Daniel 5:30 — Word Study
WLCבֵּ֚הּ בְּלֵ֣ילְיָ֔א קְטִ֕יל בֵּלְאשַׁצַּ֖ר מַלְכָּ֥א כַשְׂדָּאָֽה׃ פ
BSAvery nightlêylᵉyâʼ [same, identical, of darkness and judgment] BelshazzarBêlshaʼtstsar [the king of Babylon, son of Nebuchadnezzar] kingmelek [ruler, monarch] of the ChaldeansKasday [a people skilled in astrology and wisdom] was slainqᵉṭal [killed, put to death, to slay or kill]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בֵּ֚הּ | on it | Preposition, suffix |
| בְּלֵ֣ילְיָ֔א | on night the | Preposition, noun common both singular determined, particle |
| קְטִ֕יל | he was killed | Verb plural, third person masculine singular |
| בֵּלְאשַׁצַּ֖ר | Belshazzar | Noun proper masculine |
| מַלְכָּ֥א | king the | Noun common both singular determined, particle |
| כַשְׂדָּאָֽה׃ פ | Chaldeans the | Noun gentilic masculine plural determined, particle |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, |
| KJV | ¶ In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. |
| ASV | In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. |
| YLT | In that night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans is slain, |
| WEB | In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain. |
| BBE | That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, was put to death. |
Where they part company is קְטִ֕יל — see How Translations Differ.
A single main clause delivers the complete thought, emphasizing the immediacy and significance of the event.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Daniel 5:30
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Fall of Belshazzargenerated
Daniel 5:30 recounts the dramatic end of Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, on the very night of his judgment. This event signifies the transition of power to the Medes and Persians, marking a pivotal moment in biblical history. The surrounding verses provide context about the writing on the wall and the fate that awaited Belshazzar, illustrating the themes of divine judgment and the fall of empires.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel 5:1–2 | Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. |
| 2 | Isaiah 21:4–9 | My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight of my desire has turned to horror. |
| 3 | Isaiah 47:9 | These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells. |
| 4 | Jeremiah 51:11–31 | Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the LORD— vengeance for His temple. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — קְטִ֕יל, ke.Tilgenerated
The verb קְטַל (ke.Til) means 'to slay' or 'to kill.' It is a third-person masculine singular form, indicating that the action is completed and refers specifically to Belshazzar's death. The frequency of this verb in the text underscores the finality of the king's demise.
This word is not only about the act of killing but also carries the weight of judgment and consequence, as seen in its use in other parts of Daniel. It emphasizes the abrupt nature of Belshazzar's end, aligning with the themes of divine retribution present throughout the narrative.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses was slain to convey the finality of Belshazzar's death. The KJV and ASV also use was slain, maintaining consistency in the translation of קְטִ֕יל.
Where translations differ, it is over the rendering of קְטִ֕יל: put to death (BBE) emphasizes the act of execution, while killed (FBV, NETB, ULB) maintains a straightforward description of death.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb in this verse is קְטִ֕יל, he was killed, which serves as the focal point of the sentence. The structure is straightforward, with a prepositional phrase indicating the time of the event and noun phrases identifying the subject and the king's title.
The sentence flows from the time marker בְּלֵ֣ילְיָ֔א to the subject בֵּלְאשַׁצַּ֖ר, culminating in the verb קְטִ֕יל. This order emphasizes the immediacy of the event occurring that very night.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the name בֵּלְאשַׁצַּ֖ר is rendered as βαλτασαρ, indicating a direct correspondence to the Hebrew name for the king. This choice reflects the translators' intent to maintain the identity of Belshazzar in the Greek context.
The lack of a direct translation for the verb קְטִ֕יל in the Septuagint suggests a more interpretative approach, focusing on the narrative rather than a literal rendering of the action.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Daniel 5:30 tells us that on the very night of judgment, Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was killed. This marks the end of his reign and the beginning of a new era under Darius the Mede.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Belshazzar's death signifies the end of Babylonian rule and the fulfillment of God's judgment against the king for his arrogance and sacrilege.
This event is a culmination of the themes of divine judgment and the rise and fall of empires, as seen throughout the Book of Daniel.
The writing on the wall served as a divine warning to Belshazzar, indicating that his days were numbered and that his kingdom would be divided.
