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Texts -- Daniel 5:4-31 (NET)

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5:4 As they drank wine , they praised the gods of gold and silver , bronze , iron , wood , and stone . 5:5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall , opposite the lampstand . The king was watching the back of the hand that was writing . 5:6 Then all the color drained from the king’s face and he became alarmed . The joints of his hips gave way , and his knees began knocking together . 5:7 The king called out loudly to summon the astrologers , wise men , and diviners . The king proclaimed to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who could read this inscription and disclose its interpretation would be clothed in purple and have a golden collar placed on his neck and be third ruler in the kingdom . 5:8 So all the king’s wise men came in , but they were unable to read the writing or to make known its interpretation to the king . 5:9 Then King Belshazzar was very terrified , and he was visibly shaken . His nobles were completely dumbfounded . 5:10 Due to the noise caused by the king and his nobles , the queen mother then entered the banquet room . She said , “O king , live forever ! Don’t be alarmed ! Don’t be shaken ! 5:11 There is a man in your kingdom who has within him a spirit of the holy gods . In the days of your father , he proved to have insight , discernment , and wisdom like that of the gods . King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of the magicians , astrologers , wise men , and diviners . 5:12 Thus there was found in this man Daniel , whom the king renamed Belteshazzar , an extraordinary spirit , knowledge , and skill to interpret dreams , solve riddles , and decipher knotty problems . Now summon Daniel , and he will disclose the interpretation .” 5:13 So Daniel was brought in before the king . The king said to Daniel , “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives of Judah , whom my father the king brought from Judah ? 5:14 I have heard about you, how there is a spirit of the gods in you, and how you have insight , discernment , and extraordinary wisdom . 5:15 Now the wise men and astrologers were brought before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation . But they were unable to disclose the interpretation of the message . 5:16 However, I have heard that you are able to provide interpretations interpretations and to decipher knotty problems . Now if you are able to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation , you will wear purple and have a golden collar around your neck and be third ruler in the kingdom .”
Daniel Interprets the Handwriting on the Wall
5:17 But Daniel replied to the king , “Keep your gifts , and give your rewards to someone else! However , I will read the writing for the king and make known its interpretation . 5:18 As for you , O king , the most high God bestowed on your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom , greatness , honor , and majesty . 5:19 Due to the greatness that he bestowed on him, all peoples , nations , and language groups were trembling with fear before him. He killed whom he wished , he spared whom he wished , he exalted whom he wished , and he brought low whom he wished. 5:20 And when his mind became arrogant and his spirit filled with pride , he was deposed from his royal throne and his honor was removed from him. 5:21 He was driven from human society , his mind was changed to that of an animal , he lived with the wild donkeys , he was fed grass like oxen , and his body became damp with the dew of the sky , until he came to understand that the most high God rules over human kingdoms , and he appoints over them whomever he wishes . 5:22 “But you , his son Belshazzar , have not humbled yourself , although you knew all this . 5:23 Instead , you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven . You brought before you the vessels from his temple , and you and your nobles , together with your wives and concubines , drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver , gold , bronze , iron , wood , and stone – gods that cannot see or hear or comprehend ! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very breath and all your ways ! 5:24 Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him , and this writing was inscribed . 5:25 “This is the writing that was inscribed : MENE , MENE , TEQEL , and PHARSIN . 5:26 This is the interpretation of the words : As for mene – God has numbered your kingdom’s days and brought it to an end . 5:27 As for teqel – you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking . 5:28 As for peres – your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians .” 5:29 Then , on Belshazzar’s orders , Daniel was clothed in purple , a golden collar was placed around his neck , and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom . 5:30 And in that very night Belshazzar , the Babylonian king , was killed . 5:31 So Darius the Mede took control of the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old .

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  • Dan 5:17-31 -- Daniel Interprets the Handwriting on the Wall

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  • [Dan 5:5] Handwriting On The Wall, The

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's two dreams faithfully. This led to God elevating Joseph in the government and demonstrating His sovereign control over economic life in Egypt as He prepared to preserve Israel through the coming f...
  • Again David sinned by multiplying wives (Deut. 17:17). Nevertheless in spite of this sin God continued to bless him with fertility because he was God's elect and, for the most part, God's obedient servant. Fortunately God doe...
