Belshazzar

E23691

Belshazzar is a biblical Babylonian prince or king best known for the story of the mysterious handwriting on the wall that foretold the fall of his kingdom.

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Statements (58)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Babylonian prince
Babylonian ruler
biblical figure
character in the Book of Daniel
crown prince
prince of Babylon
approximateFloruit 6th century BCE
associatedDeity Bel
country Mesopotamia
surface form: Babylonia
culture Babylonian
depictedIn Christian art
Jewish art
diedIn Fall of Babylon (539 BCE)
surface form: fall of Babylon
dynasty Neo-Babylonian Empire
surface form: Neo-Babylonian dynasty
event Belshazzar’s Feast
surface form: Belshazzar’s feast
father Nabonidus
genreOfNarrative didactic court tale
governedFrom Babylon
hosted great feast for a thousand lords
influenced expression "the writing on the wall" in English
inscriptionLanguage Aramaic
inscriptionText MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN
interpreterOfWriting Daniel
killedBy invading forces of Medes and Persians
knownFor fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians
feast described in the Book of Daniel
story of the handwriting on the wall
meaningOfName Bel protect the king
mentionedIn Book of Daniel
Book of Daniel
surface form: Book of Daniel, chapter 5

Tanakh
surface form: Hebrew Bible

Bible
surface form: Old Testament
moralTheme divine judgment on arrogant rulers
nameVariant Baltasar
Balthazar
Belšar-uṣur
offense praising gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone
profaning sacred vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem
offeredPosition third ruler in the kingdom
offeredRewardTo Daniel
positionHeld co-regent of Babylon
crown prince of Babylon
prophecyAbout division of his kingdom between Medes and Persians
end of his kingdom
relative Nabonidus
religion Babylonian polytheism
surface form: Babylonian religion
rewardFulfilledFor Daniel
subjectOf George Frideric Handel’s oratorio "Belshazzar"
John Martin’s painting "Belshazzar’s Feast"
Rembrandt’s painting "Belshazzar’s Feast"
numerous sermons and theological commentaries
succeededBy Darius the Mede
summoned Daniel
symbolInTradition example of pride and sacrilege
timePeriod Neo-Babylonian Empire
surface form: Neo-Babylonian period
usedSacredVesselsFrom Jewish Temple
surface form: Jerusalem Temple
viewInCriticalScholarship semi-legendary or literary figure based on historical prince Bel-shar-usur
visionOrSign mysterious handwriting on the wall

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Daniel associatedFigure Belshazzar
subject surface form: Book of Daniel
Nabonidus child Belshazzar
Nabonidus coRuler Belshazzar
Belshazzar’s Feast depicts Belshazzar
Book of Daniel featuresCharacter Belshazzar
Belshazzar’s Feast mainSubject Belshazzar