Belshatzar

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The Fall of Belshazzar
TANAKH
The immediate and dramatic consequences of Belshazzar's actions highlight the swift transition of power to Daniel and the king's death on the same night. The Book of Daniel, part of the Hebrew Bible, recounts the events leading up to Daniel's elevation and Belshazzar's demise.
Then, at Belshazzar’s command, they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a golden chain on his neck, and proclaimed that he should rule as one of three in the kingdom. That very night, Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed,
Daniel 5:29-30
Miscalculations and Divine Retribution
TALMUD
Ahasuerus believed he had avoided Belshazzar's mistake in calculating the seventy years of Babylonian exile, leading to his misuse of the Temple vessels and divine punishment. The Talmudic tractate Megillah explores the miscalculations of Ahasuerus and Belshazzar regarding the seventy years of exile and the consequences of their actions.
Ahasuerus said: He, Belshazzar, erred. I too will calculate, but I will not err, thinking he understood the source of Belshazzar’s mistake. Is it written: “Seventy years for the kingdom of Babylonia”? It is written: “Seventy years for Babylonia.” What is meant by “for Babylonia”? These words are referring to the seventy years for the exile of Babylonia. How many years are still lacking from the seventy years? Eight years…
Megillah 11b:12
Midnight Miracles
LITURGY
The theme of significant events occurring at midnight underscores the dramatic and sudden nature of divine intervention and judgment. The Pesach Haggadah, recited during the Passover Seder, reflects on God's deliverance of the Jewish people, emphasizing divine intervention and protection throughout Jewish history.
[Belshazzar], who drank himself merry
from the holy vessels, was killed on that same night.
[Daniel] was brought out unharmed from the
lions’ den; he who had explained those terrors of the night.
[Haman] the Agagite bore his hatred and wrote his orders at night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
Pesach Haggadah, Nirtzah, And It Happened at Midnight 9
Desecration and Wordplay
COMMENTARY
The Talmud uses clever wordplay to draw connections between the actions of Belshazzar and Ahasheverosh, particularly their desecration of the Temple vessels. This passage from Dr. Joshua Kulp highlights the significance of the Temple vessels and their repeated desecration by historical figures.
Rava reads some more puns into these verses. “Kalu” can mean “exterminated” and sounds like the word “keli” which means vessels. The Babylonians were destroyed in the time of Belshazzar for drinking out of the vessels they had stolen from the Temple. And yet Ahasheverosh is again (shonim, from the word for two, which in Esther means “diverse”) drinking from them!
Daf Shevui to Megillah 12a:15
The Writing on the Wall
MIDRASH
Daniel's interpretation of the writing on the wall led to the end of Belshazzar's reign and the promise of Jewish restoration. Louis Ginzberg's early 20th-century work, Legends of the Jews, recounts this pivotal moment in Jewish folklore and biblical history.
The interpretation given to the enigmatical words by Daniel put an end to the merry-making of the feasters. They scattered in dread and fear, leaving none behind except the king and his attendants. In the same night the king was murdered by an old servant, who knew Daniel from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and doubted not that his sinister prophecy would be fulfilled. With the head of King Belshazzar he betook himself to Darius and Cyrus, and told them how his master had desecrated the sacred vessels, told them of the wonderful writing on the wall…
Legends of the Jews 4:11:4
The Fall of Babylon
COMMENTARY
Belshatzar's attempt to honor Daniel was rendered meaningless as Babylon fell that very night. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible provides a clear and engaging account of this pivotal moment in Jewish history.
During that night, Belshatzar the Chaldean king was killed. The king had time to adorn Daniel with the symbols of glory and declare that he was a senior ruler, but this was of no practical consequence, as the city fell that very night, and Belshatzar was killed.
Steinsaltz on Daniel 5:30
End of an Empire
COMMENTARY
The fall of the Babylonian empire and the reign of King Belshazzar are pivotal moments in Jewish history, raising questions about the necessity of evaluating Belshazzar’s deeds given the predetermined end of the empire. The Book of Daniel, part of the Ketuvim (Writings) section of the Hebrew Bible, recounts the famous 'writing on the wall' episode, symbolizing the end of Belshazzar's rule and the Babylonian empire.
Counting and Weighing?