  • Often warring armies in the ancient Near East carried images of their gods into battle to help secure victory (cf. 2 Sam. 5:21; 1 Chron. 14:12). When one army defeated the other the victors would take the images of their defe...
  • The events of this book took place between those recorded in Ezra 6 and 7. They have nothing to do with the people who returned from exile in Babylon. They deal with those who remained behind. Remember the dates of the three ...
  • Here we have another remarkable example of how God controls the hearts of kings (v. 2; Prov. 21:1; cf. Gen. 39-41; Ezra 1:1-4; Neh. 2; Dan. 2; 3; 4; 5; Acts 2:23). "To half of the kingdom"(v. 3) is hyperbole and means, "I wil...
  • Haman's "house"(v. 1) was his estate. Esther received this probably to compensate her for her suffering. The king gave Mordecai Haman's place as second in authority (cf. Joseph, Gen. 41:42; Daniel, Dan. 5:7, 29; 6:3; and Nehe...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
  • This is a message of the destruction of the anti-God religious and commercial system that Babylon has symbolized throughout history (cf. Rev. 17-18).21:1 This oracle concerns the wilderness of the sea. This enigmatic title pr...
  • This section of Isaiah on "The Lord's redemption of His servant [Israel]"(44:23-47:15) has included an announcement of redemption (44:23-28), the identification of the instrument of redemption, Cyrus (45:1-13), and a reminder...
  • The biblical records of the times in which Jeremiah ministered are 2 Kings 21-25 and 2 Chronicles 33-36. His contemporary prophets were Zephaniah and Habakkuk before the Exile, and Ezekiel and Daniel after it began.King Manas...
  • This chapter contains three parts: Jeremiah's warning to the foreign messengers (vv. 1-11), his appeal to King Zedekiah (vv. 12-15), and his appeal to the priests and people of Jerusalem (vv. 16-22).27:1 Jeremiah received a m...
  • Jeremiah wrote almost as much about Babylon's future as he did about the futures of all the other nations in his other oracles combined. The length of this oracle reflects the great importance of Babylon in his ministry as we...
  • Ezekiel was also to do something else during the time he was dramatizing the siege of Jerusalem with his model (ch. 4)."After Ezekiel represented the factof the siege (first sign [4:1-3]), the lengthof the siege (second sign ...
  • This chapter, like the previous one, probably contains several separate oracles. Together they make up a lamentation. Here the nature of the coming judgment of Jerusalem and Judah receives primary emphasis."There are six part...
  • Theologically the book stresses the sovereignty of God."The absolute sovereignty and transcendence of God above all angels and men literally permeates the book."11"The theme running through the whole book is that the fortunes...
  • The Book of Daniel contains many unique and significant emphases. I would like to point out some of these first before we organize them into an explanation of what God has given us this book to reveal.Theologically Daniel str...
  • I. The character of Daniel ch. 1A. Historical background 1:1-2B. Nebuchadnezzar's training program for promising youths 1:3-7C. Daniel's resolve to please Yahweh 1:8-13D. The success of the test 1:14-16E. God's blessing of Da...
  • 1:1 The book opens with a synopsis of the first Jewish deportation in 605 B.C. (cf. 2 Kings 21:35; 2 Chron 28:2-3).25Daniel and his three friends were part of the nobles and royal families taken from Jerusalem as captives the...
  • 1:3-5 Nebuchadnezzar's enlightened policy was to employ the best minds in his kingdom in government service regardless of their national or ethnic origin. We do not know how many other Jews and Gentiles were the classmates of...
  • 1:17 In addition to favor with their overseers, God gave Daniel and his three friends the ability to master the subjects they studied and wisdom in these matters (cf. James 1:5). They may have thought that Nebuchadnezzar had ...
  • Daniel wrote 2:4b-7:28 in the Aramaic language. This literary change gives the reader a clue that this part is a distinct section of the book. The content of this section also identifies it as special. It concerns the future ...
  • 2:4 The Chaldeans took the lead in replying to the king. They responded in the Aramaic language that was widely used in business and in government throughout the empire. This reference to Aramaic introduces the section of the...
  • 2:36 Daniel carefully distinguished the dream (vv. 31-35) from its interpretation (vv. 36-45) for the sake of clarity. His reference to "we"telling the interpretation is probably an editorial plural. This form of speech allow...
