TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
Complete Jewish Bible
Belshatzar the king gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords, and in the presence of the thousand he was drinking wine.
Berean Standard Bible
Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.
American Standard Version
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
World English Bible Messianic
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
Geneva Bible (1599)
King Belshazzar made a great feast to a thousand of his princes, and dranke wine before the thousand.
Young's Literal Translation
Belshazzar the king hath made a great feast to a thousand of his great men, and before the thousand he is drinking wine;
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Commentary on Daniel 5 verses 1–9
1 ¶ Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
2 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.
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 princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
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 thereof.
9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
We have here Belshazzar the king very gay, but all of a sudden very gloomy, and in straits in the fulness of his sufficiency. See how he affronts God, and God affrights him; and wait what will be the issue of this contest; and whether he that hardened his heart against God prospered.
I. See how the king affronted God, and put contempt upon him. He made a great feast, or banquet of wine; probably it was some anniversary solemnity, in honour off his birthday or coronation-day, or in honour of some of their idols. Historians say that Cyrus, who was now with his army besieging Babylon, knew of this feast, and presuming that they then would be off their guard, somno vinoque sepulti - buried in sleep and wine, took that opportunity to attack the city, and so with the more ease made himself master of it. Belshazzar upon this occasion invited a thousand of his lords to come and drink with him. Perhaps they were such as had signalized themselves in defense of the city against the besiegers; or these were his great council of war, with whom, when they had well drunk, he would advise what was further to be done. And they were to look upon it as a great favour that he drank wine before them, for it was the pride of those eastern kings to be seldom seen. He drank wine before them, for he made this feast, as Ahasuerus did, to show the honour of his majesty. Now in this sumptuous feast, 1. He put an affront upon the providence of God and bade defiance to his judgments. His city was now besieged; a powerful enemy was at his gates; his life and kingdom lay at stake. In all this the hand of the Lord had gone out against him, and by it he called him to weeping, and mourning, and girding with sackcloth. God's voice cried in the city, as Jonah to Nineveh, Yet forty days, or fewer, and Babylon shall be destroyed. He should therefore, like the king of Nineveh, have proclaimed a fast; but, as one resolved to walk contrary to God, he proclaims a feast, and behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine, as if he dared the Almighty to do his worst, Isa 22:12, Isa 22:13. To show how little fear he had of being forced to surrender, for want of provisions, he spent thus extravagantly. Note, Security and sensuality are sad presages of approaching ruin. Those that will not be warned by judgments of God may expect to be wounded by them. 2. He put an affront upon the temple of God, and bade defiance to his sanctuary, Dan 5:2. While he tasted the wine, he commanded to bring the vessels of the temple, that they might drink in them. When he tasted how rich and fine the wine was, "O," said he, "it is a pity but we should have holy vessels to drink such delicious wine as this in," which was looked upon as a piece of wit, and, to carry on the humour, the vessels of the temple were immediately sent for. Nay, there seems to have been something more in it than a frolic, and that it was done in a malicious despite to the God of Israel. The heart of his people was very much upon these sacred vessels, as appears from Jer 27:16, Jer 27:18. Their principal care, at their return, was about these, Ezr 1:7. Now, we may suppose, they had an expectation of their deliverance approaching, reckoning the seventy years of their captivity near a period; and some of them might perhaps have given out some words to that purport, that shortly they should have the vessels of the sanctuary restored to them, in defiance of which Belshazzar here proclaims them to be his own, will keep them in store no longer, but will make use of them among his own plate. Note, That mirth is sinful indeed, and fills the measure of men's iniquity apace, which profanes sacred things and jests with them. This ripened Babylon for ruin - that no songs would serve them but the songs of Zion (Psa 137:3), no vessels but the vessels of the sanctuary. Let those who thus sacrilegiously alienate what is dedicated to God and his honour know that he will not be mocked. 3. He put an affront upon God himself, and bade defiance to his deity; for they drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, Dan 5:4. They gave that glory to images, the work of their own hands and creatures of their own fancy, which is due to the true and living God only. They praised them either with sacrifices offered to them or with songs sung in honour of them. When their heads were giddy, and their hearts merry, with wine, they were in the fittest frame to praise the gods of gold and silver, wood and stone; for one would think that men in their senses, who had the command of a clear and sober thought, could not be guilty of so gross an absurdity; they must be intoxicated ere they could be so infatuated. Drunken worshippers, who are not men, but beasts, are the most proper for the service of dunghill deities, that are not gods, but devils. They have erred through wine, Isa 27:7. They drank wine, and praised their idol-gods, as if they had been the founders of their feast and the givers of all good things to them. Or, when they were drinking wine, they praised their gods by drinking healths to them; and the king drank wine before them (Dan 5:1), that is, he began the health, first to this god, and then to the other, till they went through the bead-roll or farrago of them, those of wood and stone not excepted. Note, Immorality and impiety, vice and profaneness, strengthen the hands and advance the interests one of another. Drunken frolics were an introduction to idolatry, and then idolatrous healths were a shoeing-horn to further drunkenness.