One may ask, though, why is there a need to also weigh Belshatzar’s deeds if the time has come for the end of the Babylonian empire. After all, Yirmiyahu HaNavi does predict (Yirmiyahu 29:10) that the Babylonian empire will last only seventy years. Now that forty-five years of Nevuchadnetzar, twenty-three years of Evil Merodach, and two years of Belshatzar have passed, the empire’s run should end even if Belshatzar would be a most worthy king.
Sefer Daniel; Opportunity in Exile, Perek 5, Menei Menei, Tekal UFarsin 2
Daniel's Divine Insight
SECOND TEMPLE
Daniel's wisdom is portrayed as divine and non-transactional, emphasizing that true wisdom and divine revelation are freely given by God. In Josephus' historical work, 'The Antiquities of the Jews,' he recounts the biblical story of Daniel interpreting a mysterious message for King Belshazzar.
3. When Baltasar heard this, he called for Daniel; and when he had discoursed to him what he had learned concerning him and his wisdom, and how a Divine Spirit was with him, and that he alone was fully capable of finding out what others would never have thought of, he desired him to declare to him what this writing meant; that if he did so, he would give him leave to wear purple, and to put a chain of gold about his neck, and would bestow on him the third part of his dominion, as an honorary reward for his wisdom, that thereby he might become illustrious to those who saw him…
The Antiquities of the Jews 10:11:3
The Arrogance of Belshazzar
JEWISH THOUGHT
Belshazzar's arrogance and sacrilege serve as a powerful lesson in humility and reverence for God. In the 11th-century ethical work, Duties of the Heart, Bachya ibn Pekudah uses the story of Belshazzar from the Book of Daniel to illustrate the consequences of exalting oneself over God and desecrating sacred objects.
This is similar to the story of who it was said: "But over the L-ord of heaven you exalted yourself, and the vessels of His House they brought before you, and you, your dignitaries, your queen, and your concubines drank wine in them, and you praised gods of silver and gold, copper, iron, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor know, but the G-d in Whose hand is your soul and all of your ways - He, you did not glorify" (Daniel 5:23).
Duties of the Heart, Eighth Treatise on Examining the Soul 3:15
Divine Judgment and Belshazzar's Downfall
MIDRASH
Belshazzar's downfall was divinely ordained, illustrating the power of God to humble and exalt individuals. The Midrash Tehillim draws parallels between Belshazzar's fate and other biblical events to highlight themes of divine judgment and humility.
Do not lift up your horns on high; speak not with a stiff neck. For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes exaltation. When Belshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5), he wondered if rebellion against him had arisen and sent for all the wise men of his kingdom, but none could interpret the writing. He then realized that his downfall was from God, who humbles one and exalts another, as it is said, "God brings low and he raises up" (1 Samuel 2:7). Another explanation: "This one will be humbled" refers to the incident with the Golden Calf when the people…
Midrash Tehillim 75:3
Divine Retribution for Sacrilege
MIDRASH
King Belshazzar's sacrilegious actions led to immediate divine retribution, fulfilling a prophecy and serving as a moral lesson. The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, a halachic midrash on Exodus, provides a commentary on Belshazzar's feast and downfall, drawing ethical insights.
(Ibid. 8:1-6) "King Belshazzar made a great banquet, etc." About this it is written (Habakkuk 2:15) "Woe unto him who makes his neighbor drink! You pour out your wrath even unto intoxication," and (Ibid. 16) "You will be sated with shame rather than glory." (Daniel 5:30) "That very night King Belshazzar was killed."
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Shirah 6:9
A Feast of Royal Excess
MIDRASH
The lavishness of Belshazzar's banquet, with its abundance of royal wine, underscores the themes of excess and opulence. The medieval midrash Esther Rabbah compares the extravagant feasts of King Ahasuerus and King Belshazzar, highlighting the royal nature of their banquets.
“And abundant royal wine.” Later it is written: “[King Belshazzar made a great banquet for his thousand nobles,] and before the thousand he drank wine” (Daniel 5:1); however, here it is written: “And abundant royal wine, in keeping with the king’s bounty [keyad hamelekh],” – like the number of goblets in the hand of the king [beyad hamelekh].
Esther Rabbah 2:12
Belshazzar's Feast, John Martin, 1826
Belshazzar's Feast, John Martin, 1826

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