Chapter 5 opens with a King who is not Nebuchadnezzar.
Historical records show that the Babylonian King identified as “Belshazzar” here is NOT the son of Nebuchadnezzar. While Daniel identifies Nebuchadnezzar as Belshazzar’s father in v. 18, and as “his son” in v. 22, the word for “son” in the Aramaic original language can also mean “grandson” or “descendant” or even “successor.” Belshazzar was actually the son of Nabonidus, one of the successors to Nebuchadnezzar, who at the time of the events of Chapter 5 was away fighting the invading Persians. Belshazzar never actually became king, but in this instance, was acting as a regent in his father’s absence.
A lot of time has passed. The King’s dream interpreted by Daniel in chapter 4 occurred around 582 BC. As noted above, the King suffers through a seven-year period where he was “out of touch,” and was only restored to power after he humbled himself before God. Nebuchadnezzar reigns another 14 years until he dies in October, 562. But because the last two verses of Chapter 5 inform us that Babylon falls “that very night,”, and “Darius the Mede” takes over as the new ruler, we can cross reference this with the historical evidence showing the Medeo-Persian Empire taking over Babylon in 539 B.C.
This means from the time Daniel interpreted the “dream of the tree” for Nebuchadnezzar to the writing on the wall in Chapter 5, some 43 years have passed. What has happened? There is no record of Daniel speaking publicly at all, let along having any authority or influence in the government for this entire time. Has he fallen out of favor? Plus, if you put things into perspective, Daniel was a young man – in his late teens to early twenties when he first arrived in Babylon around 609 B.C. This means the man called in to interpret the writing on the wall in Chapter 5 was 85 to 95 years old.
How did the circumstances in Daniel’s world get to the current situation in Chapter 5? How did Babylon’s mighty empire end so abruptly?
The non-biblical historical records indicate that Nebuchadnezzar never quite regained control after his 7-year stint eating grass and mooing like a cow. Nebuchadnezzar had several sons, all of whom attempted to assassinate or overthrow their father at one time or another. One of these sons, Amel-Marduk (also referred to as “Evil-Marduk” in the bible) comes out ahead in the game (he seems to be the third born son) and is eventually named as “crown prince” and successor. But he was a schemer as well, and crossed his father one too many times, and was imprisoned. His father’s death resulted in his freedom.
(According to Jewish traditions, Amel-Marduk ended up sharing a prison cell with Jehoiachin, the King of Judah imprisoned by Nebuchadnezzar. According to 2 Kings 25:27-30, Jehoiachin was released from prison "in the 37th year of the exile", in the year that Amel-Marduk began his reign (562 BC) and the new Babylonian King gave the former King of Judah a prestigious position at court.)
But Amel-Marduk’s reign only lasted 2 years. A well respected general from Nebuchadnezzar’s army, Neriglissar, who had married one of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters, used his political ties to the family to win over the army’s support, and assassinated Amel-Marduk, and took the throne.
Neriglissar ruled for 4 years, and died suddenly, succeeded by his underage son, Labashi- Marduk. This child-king was only able to hold onto power for 3 months, as a group of conspirators, led by Belshazzar (the “king” hosting the wild party at the beginning of chapter 5), overthrew Labashi-Marduk. Belshazzar set up his father, Nabonidus, as king. Nabonidus, the last King of the Babylonian Empire, ruled for 15 years. He was a capable administrator, but controversial, because he was ethnically Chaldean (the same ethnic heritage as Nebuchadnezzar’s astrologers). He pushed to replace the primary national religion of “Marduk,” the Sun God, with the Moon God, “Sin,” the primary idol of the Chaldeans. There is evidence that the aristocracy and elite families pushed back, leading to Nabonidus withdrawing into a form of self-imposed exile, leaving his son Belshazzar in charge (perhaps Belshazzar intended this all along). Towards the end of his reign, Nabonidus returned to public life, pushing even harder for religious reform. Of course, all of this came to an abrupt halt when the Persians suddenly took over.
Why do I go through all these seemingly boring details about Babylonian history? I think it illuminates our understanding of Daniel’s situation.
First, we see the fulfillment of the dream Daniel interprets in Chapter 2. The soft and pliable nature of the gold in the statute proves to be an accurate reflection of the lasting power of the Babylonian kings. An autocratic dictatorship held by a single person is only as effective as that person. Despite his personality flaws, Nebuchadnezzar was a capable autocrat, who effectively delegated his power while keeping complete control. Babylon was the number one superpower of the ancient world under his reign. But old age and the ambition of his sons eventually caught up to him. His death left a power vacuum that the lesser men who succeeded him could not fill.
While Daniel himself did not pass judgement on the lasting power of Nebuchadnezzar’s government, the gold that represented it revealed that Babylon could not withstand pressure from without. The “gold” of Babylon was useless as the material used as mortar in a brick building – while pricey, it could not last.
Second, realizing how unstable the Babylonian government was in the later years of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign and in the reigns of his successors is a key to understanding Daniel’s silence and absence from all of it. It’s not hard to imagine that after telling everyone that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream would be the King’s downfall, and then seeing it fulfilled down to the last detail a year later, that the “satraps and governors” who tried to hold the empire together had any fondness for Daniel. Daniel’s talents as an administrator, obviously far and above most if not all of his peers, also probably inspired a lot of jealousy. The “3-0 score” I’ve mentioned must have vexed the other leaders. The fact that the King was fond of him and treated him like a pet no doubt made them envious. It is easy to see Daniel falling from grace during the 7-year period the King is absent.
