Why did Nebuchadnezzar change Daniel’s name to Belteshazzar?

Answer

Nebuchadnezzar reigned as the king of Babylonia from 605 BC to approximately 563 BC. He ordered the alteration of Daniel’s name to Belteshazzar. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah, laying waste to Jerusalem in 586 BC, a prophesied event foretold by the prophet Jeremiah «behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. », (Jeremiah 25:9). Some of the people of Judah were carried off to Babylon as captives, including several from royal and noble families, to be assimilated into Babylonian society (Daniel 1:3-4). Among these captives were four youths, approximately 14 years old at the time, named Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

All four of these Hebrew names held meanings tied to faith in God. However, upon their arrival in Babylon, their names were changed: “The chief official [of Babylon] gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego” «unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego. », (Daniel 1:7). The boys’ names were altered to encourage them to forsake the God and customs of their homeland and adopt the ways and deities of Babylon. This was a form of forced assimilation; Nebuchadnezzar desired for Daniel and his companions to “conForm to the pattern of this world” «And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. », (Romans 12:2), and a name change was one step toward that goal.

Each name Daniel and his friends were given carried a meaning associated with a different Babylonian deity. Abednego means “servant of Nebo,” for example. Belteshazzar, the name given to Daniel, means “Bel protects his life.” The meaning of the name Daniel is “God is my judge.” The suffix of Daniel’s name (and Mishael’s) is -el, which refers to Elohim, one of the names of the God of Israel. Azariah and Hananiah carry the suffix -iah or -yah, which is short for Yahweh, the covenant name of God see Isaiah 26:4.

Miraculously, God kept these young men alive, even though they refused to conform to the indoctrination, diet, and religion of Babylon. Daniel and his companions asked to be fed vegetables rather than the king’s unlawful food, and they were granted their wish on the condition that their health did not suffer. God made them thrive physically beyond their peers, because of their God-honoring obedience (Daniel 1:8-16). They would not bow down to the idol of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s image, and were sentenced to death, but God saved them from the midst of a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:23-27). In the end, Nebuchadnezzar was forced to acknowledge the miracle, and he decreed that the people of Babylon honor the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (verses 28–29).

After the wonders of God were shown to him, Nebuchadnezzar himself acknowledged Daniel’s true name and honored the God of Israel, writing, “Daniel came into my presence. . . . (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god).”

God, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him)” «But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, », (Daniel 4:8). Years later, the queen of Babylon still referred to Daniel by his Hebrew name, although she knows of Nebuchadnezzar’s attempt to change it: she spoke of him as “Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar” «forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation. », (Daniel 5:12).