King Belshazzar held a great feast, profaning sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple by drinking from them and praising pagan gods. Suddenly, a mysterious hand appeared, writing an unknown message on the palace wall, terrifying the king. When his wise men failed, Daniel was called, who interpreted the writing as divine judgment, declaring Belshazzar's kingdom numbered, weighed, and divided. That same night, Belshazzar was slain, and his kingdom was taken by Darius the Median.
Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
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 princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
¶ Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
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, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
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.
Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:
And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, 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 set up; and whom he would he put down.
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: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
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 in 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:
Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Study Notes for Daniel 5
Verse 1
Belshazzar was the son and co-regent of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon. This feast was held during a time of imminent military threat from the Medes and Persians.
Verse 2
Using the sacred vessels plundered from the Jerusalem Temple (605 BC) for pagan revelry was an act of profound hubris and direct blasphemy against Yahweh.
Verse 4
The contrast between the inanimate idols they praised and the living God whose vessels they profaned highlights the depth of their spiritual rebellion.
Verse 5
The supernatural appearance of the hand provided a dramatic, terrifying, and visible sign of divine judgment, disrupting the revelry instantly.
Verse 7
The promise to make the interpreter the 'third ruler' confirms Belshazzar was the second ruler, serving under his father, Nabonidus, the primary king.
Verse 10
The queen (likely the Queen Mother) remembers Daniel from the previous generation, suggesting Daniel had been marginalized during Belshazzar's reign.
Verse 11
The queen credits Daniel's wisdom to the 'spirit of the holy gods,' reflecting her pagan terminology while acknowledging Daniel's unique divine connection.
Verse 17
Daniel refuses the promised rewards, establishing that he speaks not for personal gain but as a faithful prophet delivering God’s judgment.
Verse 18
Daniel begins his prophetic address by reminding Belshazzar that all earthly power, even that of the great Nebuchadnezzar, is derived solely from God.
Verse 21
This verse summarizes the core theological lesson of Daniel 4: God’s sovereignty is absolute, and He determines who rules in the kingdom of men.
Verse 22
Belshazzar’s sin is presented as greater than Nebuchadnezzar’s because he had the benefit of witnessing God’s judgment on his father but chose willful pride and sacrilege anyway.
Verse 23
Belshazzar compounded his sins by actively defying the Lord of heaven through the misuse of the sacred vessels and by failing to glorify the God 'in whose hand thy breath is.'
Verse 25
These Aramaic words are nouns relating to weights or currency, which Daniel interprets as God's verdict concerning the kingdom’s value and lifespan.
Verse 26
Mene, meaning 'numbered,' signifies that God has counted the days of the Babylonian kingdom and brought its appointed time to a close.
Verse 27
Tekel, meaning 'weighed,' indicates that Belshazzar's actions and character have been measured against God’s standards and found severely lacking.
Verse 28
Peres (the singular of Upharsin) means 'divided' and is a deliberate pun on the word for 'Persia,' explicitly naming the conquerors of the kingdom.
Verse 29
Despite the dire prophecy, Belshazzar honored his promise to reward Daniel, emphasizing the swiftness and unexpected nature of the coming judgment.
Verse 30
The immediate fulfillment of the prophecy on the same night validates Daniel’s divine authority and demonstrates God's absolute control over historical transitions.
Verse 31
Darius the Mede is likely a title or sub-king appointed by the primary conqueror, Cyrus the Great, who had successfully encircled and taken the city of Babylon.
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The Calling of Disciples
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