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Daniel 5

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Belshazzar's Sacrilegious Feast 1–4

1
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. ​
2
Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, might drink therefrom. ​
3
Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank from them.
4
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. ​

The Writing on the Wall Appears 5–9

5
In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. ​
6
Then the king’s countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
7
The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. ​
8
Then came in all the king’s wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation.
9
Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were perplexed.

Daniel Is Summoned 10–16

10
Nowthe queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed. ​
11
There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; ​
12
forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.
13
Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?
14
I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in thee.
15
And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing.
16
But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Daniel Rebukes the King 17–24

17
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. ​
18
O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty: ​
19
and because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down.
20
But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
21
and he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts’, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; until he knew that the Most High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he setteth up over it whomsoever he will. ​
22
And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this, ​
23
but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine from them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified. ​
24
Then was the part of the hand sent from before him, and this writing was inscribed.

The Interpretation: Mene, Tekel, Upharsin 25–29

25
And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. ​
26
This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end. ​
27
TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. ​
28
PERES; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. ​
29
Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. ​

Babylon Falls 30–31

30
In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. ​
31
And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Daniel 5

Verse 1

a great feast to a thousand of his lords — The whole chapter falls on one night: 'In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain' (v.30). His reign is counted in years, 'the first year of Belshazzar' (7:1) and 'the third year' (8:1), so he had reigned at least three years when this night came. He 'drank wine before the thousand'.

Verse 2

the golden and silver vessels — These are the vessels Nebuchadnezzar 'had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem', as 1:2 records and 2 Chr 36:7 confirms. More were taken at the city's fall (2 Kgs 25:15). The holy things of the LORD's house are brought out so that 'the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein'.

Verse 4

praised the gods of gold, and of silver — The six materials begin with the four metals of the image in 2:32–33 (gold, silver, brass, iron) and add wood and stone. 'The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands' (Ps 135:15), and Hab 2:19 pronounces a woe on him that says 'to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise'.

Verse 5

fingers of a man's hand — It comes 'in the same hour' (sha'ah, as in 3:6) and writes 'over against the candlestick' on the plaster of the wall, in the king's sight. Ex 31:18 says that the tables of the law were 'written with the finger of God'. The writing is traced in v.24 to God: 'the part of the hand sent from him'.

Verse 7

the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers — The same classes that failed Nebuchadnezzar (2:27; 4:7). 'Soothsayers' is gezar, from a word meaning to cut or determine. The reward of 'scarlet' (argevan, purple), 'a chain of gold about his neck' and being 'the third ruler' recalls what Pharaoh gave Joseph (Gen 41:42–43).

Verse 10

the queen — She 'came into the banquet house' because of the words of the king and his lords, so she is not one of the 'wives' already drinking in v.2 (malkah, queen, and shegal, wife, are different words). She greets him as the wise men did in 2:4, 'O king, live for ever', and tells him not to be troubled. What she says in vv.11–12 points to Daniel.

Verse 11

the spirit of the holy gods — The queen uses Nebuchadnezzar's wording of Daniel: 'the spirit of the holy gods' (4:8, 9, 18). 'Master of the magicians' repeats the office Daniel received when the king made him 'chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon' (2:48). She says 'gods' in the plural, as the king had, and names what was found in him: 'light and understanding and wisdom'.

Verse 17

Let thy gifts be to thyself — Daniel refuses the reward for himself and then reads the writing, as Elisha did when he said, 'As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none' (2 Kgs 5:16), and as Abram did before the king of Sodom (Gen 14:23). The king gives him the gifts anyway in v.29, by his own command, when the interpretation is over.

Verse 18

the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar — The giver is the 'most high God' (Elah illaya), and the gift is four things, 'a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour', as in 2:37, where the 'God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory'. Daniel begins with the source of that rule, which v.22 says Belshazzar 'knewest'.

Verse 21

driven from the sons of men — This recalls the sentence of 4:25, 'they shall drive thee from men'. The lesson is stated in 4:25 and 4:32: 'till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will'. It was learned 'at the end of the days', when 'mine understanding returned unto me' (4:34).

Verse 22

hast not humbled thine heart — Shephal, to be low, the verb used of God's power to 'abase' those that walk in pride (4:37). The charge is that Belshazzar 'knewest all this', the story of 4:1–37, and still did not humble himself. Of Amon it is said, 'humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself' (2 Chr 33:23).

Verse 23

in whose hand thy breath is — The charges run in three steps: he 'lifted up' himself against the 'Lord of heaven', drank from the vessels of the LORD's house, and praised gods 'which see not, nor hear, nor know'. Ps 135:16–17 says the same of idols: 'eyes have they, but they see not… They have ears, but they hear not'. Job 12:10 says that in God's hand is 'the breath of all mankind'.

Verse 25

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN — The wise men 'could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation' (v.8). Daniel reads the Aramaic words as 'numbered' (mene, repeated), 'weighed' (tekel) and 'divided' (u-pharsin, the u- being 'and'), and explains each in vv.26–28.

Verse 26

God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it — Mena, to number, and shelam, to complete: the kingdom's days were counted and brought to an end. Jeremiah had stated a limit: 'all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come' (Jer 27:7), and 'when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon' (Jer 25:12).

Verse 27

Thou art weighed in the balances — Teqal, to weigh, and the king 'art found wanting' (chassir, lacking). 'The LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed' (1 Sam 2:3). Ps 62:9 says of men, 'to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity', and Job 31:6 asks to be 'weighed in an even balance'.

Verse 28

given to the Medes and Persians — Peres (peras, to divide) is the singular of parsin in v.25, and it sounds like Paras, Persia, whom the verse names. The Medes come first, as in Isa 13:17, 'I will stir up the Medes against them'. 'Given' (yehab) is the verb of 2:37 and 5:18: the God who gave the kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar gives it again.

Verse 29

clothed Daniel with scarlet — The reward promised in v.7 is given as a decree, 'a proclamation concerning him', though the king has just heard the end of his own kingdom. Daniel is 'the third ruler in the kingdom', the rank held out in v.7 (telath). The chain of gold and the proclamation echo Joseph's honour in Gen 41:42–43.

Verse 30

In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain — Jeremiah had foretold this feast: 'I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep' (Jer 51:57). 'King of the Chaldeans' uses the national name as in 9:1, 'the realm of the Chaldeans'.

Verse 31

Darius the Median took the kingdom — Qebal, to receive: the same verb as in 7:18, 'the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom'. Scripture gives Darius's tribe and age, and his father's name in 9:1, 'the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans'. 'Was made king' says the kingdom was given to him.