A plausible account of Berosus, in his third book, found in a fragment preserved by Josephus summarizes the history between Nebuchadnezzars death in 562 B.C. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Daniel 6:1-6, The administrators who are envious of Daniel tricks Darius to issue a decree prohibiting anyone to worship in the next thirty days or be thrown to the lions den. 2 Kings 25:1-3, Jerusalems wall breaks and the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, setting fire to the temple and the palace. Daniel, in his condemnation of Belshazzar before interpreting the handwriting on the wall, honors King Nebuchadnezzar . Their confidence in their gods was bolstered by their confidence in their city. Daniel does not record his immediate successors, and extrabiblical literature is somewhat confused. The other administrators resented this and thought of ways to bring ruin to Daniel. [6] This is typical of the "tale of court contest" in which historical accuracy is not an essential element. A solution of the problem has depended largely on the premises of the scholars dealing with it. "Belshazzar". Then came in all the kings wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Nabonidus), but during the period of the regency there are references to both "offerings to the king" and "offerings to the son of the king". This articleincorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:Singer, Isidore; etal., eds. Daniel 5:5-29, Belshazzar is killed when Cyrus of Persia invades Babylon. 00:00. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. [48] Nabonidus was captured and possibly exiled to Carmania. According to Berosus, Nebuchadnezzar died after a reign of 43 years and was followed by his son Evil-Merodach. . Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire (Jer 51:57-58). 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. 279 In the end, even the critics accept either the interpretation of Daniel (mene, numbered; tekel, weighed; peres, divided); or the reading, a maneh, a maneh, a shekel, and a half-maneh, see exposition. Much speculation has arisen concerning the expression that he offered them the position of being the third ruler in the kingdom. There is some question as to whether the Aramaic indicates specifically the third ruler. The ordinal numeral would be tlitay (as in Dan 2:39) whereas the Aramaic here is actually talti. Like Nebuchadnezzar before him, Belshazzar was soon to experience divine judgment but without the happy ending. . During his coregency Belshazzar administered the government, his own estates, and those of his father, though, according to the Book of Daniel, famine and economic setbacks occurred late in his rule. 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.