Darius the Mede succeeded Belshazzar, marking a significant shift in power from Babylon to the Medes and Persians.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What lessons can we learn from Belshazzar's downfall about pride and accountability?
- How does the story of Belshazzar challenge us to reflect on our own actions and decisions?
- In what ways do we see divine judgment manifest in our world today?
- How can we apply the lessons from this narrative to our understanding of leadership and responsibility?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early church fathers comment on the significance of Belshazzar's death, exploring themes of divine judgment and the transition of power.
Verses 30, 31. "On that same night Belshazzar, King of the Chaldeans, was slain, and Darius the Mede succeeded to his kingdom at the age of sixty-two." Josephus writes in his tenth book of the Jewish Antiquities that when Babylon had been…Early Church Fathers on Daniel 5 →
Now, it is necessary to inquire why on earth the God of all corrected Nebuchadnezzar and in turn restored him to his kingdom but forthwith deprived this man of both kingdom and life.Early Church Fathers on Daniel 5 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Daniel 5:30 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleIn that night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, slain.
Read John Gill on Daniel 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIn that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. In that night was Belshazzar ... slain. Herodotus and Xenophon confirm Daniel as to the suddenness of the event.
Read Robert Jamieson on Daniel 5 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWhich the heathen histories do also confirm. This shows the severity of God’ s judgment against the highest offenders, Psalms 2$ Psalms 90$ Psalms 149$ . It also confirms the truth of God’ s threatenings, and of the hand-writing, as Daniel interpreted. Some are sad instances of God’ s veracity.
Read Matthew Poole on Daniel 5 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsDaniel 5:30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. Ver. 30. In that night was Belshazzar … slain.] By Gaddatha and Gobrya, two of Cyrus’ s commanders, who had been wronged by Belshazzar (as Xenophon also testifieth), and now took revenge on him, after that they had betrayed the city, and brought in Cyrus’ s army. So fell that famous Babylon: fuit Ilium et inyen, gloria Teucrorum. Xenoph. Cyrop., lib. vii.
Read John Trapp on Daniel 5 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 30. In that night was Belshazzar - slain.] Xenophon says, he was despatched by two lords, Gadatas and Gobrias, who went over to Cyrus, to avenge themselves of certain wrongs which Belshazzar had done them. We have already seen that Cyrus entered the city by the bed of the Euphrates, which he had emptied, by cutting a channel for the waters, and directing them into the marshy country.
Read AdamClarke on Daniel 5 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleIn 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.
Read Albert Barnes on Daniel 5 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible30, 31. For the facts connected with the capture of Babylon see Introduction, III, 4. Took — Rather, “received” (R.V.).
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Daniel 5 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain,
In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain.
That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain,
And in that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.
Tyndale line
¶ In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.
In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
The same night was Belshazzar the King of the Caldeans slaine.
Strictly literal
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
In that night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans is slain,
In that night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans is slain,
In that very night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
That night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed,
From the Latin
The same night Baltasar the Chaldean king was slain.
Simplified
On that very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was killed
That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, was put to death.
Word by word, the decisions they made
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint differ in their word order and structure, but they agree on the essential elements of the verse. The Septuagint does not provide a complete correspondence for all words, indicating a different stylistic approach in translation.
בֵּ֚הּ בְּלֵ֣ילְיָ֔א קְטִ֕יל בֵּלְאשַׁצַּ֖ר מַלְכָּ֥א כַשְׂדָּאָֽה׃ פ
2 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Daniel 5:30
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
וֹ (o) — him.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular
AR/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffixAR/Sp3ms
לֵילָא (leylya') is an Aramaic word meaning 'night.' It is derived from a related Hebrew term, לַיְלָה (laylah), which also means 'night.' The entries consistently define it as a masculine noun referring to the time of night.
[לֵילָא] n.[m.] night
base
H3916 לֵילָא
3916 leylya' lay-leh-yaw'
(Aramaic) corresponding to 3815:--night.
see HEBREW for 03815
לֵילָא (le.le.ya) — night.
night
Adj | N-ms | Art — Preposition · noun common both singular determined · particleAR/Ncbsd/Ta
nit.
See DAY AND NIGHT for the natural usage and the various terms.
