Daniel 5:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.

NIV: That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain,

NASB: That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.

CSB: That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed,

NLT: That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.

KJV: In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.

NKJV: That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.

The night Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5:1–5) was the very night Belshazzar drew his last breath. In the strictest sense, we are not sure exactly what happened to Belshazzar. The only two details we're given are that he died and this occurred the very same night. Likewise, the following verse might well have skipped over political events to reach the background of Daniel's next story (Daniel 6:1–3).

At one time, a Persian siege cleverly got around Babylon's defenses by diverting a river and entering under a sluice gate. That might have occurred when Belshazzar was minding the city on behalf of Nabonidus, his father, who was away at the time. It's also possible the king died that night from some other cause—the point of the story is not so much "how" the prophecy was fulfilled as the fact that it came true.

In the historical event regarding the river, the Persian army invaded through the wall's river openings and the city surrendered without a fight. Historians date Babylon's fall as the 16th of Tishri, or October 12, 539 BC. Isaiah 13:20, 47:1–5, and Jeremiah 51:43 prophesy a complete devastation of Babylon, but that did not happen when the Persians conquered Babylon. This prophesied event awaits the tribulation. The final overthrow of Babylon and her corrupt allies is previewed in Psalm 2:4–6 and fulfilled in Revelation 19:15–16, when Jesus returns to earth.

Daniel 5:29–31 is the abrupt conclusion to this supernatural incident. The same night that Belshazzar saw ethereal fingers writing on the wall (Daniel 5:5), he consulted with Daniel. Daniel proclaimed doom, and what he predicted came to pass within hours. This ending, while brief, transitions the story from Belshazzar's Babylon to Daniel's time serving under the Medo-Persian empire.

After Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation, a succeeding ruler, Belshazzar, fails to learn the proper lesson. During a drunken party, he brings out Jewish objects to use in idolatry. The celebration is interrupted by disembodied fingers leaving strange markings on the wall. Daniel is summoned when no one else can read or interpret these. After boldly rebuking Belshazzar's immorality, Daniel explains the event as a prophecy of doom. That same night, Belshazzar dies, and the kingdom eventually comes under a new leader.

The first four chapters of Daniel occur under the rule of Babylon's king, Nebuchadnezzar. This chapter falls between his reign and when the Medo-Persians conquered in 539 BC. This chapter focuses on Belshazzar, who may have ruled Babylon concurrently with his father Nabonidus. This was probably from 553 BC until his death in 539 BC, when the city was captured. After this, Daniel serves under Darius and / or Cyrus.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.