Why isn’t Daniel restored to favor after Nebuchadnezzar comes back? We can’t ever really know. Perhaps the King’s sons, in seeking to overtake the “old man” and climb over each other for influence, pushed Daniel aside and ruined Daniel’s reputation with the King. Perhaps Daniel, seeing the writing on the wall, withdrew from society to protect his own life. Seeing what Daniel’s relationship with God was like, we can imagine the Lord speaking to him and telling him to withdraw from public life to avoid all these problems.
But I wonder what Daniel was thinking. After all he had been through as a young man coming out of the destruction of Jerusalem, the difficult time adjusting to life in the training period, then being vaulted into the heady world of being one of the most powerful men in the Empire only to lose his status just as quickly after serving as the capital region’s governor and the King’s right hand man for 16 to 20 years. Wouldn’t he have experienced disappointment? We don’t know what happened to his three friends, but I would think they also likely experienced a fall from grace and power when the King suddenly disappeared. Daniel was probably on his own. He must have felt alone. He must have felt forgotten. The concept of being in exile -- from his homeland, his people, and the essence of his identity – would have weighed even heavier on him as he went through life for all the years he is apparently ignored.
The actual narrative of Chapter 5 emphasizes the decadent behavior of Belshazzar and his court.
The regent King throws a wild, orgiastic party with over a thousand people lost in drunken revelry. To cause even greater offense to the faithful remnant of Jewish people in exile, the gold goblets that were used in the Jerusalem temple are brought out to drink from while toasting the gods represented by the idols all around them. But there is no mention of the most weirdly ironic aspect of this party – this is all going on while a powerful and destructive foreign enemy is literally on the doorstep.
This could not have been a shock to anybody. Belshazzar’s father is probably off fighting the invaders. The Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great (referred to in history as the “Achaemenid Empire” as well as the Medeo-Persian Empire) had been on the rise since the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s death. Cyrus’s forces overwhelmed the Median kingdom, which bordered Babylon to the west and north. In 550 BC, King Croesus of Lydia, a powerful nation located in modern day Turkey, took advantage of the misfortune of the Medes, quickly moving to take over the formerly Median territory north of Babylon in eastern Turkey. Cyrus took offense and attacked Lydia. Within 4 years, Lydia was also subjugated, and the Persian Empire stretched from India to Greece.
Then the vassal states of Media and Lydia that bordered Babylon to the north and west tried to rebel, and Cyrus crushed each one in turn. By 540 BC or so, the only unconquered territory left between Persia and Egypt was Babylon.
What was the mighty Babylonian Empire doing to prepare to face the military might of the Persians?
Apparently, nothing. While watching Cyrus overrun all its neighbors over a ten-year period, Babylon and its leaders seemed focused on only themselves. There is no evidence of any sort of diplomatic communication between the two empires prior to Cyrus invading Babylon. King Nabonidus seemed distracted over debate with the powered elites in Babylon over which idol to worship. His son Belshazzar apparently was only interested in parties.
(This is the problem with absolute rule. Dictators tend to appoint their relatives, friends, or people they want to reward as the administrators of the government. Qualifications or experience are often not considered. Capable administrators like Daniel are in short supply, and those looking to gain power will discredit or kill them in an order to get them out of the way. Unless the absolute ruler is disciplined, mature, and willing to humble himself enough to take the advice of others, the empire is doomed). The royal family’s infighting, along with the incompetency and laziness of the officials they appointed created a perfect storm, and the Persians were able to move in with very little effort. Belshazzar and his court were engaged in drunken revelry as if nothing was going on.
Verse 30 says it happened “that very night,” and history proves this out. In October, 539 BC, the Persian army routed Babylon at the Battle of Opis, about 40 miles from the capital, taking King Nabonidus prisoner. The people of Opis embraced the conquerors as potential liberators and turned against Babylon. This swept through the empire, allowing Cyrus to march into the capital and conquer Babylon without any opposition.
But while all this was going on outside the city, Belshazzar and his cronies are partying as if there was no tomorrow. That is, until the mysterious, supernatural hand writes on the wall. It’s been 43 years since the last supernatural interpretation, but the King has the same reaction as Nebuchadnezzar, summoning the “enchanters, astrologers and diviners,” offering them great reward if they can interpret the writing on the wall (v. 7). When they cannot provide an answer, the King is terrified.
Verse 10 says the “queen” interrupts. This is likely not Belshazzar’s wife, but could have been a “queen mother,” either the wife or sister of Nabonidus or the wife, sister, or daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. She recalls Daniel’s past successes in interpreting dreams for Nebuchadnezzar and is confident he can provide the answer. Daniel is summoned (he may have been forgotten, but they seemed to know where to find him), and Belshazzar offers him riches and a place of authority.
Daniel declined the gifts and interpreted the writings on the wall.
In vv. 18-21, Daniel reminds everyone about Nebuchadnezzar’s history and authority and retells the story of the Kings descent into madness for 7 years “until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.” (v. 21). Of course, Daniel was an eyewitness to these events. He upbraids Belshazzar for knowing this history, but still behaving arrogantly and disrespecting God, acting as if God didn’t exist. The words on the wall reveal Belshazzar had been judged and failed the test. The empire would be taken from him, and Cyrus’s empire was taking over.
It’s hard to figure out why, after that bit of bad news, Belshazzar rewards Daniel, having a little ceremony where Daniel is given a robe and appointed to the #3 position in the nation. Daniel’s authority has seemingly been restored, as we will see as matters carry over into the new imperial regime. But Belshazzar was killed that night by the invading Persians. Was Belshazzar so thick headed that he didn’t see this coming?
The score is now Daniel 4, astrologers 0, but the astrologers, as Chaldean nationals under the Babylonian King, are swept away. All the players in Daniel’s life from the time he was deported to Babylon are gone. Only Daniel is left standing.