1. In the Old Testament:
Figurative uses: The word "night" (laylah or layil is sometimes used figuratively in the Old Testament. Thus, Moses compares the brevity of time, the lapse of a thousand years, to "a watch in the night" (Ps 90:4). Adversity is depicted by it in such places as Job 35:10; compare Isa 8:20; Jer 15:9. Disappointment and despair are apparently depicted by it in the "burden of Dumah" (Isa 21:11,12); and spiritual blindness, coming upon the false prophets (Mic 3:6); again sudden and…
[DAY]
The ancient Hebrews began their artificial day at evening, and ended it the next evening, so that the night proceeded the day. This usage may probably be traced to the terms employed in describing the creation, Ge 1:5,8,13, etc., "The evening and the morning were the first day." The Hebrews allowed twelve to the day; but these hours were not equal, except at the equinox. At other times, when the hours of the night were long, those of the day were short, as in winter; and when the hours of night were short, as at midsummer, the hours of the day were long in proportion. See HOURS.
The nights are sometimes extremely cold in Syria, when the days are very hot; and travelers in the deserts and among the mountains near Palestine refer to their own sufferings from these opposite extremes, in illustration of Jacob’s words in
קְטַל (qtal) primarily means 'to slay' or 'to kill.' It appears in various forms, indicating actions like being slain or slaying in different grammatical aspects. The entries consistently emphasize its connection to death and violence, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[קְטַל] vb. slay
Pe.
Pe‛îl be slain
Pa. slay
Hithpe. be slain
base
H6992 קְטַל
6992 qtal ket-al'
(Aramaic) corresponding to 6991; to kill:--slay.
see HEBREW for 06991
קְטַל (qe.tal) — to slay.
1) to slay, kill
1a) (P'al) to be slain
1b) (Pael) to slay
1c) (Ithp'al) to be slain
1d) (Ithpael) to be slain
Adj — Verb plural · third person masculine singularAVQp3ms
בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (Belsha'tstsar) refers to Belshazzar, the king of Babylon during its fall, as mentioned in Daniel 5:1. The name is derived from Aramaic, meaning 'Bel protect the king.' He is noted as the son of Nebuchadnezzar and is significant in the context of the Exile and Return.
בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר n.pr.m. king of Bab.
base
H1113 בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר
1113 Belsha'tstsar bale-shats-tsar'
(Aramaic) corresponding to 1112:--Belshazzar.
see HEBREW for 01112
בֵּֽלְאשַׁצַּר, בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (be.le.shats.tsar) — Belshazzar.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Dan.5.1;
son of: Nebuchadnezzar (H5019)
Aramaic of be.le.shats.tsar (בֵּֽלְאשַׁצַּר, בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר "Belshazzar" H1112)
§ Belshazzar = "Bel protect the king"
king of Babylon at the time of its fall; he to whom Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall
Adj — Noun proper masculineANpm
bel-shaz'-ar (belsha'tstsar; Baltasar, Babylonian Bel-shar-usur): According to Da 5:30, he was the Chaldean king under whom Babylon was taken by Darius the Mede. The Babylonian monuments speak a number of times of a Bel-shar-usur who was the "firstborn son, the offspring of the heart of" Nabunaid, the last king of the Babylonian empire, that had been founded by Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, at the time of the death of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, in 626 BC. There is no doubt that this Belshazzar is the same as the Belshazzar of Dnl. It is not necessary to suppose that Belshazzar was at any time king of the Babylonian empire in the sense that Nebuchadnezzar and Nabunaid were. It is probable, as M. Pognon argues, that a son of Nabunaid, called Nabunaid after his father, was king of Babylon, or Babylonian king, in Harran…
Belshazzar
Bel protect the king!, the last of the kings of Babylon (Dan. 5:1). He was the son of Nabonidus by Nitocris, who was the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and the widow of Nergal-sharezer. When still young he made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and when heated with wine sent for the sacred vessels his “father” (Dan. 5:2), or grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from the temple in Jerusalem, and he and his princes drank out of them. In the midst of their mad revelry a hand was seen by the king tracing on the wall the announcement of God’s judgment, which that night fell upon him. At the instance of the queen (i.e., his mother) Daniel was brought in, and he interpreted the writing. That night the kingdom of the Chaldeans came to an end, and the king was slain (
(prince of Bel), the last king of Babylon. In (Daniel 5:2) Nebuchadnezzar is called the father of Belshazzar. This, of course, need only mean grandfather or ancestor. According to the well-known narrative Belshazzar gave a splendid feast in his palace during the siege of Babylon (B.C. 538), using the sacred vessels of the temple, which Nebuchadnezzer had brought from Jerusalem. The miraculous appearance of the handwriting on the wall, the calling in of Daniel to interpret its meaning the prophecy of the overthrow of the kingdom, and Belshazsar’s death, accorded in Dan. 5.
