his statements are based on fact. According to cuneiform sources Nabonidus was absent from Babylon at the time of its capture. When Nabonidus surrendered, Cyrus sent him to distant Carmania. Therefore the king who was slain during the capture of Babylon could have been none other than Belshazzar. For a summary of the history of Belshazzar see Additional Note at the end of this chapter.