בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר
Belshatstsar, a Babylonian king
Definition
Bêlshaʼtstsar (Belshazzar) is the name of a Babylonian king who appears in the Book of Daniel. He is most famously depicted as the ruler during whose feast a mysterious hand writes on the palace wall, foretelling the fall of his kingdom (Daniel 5:1-30). Historically, Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus and served as co-regent in Babylon, though the biblical narrative presents him as the final king before the Medo-Persian conquest. The name itself is of foreign, Akkadian origin, meaning 'Bel (the god Marduk) protect the king.'
Biblical Usage
This proper noun is used only once in the Old Testament, in Daniel 8:1, which dates a vision to the third year of King Belshazzar's reign. While the name appears only here, his story and the events of his final night are detailed in Daniel 5. His usage establishes the historical setting for Daniel's later visions and serves as a key figure in the narrative of divine judgment against arrogant kingdoms.
Etymology
The name בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (Bêlshaʼtstsar) is a Hebrew transliteration of the Akkadian name 'Bēl-šar-uṣur,' meaning 'Bel (the god Marduk), protect the king.' It is a theophoric name, incorporating the name of a pagan deity. The Hebrew form is related to the Aramaic name בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר (Bêlṭᵉshaʼtstsar, H1095), which is the Babylonian name given to Daniel, showing a similar linguistic construction.
Semantic Range
Belshazzar is a significant theological figure as the embodiment of human arrogance and sacrilege against God. His profane use of the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple (Daniel 5:2-3) directly challenges God's holiness, leading to immediate divine judgment. His story illustrates the themes of God's sovereignty over human kingdoms, the certainty of judgment for pride, and the revelation of truth through God's prophets, even in a foreign court.
In its original setting, the name 'Belshazzar' would have been recognized as a royal, Akkadian name honoring the chief Babylonian god, Bel (Marduk). For the Jewish audience of Daniel, this name reinforced the foreign and idolatrous nature of the Babylonian empire. Historically, Belshazzar was a co-regent, not the sole supreme king, a detail that aligns with the biblical portrayal of him offering Daniel the 'third position' in the kingdom (Daniel 5:7, 16).
בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר (Bêlṭᵉshaʼtstsar, H1095) — The Babylonian name given to the prophet Daniel, sharing the same Akkadian etymological root and meaning.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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