II. See how God affrighted the king, and struck a terror upon him. Belshazzar and his lords are in the midst of their revels, the cups going round apace, and all upon the merry pin, drinking confusion, it may be, to Cyrus and his army, and roaring out huzzas, in confidence of the speedy raising of the siege; but the hour had come when that must be fulfilled which had been long ago said of the king of Babylon, when his city should be besieged by the Persians and Medes, Isa 21:2-4. The night of my pleasures has he turned into fear to me. The mirth of this ball at court must be spoiled, and a damp cast upon their jollity, though the king himself be master of the revels; immediately, when God speaks the word, we have him and all his guests in the utmost confusion, and the end of their mirth is heaviness. 1. There appear the fingers of a man's hand writing on the plaster of the wall, before the king's face (Dan 5:5), "the angel Gabriel," say the rabbin, "directing these fingers and writing by them." "That divine hand" (says a rabbi of our own, Dr. Lightfoot) "that had written the two tables for a law to his people now writes the doom of Babel and Belshazzar upon the wall." Here was nothing sent to frighten them which made a noise, or threatened their lives, no claps of thunder nor flashes of lightning, no destroying angel with his sword drawn in his hand, only a pen in the hand, writing upon the wall, over-against the candlestick, where they might all see it by the light of their own candle. Note, God's written word is sufficient to put the proudest boldest sinners into a fright, when he is pleased to give it the setting on. The king saw the part of the hand that wrote, but saw not the person whose hand it was, which made the thing more frightful. Note, What we see of God, the part of the hand that writes in the book of the creatures and the book of the scriptures (Lo, these are parts of his ways, Job 26:14), may serve to possess us with awful thoughts concerning that of God which we do not see. If this be the finger of God, what is his arm made bare? And what is he? 2. The king is immediately seized with a panic fear (Dan 5:6): His countenance was changed (his colour went and came); the joints of his loins were loosed, so that he had no strength in them, but was struck with a pain in his back, as is usual in a great fright; his knees smote one against another, so violently did he tremble like an aspen leaf. But what was the matter? Why is he in such a fright? He perceives not what is written, and how does he know but it may be some happy presage of deliverance to him and to his kingdom? But the business was his thoughts troubled him; his own guilty conscience flew in his face, and told him that he had no reason to expect any good news from Heaven, and that the hand of an angel could write nothing but terror to him. He that knew himself liable to the justice of God immediately concluded this to be an arrest in his name, a summons to appear before him. Note, God can soon awaken the most secure and make the heart of the stoutest sinner to tremble; and there needs no more to do it than to let loose his own thoughts upon him; they will soon play the tyrant, and give him trouble enough. 3. The wise men of Babylon are immediately called in, to see what they can make of this writing upon the wall, Dan 5:7. The king cried aloud, as one in haste, as one in earnest, to bring the whole college of magicians, to try if they can read this writing, and show the interpretation of it; for the king and all his lords cannot pretend to it, it is out of their sphere. The study of divine revelation (such as they had, or thought they had) and converse with the world of spirits were by the heathen confined to one profession, and no other meddled with it; but what is written to us by the finger of God is legible to all; whoever will may read the mind of God in the scriptures. To engage these wise men to exert the utmost of their skill in this matter, and provoke them to an emulation in the attempt, he promised that whoever would give him a satisfactory account of this writing should be dignified with the highest honours of the court. He knew what these pretenders to wisdom aimed at, and what would please them, and therefore promised them a scarlet robe and a gold chain, glorious things in the eyes of those that know no better. Nay, he should be primus par regni - chief minister of state, the third ruler in the kingdom, next to the king and his heir apparent. 4. The king is disappointed in his expectations from them; they can none of them read the writing, much less interpret it (Dan 5:8), which increases the king's confusion, Dan 5:9. He likes the thing yet worse and worse, and fears that mischief is towards him. His lords also, that had been partners with him in his jollity, are now sharers with him in his terrors; they also were astonished at their wits' end; and neither their numbers nor their refreshment by wine would serve to keep up their spirits. The reason why the wise men could not read the writing was not because it was written in any language or characters unknown to them, but God either cast a mist before their eyes or put such confusion upon their spirits that they could not read it, that the honour of expounding this mystical writing might be reserved for Daniel. Note, The terror of an awakened convinced conscience may justly be increased by the utter insufficiency of all creatures to give it ease or satisfaction.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–9. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER FIVE
