Belteshazzar • Daniel the Prophet
Daniel
תקופת התנ"ךDaniel was one of the noble Jewish youths taken captive from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the days of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and raised in the king's court in Babylon. His Babylonian name was Belteshazzar. Together with him grew up in the king's house Hananiah…
Biography
Daniel was one of the noble Jewish youths taken captive from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the days of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and raised in the king's court in Babylon. His Babylonian name was Belteshazzar. Together with him grew up in the king's house Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and he was the leader among them. Daniel became renowned in the court of Babylon as a divinely inspired interpreter of dreams, and through his interpretations he rose to greatness and was appointed chief of the magicians. His deeds and visions are told in the Book of Daniel, which closes the period of the destruction and the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
Life Story
Childhood
He was born in Jerusalem in the Kingdom of Judah, apparently of a noble family. In the days of Jehoiakim king of Judah he was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, together with other youths of the Jewish nobility. He was brought to the king's court in Babylon, where he was educated in the finest Chaldean learning so that he might serve as an adviser to the king.
Teachers
He studied the wisdom of Babylon — languages, books and the lore of the Chaldeans — in the king's court. But his chief wisdom, according to the account, came not from earth but from heaven: 'And these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.'
Students
Daniel did not head an academy in the strict sense, but he was the spiritual leader of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, who grew up with him in the king's court. His wisdom and faith were an example to his people in exile.
Family
He was born to a noble family of the Kingdom of Judah; his Hebrew name Daniel and his Babylonian name Belteshazzar — 'guard the life of the king.' No wife or sons are mentioned explicitly in the book.
Key Events
In the court of Nebuchadnezzar he interpreted the dream of the statue — four kingdoms that would be shattered by a stone that became a great mountain, the kingdom of God that would stand forever — and was saved from the death of Babylon's sages. In the days of Belshazzar, grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, he interpreted the mysterious inscription 'Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin' that appeared on the palace wall during the feast, and prophesied the end of the Babylonian kingdom. In the days of Darius the Mede he was cast into the lions' den because of the jealousy of the king's ministers, and was saved by a miracle.
Miracles
Daniel's miracles were visible to all: the interpretation of dreams forgotten by the king, the reading of the mysterious inscription on the wall, and the famous miracle of the lions' den — where an angel of God shut the mouths of the lions and Daniel came out in peace. His wisdom was described as 'the spirit of the holy gods' dwelling in him.
Influence
Daniel became the symbol of the faithful Jew in exile, who keeps his faith and his bond with God even in a foreign king's court. His visions shaped the conception of the four kingdoms and the end of days in the tradition of Israel, and the Book of Daniel became one of the foundational books of the vision of redemption and the end.
Death
He passed away in Babylon. A later tradition points to his tomb in the city of Susa in Persia, but there is no certain evidence for this in the early sources.
Writings
Book of Daniel
6th century BCEProphecy and Vision
The story of his life and visions, dreams and their interpretations, and the prophecies of the four kingdoms and the end of days.
His Way and Views
Torah Study
Daniel was a man of spirit and vision, and his wisdom was described as coming from heaven. He devoted himself to study and contemplation of visions and dreams, and saw in them a parable of supernal providence and the course of history.
Halacha
Daniel kept the commandments of Israel even in the king's court — he avoided the defilement of Babylonian foods, insisted on prayer toward Jerusalem three times a day, and did not bow to the idols of Babylon. His way is a model for keeping the commandments in exile.
Faith
Daniel's faith stood on the kingdom of Heaven — 'and His kingdom shall not be destroyed.' He saw in every course of the kingdoms a hand directed from above, and in every decree and miracle a supernal providence.
Ethics
Daniel is recalled as a man of pure character, humble and faithful. He delivered rebukes to kings without fear, and yet preserved the honor of the monarchy. His way is a blending of earthly loyalty and heavenly loyalty.
Customs
He would pray three times a day toward Jerusalem, with his window open in his upper chamber. He avoided the harm of Babylonian food and asked to be nourished on seeds, and so kept his purity.
Character
He was described as a man of the spirit of God, wise and measured, of exceptional spiritual quality. Faithful to his king and yet faithful to his God, he did not hesitate to speak the truth even at the cost of his life.
Public Role
In the courts of the kings of Babylon and Persia he served as a faithful and wise counselor, and yet preserved his Jewish identity. His figure is a model of Jewish leadership in exile — loyalty to place and loyalty to the divine presence as one.
Famous Quotes
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed"
"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin"
Famous Stories
In the court of Nebuchadnezzar the king dreamed a dream that had left him, and he ordered the death of all the wise men of Babylon who could not reveal it. Daniel asked for mercy from heaven, and in a dream of the night the secret was revealed to him. He stood before the king and told the dream and its interpretation: a statue of four kingdoms that would be shattered by a stone that became a great mountain — the kingdom of God that would stand forever. And as a result Daniel was appointed chief of the magicians.
On the night of Belshazzar king of Babylon's feast, as he drank from the vessels of the Temple, a mysterious inscription appeared on the palace wall: 'Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin.' All the wise men of Babylon could not interpret it, and Daniel — whose star had already set — was called from a minor office. Standing before the king he interpreted: God has numbered your kingdom and finished it; you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; and your kingdom will be divided between Media and Persia. That very night Belshazzar was slain and the kingdom of Babylon passed.
In the days of Darius the Mede the king's ministers grew jealous of Daniel, and bound the king with a decree: whoever makes a request of any god or man besides the king — shall be cast into the lions' den. Daniel did not cease his prayer three times a day toward Jerusalem, and was cast into the den. In the morning the king came and found Daniel alive — for an angel of God had shut the mouths of the lions. And as a result Daniel was saved and his enemies were punished.
Students
Timeline
Birth in Jerusalem
Exile to Babylon in the days of Jehoiakim
Interpretation of the dream of the statue; appointment as chief of the magicians
Interpretation of the inscription 'Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin' at Belshazzar's feast
The miracle of the lions' den
Passing in Babylon
Legacy
Daniel's legacy is seen on three planes. In the written Torah — the Book of Daniel is one of the central books of prophecy, containing the vision of the four kingdoms and the kingdom of Heaven that shall stand forever. In the legacy of deed — Daniel is the model of the faithful Jew in exile, who keeps his faith and identity even in a foreign king's court. And in the legacy of miracle — the stories of the lions' den and the writing on the wall were engraved in the memory of the generations as testimonies to supernal providence over His people.