Hebrew word · H1095
בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר
beleteshatzar
Belteshazzar
A Hebrew spelling of a Babylonian name. Leading proposals are (1) Balāṭ-šarri-uṣur, "protect the life of the king", a prayer with the god's name left unstated, and (2) Bēlet-šarra-uṣur, "O Lady (Bēltu, consort of Bel), protect the king". Other suggestions exist.
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezk.14.14; also called Belteshazzar at Dan.1.7; 2.26; 4.8,9,18,19; 5.12; 10.1;
Another name of da.niy.yel (דָּנִיֵּאל, דָּנִאֵל "Daniel" H1840G)
§ Belteshazzar = "lord of the straitened's treasure"
1) the 4th of the greater prophets, taken as hostage in the first deportation to Babylon; because of the gift of God of the interpretation of dreams, he became the 2nd in command of the Babylon empire and lasted through the end of the Babylonian empire and into the Persian empire. His prophecies are the key to the understanding of end time events. Noted for his purity and holiness by contemporary prophet, Ezekiel
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
A Hebrew spelling of a Babylonian name. Leading proposals are (1) Balāṭ-šarri-uṣur, "protect the life of the king", a prayer with the god's name left unstated, and (2) Bēlet-šarra-uṣur, "O Lady (Bēltu, consort of Bel), protect the king". Other suggestions exist.
- Against the English
English versions all transliterate it. Readers easily confuse it with Belshazzar (Dan 5), and the Greek and Latin versions blur the two, but the Hebrew keeps them apart: בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר versus בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In Dan 4:8 (4:5 in Hebrew/Aramaic numbering) Nebuchadnezzar says Daniel's name is Belteshazzar "after the name of my god". That ties it, at least by sound, to Bel, the title of Marduk. Josephus (Ant. 10.189) reports the name as Baltasar.
Where it appears
Daniel · 2
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Daniel 1:7 בֵּ֣לְטְשַׁאצַּ֗ר Belteshazzar
The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
Here: A Babylonian name, probably meaning "protect the life of the king" or "O Lady, protect the king". In Daniel 4:8 Nebuchadnezzar says it was given "after the name of my god", that is Bel (Marduk). It sounds like Belshazzar, the later king, but in Hebrew it is a different name.
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Daniel 10:1 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּ֑ר Belteshazzar
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, and it concerned a great conflict. And the understanding of the message was given to him in a vision.
Here: The Babylonian name forced on Daniel in exile (1:7), probably 'protect the king's life'. Mentioning it here, under Persian rule, reminds readers that this is the same man who served at the Babylonian court.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.