Prince of Bel, the Chaldean name given to Daniel at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, Da 1:7 4:8.
מֶ֫לֶךְ (melek) means 'king' in Hebrew and is also noted in Aramaic. The entries confirm its singular meaning related to royalty, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
מֶ֫לֶךְ 178 n.m. king
base
H4430 מֶ֫לֶךְ
4430 melek meh'-lek
(Aramaic) corresponding to 4428; a king:--king, royal.
see HEBREW for 04428
מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — king.
king
Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428)
§ 1) king
Adj | Art — Noun common both singular determined · particleANcbsd/Ta
King
Is in Scripture very generally used to denote one invested with authority, whether extensive or limited. There were thirty-one kings in Canaan (Josh. 12:9, 24), whom Joshua subdued. Adonibezek subdued seventy kings (Judg. 1:7). In the New Testament the Roman emperor is spoken of as a king (1 Pet. 2:13, 17); and Herod Antipas, who was only a tetrarch, is also called a king (Matt. 14:9; Mark 6:22).
This title is applied to God (1 Tim. 1:17), and to Christ, the Son of God (1 Tim. 6:15, 16;
"a chief ruler, one invested with supreme authority over a nation, tribe or country." --Webster. In the Bible the word does not necessarily imply great power or great extent of country. Many persons are called kings whom we should rather call chiefs or leaders. The word is applied in the Bible to God as the sovereign and ruler of the universe, and to Christ the Son of God as the head and governor of the Church. The Hebrews were ruled by a king during a period of about 500 years previous to the destruction of Jerusalem, B.C. 586. The immediate occasion of the substitution of a regal form of government for that of judges seems to have been the siege of Jabesh-gilead by Nahash king of the Ammonites. (1 Samuel 11:1; 12:12) The conviction seems to have forced itself on the Israelites that they could not resist their formidable neighbor…
כַּשְׂדָּ֑י (Kasday) refers to a Chaldean, an inhabitant of Chaldea, which is a region in lower Mesopotamia. The term encompasses both the people and the territory, and it implies a connection to astrology or wisdom, as Chaldeans were often seen as learned individuals. The word is derived from a related term for Chaldea itself.
כַּשְׂדָּ֑י n.pr.gent. Chaldean
base
H3779 כַּשְׂדָּ֑י, כַּשְׂדַּי
3779 Kasday kas-dah'-ee
(Aramaic) corresponding to 3778; a Chaldaean or inhabitant of
Chaldaea; by implication, a Magian or professional
astrologer:--Chaldean.
see HEBREW for 03778
כַּשְׂדַּי (kas.day) — Chaldean.
Group of kas.di (כַּשְׂדִּים "Chaldea" H3778)
§ Chaldean = "clod breakers"
1) a territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf
2) the inhabitants of Chaldea, living on the lower Euphrates and Tigris
3) those persons considered the wisest in the land (by extension)
Adj | Art — Noun gentilic masculine plural determined · particleANgmpd/Ta
This name is taken, 1. For the people of Chaldea, and the subjects of that empire generally; 2. For philosophers, naturalists, or soothsayers, whose principal employment was the study of mathematics and astrology, by which they pretended to foretell the destiny of men born under certain constellations.
The Chaldeans were originally a warlike people, who at first inhabited the Carduchian or Koordish mountains north of Assyria and Mesopotamia, Jer 50:17. As the Assyrian monarchs extended their conquests towards the north and west, the Chaldeans also came under their dominion; and this rough and energetic people appear to have assumed, under the sway of their conquerors, a new character, and to have been transformed from a rude horde into a civilized people. A very vivid and graphic description of the Chaldean warriors is given by the…