  • 4:19 Daniel's initial reluctance to tell the king the interpretation must have been due to the bad news itself and to the potentially harmful consequences for Daniel for telling it to the king.147Daniel had not hesitated to i...
  • 5:1 Older critical scholars have claimed that Belshazzar was never a king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.167However modern discoveries have shown that Belshazzar acted as king during his father's frequent and prolonged absences...
  • 5:5 Like Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar received an omen from God. In Nebuchadnezzar's case it was two dreams (chs. 1; 4). In Belshazzar's it was a hand writing on a wall. The night of revelry became a night of revelation.176"In ...
  • 5:10 Normally we would identify the queen as Belshazzar's wife. However, there are a number of reasons to prefer the view that she was really the queen mother or perhaps even the surviving wife of Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar's...
  • The king had heard of Daniel by reputation even though he had not met him before (v. 13). He recognized him as a person whose extraordinary ability came from some divine source (cf. 4:8, 18). Perhaps it was because Daniel was...
  • 5:17 Daniel's reply to the king was in every sense a sermon, and a powerful one at that.181The prophet began by declining the offered gifts. This had the effect, whatever Daniel's reason for doing so may have been, of helping...
  • Scholars have wearied themselves trying to figure out how Daniel got his interpretation from these three apparently Aramaic words. They have been as unsuccessful as Belshazzar's original wise men were. It seems best to me sim...
  • 5:29 Belshazzar kept his promise (v. 16) though Daniel's honors only lasted a few hours at most, typical of the honors of this world. The king's response is surprising. We might have expected him to execute Daniel for confron...
  • 6:10 The new decree did not deter Daniel from continuing to pray for the welfare of the city where God had sent them into exile and for the Jews' return from exile. That this was the subject of his praying, among other things...
  • 7:1 We have already read of two dreams that Nebuchadnezzar had (2:1; 4:5). Now God gave one to Daniel. It too was a vision from God that came to Daniel as he slept."In referring to the experience as a dream' (sing.) Daniel wa...
  • The third year of Belshazzar was about 551 B.C., two years after the vision in chapter 7 and about 12 years before the events of chapter 5. Daniel was then living within the kingdom of Neo-Babylonia, the first beast of chapte...
  • 9:1 What Daniel did and saw in this chapter dates from 538 B.C., the first year of Darius the Mede's (Cyrus') rule as king over the former Neo-Babylonian Empire (cf. Ezra 1:1).347This means that Belshazzar's feast (ch. 5) occ...
  • 10:20 The angel asked if Daniel knew why he had come to him. He apparently did this to focus the prophet's attention on the vision to follow anew since Daniel was quite weak.The angel informed Daniel that he needed to return ...
  • Having prepared the prophet for His answer, the Lord now gave it. What follows must be that revelation.2:4 Proud Babylon was not right in doing what she did but was puffed up with pride and evil passions. In contrast, the rig...
  • The key to the Book of Zephaniah is the phrase "the day of the Lord."This phrase appears in most of the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. As we saw in Joel, "the day of the Lord"can be a past day, a day in the relati...
  • 2:1-2 When did the Magi visit Jesus in Bethlehem?74There are several factors that point to a time about a year after Jesus' birth. First, Matthew described Jesus as a "child"(Gr. paidion, v. 11), not an "infant"(Gr. brephos, ...
  • The Transfiguration confirmed three important facts. First, it confirmed to the disciples that the kingdom was indeed future. Second, it confirmed to them that Jesus was indeed the divine Messiah. Third, it confirmed to them ...
  • 1:19-20 These verses begin a discussion of "natural revelation."Natural revelation describes what everyone knows about God because of what God has revealed concerning Himself in nature. What He has revealed about Himself in S...
  • 9:20 These three severe judgments (fire, smoke, and brimstone, vv. 17-18) will not move the remaining unbelievers as a whole to repent (cf. Exod. 7:13, 23; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 35; 10:20; 11:10)."In all cases in the apocaly...
  • 18:4 Another voice from heaven instructed God's people to separate themselves from the system that the city symbolizes so they would avoid getting caught in her judgment. The being speaking is evidently an angel who speaks fo...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • 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. 18. O thou king, the most high ...
  • Daniel speaks like an embodied conscience, or like an avenging angel, with no word of pity, and no effort to soften or dilute the awful truth. The day for wrapping up grim facts in muffled words was past. Now the only thing t...
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