The First Fall of Babylon
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Daniel 5:30-31 KJV
Introduction
We're going to smush Daniel 4-5 together in this episode, but I'll have more in depth discussions on them in the chapter study section of the blog. The reason I'm smushing them together is because they're both point pointing to the same thing: God removing the leaders of Babylon and the fall of Babylon. While the actual fall of Babylon is something we're going to talk about from a historical view, nothing in these chapters is something for the "future." Daniel was present to see the fulfillment of both prophecies, as well as any of his contemporaries. This doesn't make the prophecies any less interesting, but it does mean there's less we need to go over for our discussion on prophecy.
Nebuchadnezzar Goes Mad
Daniel 4 is actually a statement or proclimation by Nebuchadnezzar as opposed to narration by Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar tells us that he was living lavishly—enjoying the privileges of being a rich king—when he had yet another dream that deeply troubled him. Once again he calls for "wise men" to help him determine what the dream means. Many come before the king and all fail to tell him what the dream means, but of course the Most High has given Daniel the interpretation.
Nebuchadnezzar is driven mad for seven years and spend his time in the wildernees looking and behaving like a wild animal. After this ordeal, he sends praises for the God of Daniel. It seems that he held high esteem for Daniel and God but never really understood.
| Symbol | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Tree | Throughout the Bible we are represented by trees (bearing fruit). It makes sense that Nebuchadnezzar is symbolized by a tree producing great fruit. It also takes us back to the Tree of Life, which produces good fruit. Adam and Eve were given a choice between good fruit and bad fruit, life and death. This choice is repeated throughout the Bible—the Israelites are frequently encouraged to choose good fruit and life. By exalting himself, Nebuchadnezzar chose bad fruit and his tree is cut down. | |
| Beasts | In visions, beasts symbolize kingdoms. The vision shows Nebuchadnezzar separated from these kingdoms as though he is superior to all, but when his regin is cut off, the animals beneath the tree scatter. This represents the nations that would have reported to Nebuchadnezzar (like Judah) that could rebel or flee in the absence of a ruler. |
Nebuchadnezzar's Heir is Conquered
Daniel 5 picks up with Nebuchadnezzar's heir, King Belshazzar, being on the throne. He decides to throw a big feast using the vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem—a form of defilment and a clear show of arrogance. When he does this a hand appears and writes some words on the wall: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. Like the prophecies before, the wise men of Babylon are unable to discern the meaning of these words and Daniel is brought in to interpret. Note, that despite the new king being the son of Nebuchadnezzar it is actually the Queen of Babylon wh osuggests bringing in Daniel. Daniel explains that it means "God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. You have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians." We are then told that Darius the Mede kills the King Belshazzar that night, ushering in the kingdom of Persia as the new power (fulfilling the transition from the gold head to the silver chest and arms from Daniel 2).
Historical End of Babylon
If you look at secular sources for history, you will learn that the last ruler of Babylon was Nabonidus who was deposed by Cyrus the Great (of Persia) in 539 BC. Nabonidus had a son, Belshazzar, who was made coregent and ruled with him at the time that Persia overtook the empire. Note, this explains two things from the narrative given in Daniel 5:
- The Queen of Babylon could have been Belshazzar wife or is mother. I am not sure if the wife of a co-regent king was considered a princess or a queen.
- Belshazzar promises to make the interpreter of the words the third ruler in Babylon. He couldn't make him the second because he was second.
Was Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar's Father?
According to sources during Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nabodinus was an official in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar actually left his son-in-law in charge of the kingdom, who was succeeded by his own son (Nebuchadnezzar's grandson). It is thought that Nabonidus and Belshazzar staged a coup to gain power.[1][2] For us as Bible believers, the question then narrows in on Daniel 5:2 where we are told that Nebuchadnezzar is the father of Belshazzar.
The first thing we have to remember is that the Bible never uses modern phrases like grandfather or great-grandfather. It is very common for the text to use father in reference to a distant male ancestor, where we would use the term grandfather. Another thing to note is that sometimes the Bible uses the word father to be symbol (though I would argue this is only used in a spiritual sense and referencing whether we belong to the Most High or the devil). Another thought to keep in mind is that Nabodinus could have also been a son of Nebuchadnezzar. He might have been an illegitamate son or simply a despised son. It is also possible that he was the husband of another daughter of Nebuchadnezzar's.[3] Any of these identities would ahve given him quite the leg to stand on during a coup, and Belshazzar would still be the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar.
Who is Darius the Mede
Secular sources say that Cyrus the Great is who disposed Belshazzar and Nabonidus. This presents more questions for us since Daniel 5:30-31 tells us that Darius the Mede took the kingdom. So who is Darius?
One thing we know for certain is that Darius the Mede is not Darius I. One PhD dissertations posits that Darius the Mede is Cyaxares II.[4] Cyaxares II was, like Belshazzar, a co-regent. Remember the Median empire was at one point separate from Persia. When Cyrus took over Media, he left them their king (the same way Babylon left Israel's kings for a time). It was common in that region to have vassal states, and Media was a vassal state of Persia for some time. When the last Median king died, Cyrus became the sole rule of both kingdoms. Note also, that despite Daniel 4 telling us that Darius the Mede is made king, we are also told the kingdom is given to the Persians not the Medes. This lends alot of credibility to the idea that Cyrus took the kingdom (as secular history records) then appointed the Median king at the time to oversee Babylon.[5][6]
I would like to point out here that there have been a few times in the past where secular scholars have attempted to discredit the Bible by suggesting people or people groups mentioned in the text are fictional, only for new archaeological finds to refute those claims. One such example was the discovery of the Hittites.[7][8] This is something to keep in mind when piecing to gether who Darius the Mede was and if thre was a king between Belshazzar and Cyrus the Great.
References & Footnotes
- "Nabonidus". Encylcopedia Britannica.; visited September 14, 2024
- Eric A. Powell. "The Last King of Babylon". Archaeology Magazine. March/April 2022; visited September 14, 2024
- "Nabonidus". Wikipedia; visited September 14, 2024
- Steven Anderson. "Darius the Mede: A solution to his identity". Truth Only Bible. January 8, 2016; visited September 14, 2024
- "Darius the Mede". Bible Gateway; visited September 14, 2024
- "Cyaxares II". Wikipedia; visited September 14, 2024
- "John Garstang and the Discovery of the Hittite World". University of Liverpool; visited September 14, 2024
- Christopher Eames and George Haddad. "Finding the Hittites". Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology. September/October 2023; visited September 14, 2024
Babylon, Daniel, Daniel 4, Daniel 5, History, Persia, Podcast, Prophecy, Season 6
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