Daniel 5:30

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Daniel 5:30 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain.
Daniel 5:30 — American Standard Version

Context — Daniel 5

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
30In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“In that night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, slain.] Not by a servant of his own, as Jacchiades; or by an eunuch, one of his guards, as Saadiah and Joseph ben Gorionf219; but by Gadales and Gobryas, who led Cyrus’s army up the river Euphrates into the city of Babylon, its course being turned; the inhabitants of which being revelling and rioting, and the gates open, these men went up to the king’s palace; the doors of which being opened by the king’s orders to know what was the matter, they rushed in, and finding him standing up with his sword drawn in his own defence, they fell upon him, and slew him, and all about him, as Xenophonf220 relates; and this was the same night the…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“HERODOTUS and XENOPHON confirm Daniel as to the suddenness of the event. Cyrus diverted the Euphrates into a new channel and, guided by two deserters, marched by the dry bed into the city, while the Babylonians were carousing at an annual feast to the gods. See also Isa 21:5; Isa 44:27; Jer 50:38-39; Jer 51:36. As to Belshazzar's being slain, compare Isa 14:18-20; Isa 21:2-9; Jer 50:29-35; Jer 51:57.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain - On the taking of Babylon, and the consequences, see the notes at Isaiah 13:17-22; Isaiah 45:1-2. The account which Xenophon (“Cyrop.” vii. s.) gives of the taking of Babylon. and of the death of the king - though without mentioning his name, agrees so well with the statement here, that it may be regarded as a strong confirmation of its correctness. After describing the preparation made to take the city by draining off the waters of the Euphrates, so as to leave the channel dry beneath the walls for the amy of Cyrus, and after recording the charge which Cyrus gave to his generals Gadatas and Gobryas, he adds, “And indeed those who…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“5:30 The conquest of Babylon by the Medes and Persians ushered in a new era of Persian dominance.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Dan 5:1, Dan 5:2; Isa 21:4-9, Isa 47:9; Jer 51:11, Jer 51:31, Jer 51:39, Jer 51:57 Daniel 5:31”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification