The meaning of the phraseology "Belshazzar Pier" and its origin

Before we talk about the meaning of the phraseology “Belshazzar Pir”, we explain that Belshazzar was the eldest son of the last king, Babylon Nabonid, representative of the tenth Babylonian royal dynasty.

Formally speaking, Belshazzar was not a king, he was a prince and co-ruler of Nabonidus. But he often left him to rule in his place, as he fought a lot. Little is known about the date of Belshazzar's birth and about his deeds in general. He lived in the YI century BC. e., and the fall of Babylon occurred when his father went to war in Arabia.

As for Babylon, that was the name of the city, the capital of Babylonia, an ancient kingdom located in southern Mesopotamia (now it is the territory of Iraq).

Now let's talk about the meaning and origin of the phraseology “Belshazzar Pir” with examples of using the plot of the legend and the expression itself in world art.

About Belshazzar and his feast

That night, which is legendary, the capital of the Babylonian kingdom was besieged by the troops of the Persian ruler Cyrus. But Belshazzar and his associates were calm - the supply of food seemed to them inexhaustible, and the walls of the palace - strong. Therefore, without worrying about anything, he gathered in the palace about a thousand guests, their wives, concubines, and began the feast.

Precious sacred bowls, taken even by Nebuchadnezzar from the conquered peoples, including the Jerusalem temple ones, served as drinking vessels. Belshazzar and the guests drank from them, as the legend tells, glorifying their pagan Babylonian gods.

During the feast, a mysterious hand traced mysterious words (“mene, mene, tekel, uparsin”, or in the more common transcription “manu-tekel-fares”) on the wall of the room, which none of the king’s guests could interpret.

The frightened Belshazzar ordered the call of the wise magicians, but even they did not help the ruler understand the meaning of these words. The last person the king asked for help was the Jewish prophet Daniel. This is how the meaning of the burning inscription on the wall explained:

• Mene - your term and your kingdom are calculated by God, and a limit has been set for him.
• Tekel - you are lightweight on the scales of the Most High.
• Uparsin - you have finished your rule, and the Persians and the Medes will divide your kingdom among themselves.

In short: calculated, balanced, finished.

The Bible says that the message was encrypted, and its meaning God revealed only to the prophet Daniel.

According to legend, the fateful fiery prediction came true: that very night the kingdom of Babylon fell, the capital was seized by an attack, and Belshazzar died.

Expression value

What is the meaning of the phrase “Belshazzar's Feast”? This is what they say about the holiday at the wrong time and in the wrong place, about a sumptuous feast during an impending disaster. It is also significant that the hero at this holiday is a “hero” very doubtful. He performs a blasphemous act - he drinks wine from a sacred vessel. For such blasphemy, legend says, inevitably terrible retribution.

This expression has long become a household word - sometimes, for example, to paraphrase, they say "live Belshazzar", which means leading a reckless, carefree life, not thinking about tomorrow and any imminent dangers.

Using expressions in texts

So, bearing in mind the meaning and origin of the phraseology “Belshazzar's Feast,” they speak not only of a merry holiday against the backdrop of an impending threat, but also of the punishment that the prince soon received for him.

These events in a biblical interpretation will be reflected many times in art: in literary works (Calderon de la Barca, I.V. Goethe, J. Byron, etc.), art (Rembrandt, J. Tintoretto, H. Ribera, I. Surikov et al.) And music (G.F. Handel).

The works of ancient authors, such as the Babylonian historian Beross, Josephus Flavius, Herodotus, Xenophon, were devoted to the history of the real Belshazzar.

About the feast and death of the Babylonian king tells the poem G. Heine "Belshazzar." About his unprecedented journey and love - a novel by A. France with the same name.

Among contemporary authors, we note Olesya Nikolayeva’s novel "Men, Tekel, Fares", dedicated to Orthodox subjects, as well as the novel by Mikhail Ishkov "The Fall of Babylon."

Russian director Yuri Kara in 1989 filmed the novella "Feasts of Belshazzar" by F. Iskander. He called his film "Feast of Belshazzar, or Night with Stalin."

We select synonyms

The phrase “feast during the plague” can be called a partial analogue in the meaning of the phraseology “Belshazzar Pir”. Another similar expression is "dancing on a volcano."

Note that, since the legend mentions not only the feast, but also the subsequent punishment, it is possible to convey the meaning of the phrase “Belshazzar Pir” in one word only partially. We call synonyms for the expression “godlessness”, “licentiousness”, “bacchanalia”, “orgy”.

We explained the meaning and origin of the phraseology “Belshazzard feast”.