Verse 1. "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for his one thousand nobles; and each one drank in the order of his age." It should be known that this man was not the son of Nebuchadnezzar, as readers commonly imagine; but according to Berosus, who wrote the history of the Chaldeans, and also Josephus, who follows Berosus, after Nebuchadnezzar's reign of forty-three years, a son named Evilmerodach succeeded to his throne. It was concerning this king that Jeremiah wrote that in the first year of his reign he raised the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, and took him out of his prison (Jeremiah 52:31). Josephus likewise reports that after the death of Evilmerodach, his son Neriglissar succeeded to his father's throne; after whom in turn came his son Labosordach. Upon the latter's death, his son, Belshazzar, obtained the kingdom, and it is of him that the Scripture now makes mention. After he had been killed by Darius, King of the Medes, who was the maternal uncle of Cyrus, King of the Persians, the empire of the Chaldeans was destroyed by Cyrus the Persian. It was these two kingdoms which Isaiah in chap. 21 (Isaiah 21:7) addresses as a charioteer of a vehicle drawn by a camel and an ass. Indeed Xenophon also writes the same thing in connection with the childhood of Cyrus the Great; likewise Pompeius Trogus and many others who have written up the history of the barbarians. Some authorities think that this Darius was the Astyages mentioned in the Greek writings, while others think it was Astyages' son, and that he was called by the other name among the barbarians. "And each one of the princes who had been invited drank in the order of his own age." Or else, as other translators have rendered it: "The king himself was drinking in the presence of all the princes whom he had invited."
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 5:1
This man was the son of Nebuchadnezzar but did not directly succeed him.… After Nebuchadnezzar, then, Evil-merodach ruled, and after him Belshazzar. The most divine Daniel, however, omitted mention of the former man, since he was composing not history pure and simple but prophecy—hence his not recording everything done by Nebuchadnezzar, either, but only those things of which mention was required with a view to bringing benefit. So since also in the time of Belshazzar God gave evidence of a wonderful miracle capable of instilling reverence and dread not only in the people of that time but also in those of any later time and of leading them to the true religion, he did not think it right to conceal in silence such a great act of kindness, judging it instead a holy thing to put it in writing and leave for everyone a record of the teaching.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Daniel 5:1 introduces Belshazzar, the reigning king of Babylon, hosting an opulent and defiant feast for a thousand of his high-ranking officials and nobles, publicly drinking wine with them. This grand revelry, occurring while the Medo-Persian army besieges the city, serves as a dramatic prelude to imminent divine judgment, powerfully highlighting the king's profound hubris and the empire's impending doom as foretold by God's unwavering sovereignty.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Daniel 5:1 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to set the scene for the dramatic events that immediately follow. Foreshadowing is prominently featured, as the extravagant and defiant feast, held amidst an active siege, immediately signals impending doom and divine judgment. The very act of revelry in the face of existential threat creates a palpable sense of unease and strongly anticipates the swift and unexpected divine intervention. Irony is also powerfully at play; Belshazzar's attempt to project an image of unassailable power and security through a grand display of wealth and indulgence ultimately serves to highlight his profound weakness, spiritual blindness, and ultimate vulnerability. The description "great feast" (Aramaic: rab lᵉchem) functions as Hyperbole, emphasizing the immense scale of the gathering, which further underscores the king's hubris and the sheer magnitude of the coming fall. Finally, the feast itself functions as rich Symbolism, representing the pervasive moral decay, spiritual arrogance, and ultimate disregard for the one true God that characterized the Babylonian Empire, thereby setting the stage for its dramatic, divinely ordained, and utterly deserved collapse.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Daniel 5:1 serves as a stark theological statement on the intrinsic nature of human pride and the absolute reality of divine sovereignty. Belshazzar's defiant feast, held in the immediate shadow of a besieging army and soon to be compounded by sacrilege, is far more than just a historical event; it is a profound and timeless illustration of humanity's persistent tendency to ignore divine warnings and to exalt itself in the face of God's ultimate and unchallengeable authority. The verse meticulously sets the stage for God's direct and dramatic intervention, demonstrating unequivocally that no earthly power, however mighty, secure, or defiant it may seem, can ultimately escape divine reckoning for its arrogance and moral corruption. It powerfully underscores the timeless biblical principle that God is the one who "removes kings and sets up kings" (Daniel 2:21), and that pride inevitably precedes a devastating fall.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The dramatic scene meticulously set in Daniel 5:1 offers profound and timeless lessons for believers today. Belshazzar's defiant revelry in the face of imminent judgment serves as a powerful and sobering cautionary tale against spiritual complacency, unbridled arrogance, and the pursuit of fleeting worldly pleasures. It vividly reminds us that all worldly power, wealth, and temporary gratifications are ultimately fleeting and perpetually subject to God's sovereign and immutable will. In a world that frequently encourages self-sufficiency, the accumulation of material possessions, and the relentless pursuit of fleeting gratifications, this verse issues a compelling call to humility, spiritual discernment, and a sober awareness of God's ultimate and rightful authority over all things. It challenges us to honestly examine our own lives for areas where we might be ignoring divine warnings, indulging in self-serving pursuits, or subtly failing to acknowledge God's rightful place as the supreme King and Lord. True security, lasting peace, and enduring joy are found not in defiant revelry or worldly power, but in humble submission to the Lordship of Christ and a life lived in accordance with His eternal truth and righteous commands.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who was Belshazzar, and what was his historical significance?
Answer: Belshazzar (Aramaic: Bêlshaʼtstsar) was the last king of Babylon according to the biblical account in Daniel 5. Historically, he is widely understood to have been the co-regent with his father, Nabonidus, who was frequently away from the capital city. While Nabonidus was technically the last independent king of Babylon, Belshazzar was the one in direct charge of the city when it dramatically fell to the Medo-Persian forces in 539 BC. His profound significance lies in his pivotal role as the king who presided over the final, dramatic, and divinely ordained collapse of the mighty Babylonian Empire, and whose blatant defiance of God directly led to the famous and terrifying "handwriting on the wall" incident.
Why was Belshazzar's feast particularly defiant or significant?
Answer: Belshazzar's feast was profoundly significant and defiant for multiple compelling reasons. Firstly, it was held at a moment of extreme peril, with the formidable Medo-Persian army actively besieging Babylon. To host such a lavish, public, and seemingly carefree celebration in the face of imminent invasion demonstrated an astonishing degree of hubris and a defiant disregard for the external threat. Secondly, as dramatically revealed in Daniel 5:2-4, Belshazzar compounded his arrogance by sacrilegiously using the sacred vessels plundered from the temple in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar for his pagan revelry. This act was a direct, blasphemous affront to the God of Israel, a profound sacrilege that immediately preceded and provoked divine judgment. The sheer scale of the feast ("a thousand of his lords") also underscored the widespread moral decay and spiritual blindness that permeated the entire Babylonian leadership.
What happened immediately after this feast, according to the book of Daniel?
Answer: Immediately following this defiant feast, as vividly described in Daniel 5:5-6, a mysterious disembodied hand miraculously appeared and began writing an unknown message on the plaster of the palace wall. This terrifying and supernatural event caused Belshazzar to tremble uncontrollably with fear. Unable to interpret the ominous writing, he desperately summoned all his wise men, but none could decipher its meaning. Ultimately, Daniel, the faithful prophet of God, was called upon to interpret the divine message, which chillingly foretold the imminent fall of Babylon and the immediate end of Belshazzar's reign. That very night, Belshazzar was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom (Daniel 5:30-31).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Daniel 5:1, while vividly depicting the dramatic fall of an earthly king and his defiant empire, profoundly foreshadows the ultimate triumph and eternal reign of God's true and eternal King, Jesus Christ. Belshazzar's defiant feast, marked by human pride, sacrilege, and impending judgment, stands in stark and powerful contrast to the divine humility, perfect obedience, and redemptive purpose embodied in Christ. Just as Belshazzar's kingdom was weighed in the divine balance and found utterly wanting (Daniel 5:27), so too will all earthly kingdoms, human systems of power, and self-exalting ideologies that reject God's sovereignty ultimately be judged and destined to fall. Jesus, however, inaugurates a kingdom that is "not of this world" (John 18:36), a spiritual and eternal dominion that "will never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44). Belshazzar's self-indulgent revelry led directly to his swift and ignominious demise, but Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, the ultimate act of self-giving love, secured eternal life and triumphant victory over sin and death for all who believe (Colossians 2:13-15). The dramatic judgment that fell upon Babylon serves as a sobering reminder of the coming judgment for all who persist in rejecting God's righteous rule, yet it also gloriously highlights the truth that Christ, the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, bore that judgment for us, inviting us into His eternal feast, the glorious marriage supper of the Lamb, where there is no pride, only perfect communion, unending joy, and everlasting worship.